Fall Fest expected to draw hundreds
By Sam Waller
More than a dozen game booths as well as several other activities and plenty of food options will be among the attractions Saturday evening for the Albany Parent-Teacher Organization’s Fall Fest at Nancy Smith Elementary School.
The event, which is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., benefits several educational endeavors for Albany schools and is expected to draw hundreds of students and their parents.
“The proceeds help with things like Teacher Appreciation Week, donations, scholarships beginning-of-the-year gifts for teachers and staff,” Albany PTO president Malarie Sutton said. “The kids love it. The joy on the kids’ faces is enough for me to keep it going,”
She commented that local students are especially excited because the event was cancelled last year because of COVID.
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Food service will be available at 5:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. The menu will include chili, stew, beans and cornbread, hotdogs, Frito pies, baked potatoes, and desserts.
In addition to 14 game booths, other activities include a silent auction for decorated pumpkins for each grade level. The auction will conclude at 7:30 p.m.
At 5:30 p.m., a costume contest will be held on a trailer outside the band hall next to Griffin Road. Age groups for the contest will be age 1 and under, 2-3 years old, Pre-K, kindergarten-second grade, third-sixth grade, and 13 and up. There will also be a division for duo/team costumes.
At 6:00 p.m., bingo will start in the gymnasium, and a cake walk will start under the awning next to the band hall.
Tickets for each booth are 50 cents apiece. Instead of handing out prizes at each individual booth, winners will receive yellow prize tickets which can be redeemed for different level prizes on the cafeteria stage.
“Each booth costs one ticket to play,” Sutton said. “Popcorn balls are one ticket, caramel apples are one ticket, a bottle of water is a ticket, the train booth is a ticket.”
Among other games offered are orange tree, duck pond, basketball shooting, football throw, guessing booth, and hole-in-one.
Sutton advised attendees to be aware that parking for the event is limited.
“The parking out by the bus barn behind the Fall Fest booths is not going to be available this year,” she said. “The only parking option is going to be along Griffin Road, no circle drive. You’ll just have to park on the side streets and walk.”
