Fall Fest expected to draw hundreds

By Donnie A. Lucas

Hundreds of local students and parents are expected to crowd the Nancy Smith Elementary campus Saturday for the annual Fall Fest featuring game booths, food, bingo, and a costume contest.

Booths will open at 5:00 p.m. and continue until 8:00 p.m.

According to organizer Ragan Riley, the event is coming together at the last minute regarding the number of volunteers needed to pull off the massive undertaking.

“The number of volunteers really picked up in the last week,” Riley said. “I still need about 10 to 12 more people to volunteer, but we will not have to close down any booths early now. I have at least one volunteer in each time slot to operate the booths, but we really need two people at all times.”

Anyone wanting to help should call Riley at 214-663-3271 as quickly as possible.

In addition to each grade level hosting a game booth, there will also be opportunities to buy food.

The cafeteria will be serving the usual fare of chili, beans, stew, cornbread, hot dogs, frito pies, baked potatoes, and desserts starting at 5:00 p.m. and ending at 7:30 p.m.

Also, the snack booth operated by Project Graduation will be selling drinks, popcorn balls, and caramel apples in the parking lot area with the rest of the booths.

“The snack booth will only be accepting cash this year,” Riley said. “Everything else can be paid for with tickets like the rest of the booths.

The price for the game booths is one ticket, except bingo which is five tickets. Tickets can be purchased for 50 cents each.

New this year is an unlimited play wristband that will allow the wearer to play as many games as they like for a flat fee of $35. Wrist bands will not be accepted for the bingo sessions.

The bingo room (band hall) and cake walk (awn­ing area outside band hall) are undergoing changes as well this year.

Both the cake walk and the bingo will now have separate adult and children’s events.

Kids bingo will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. in the elementary band hall. Prizes will be appropriate for children.

Meanwhile, outside of the band hall on the front covered area, adults will be able to participate in the cake walk from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Adult bingo will be held from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m., and children will not be allowed to play.

The kids cake walk, which will feature smaller baked prizes, will be held from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. in front of the band hall.

There will be a silent Pumpkin Auction in the cafeteria starting at 5:00 p.m. when the cafeteria opens to serve food.

Winners at the booths will be given yellow colored tickets to redeem for prizes displayed on the stage area in the cafeteria, instead of receiving prizes at each booth. There will be several prize levels or groupings of prizes that winners will be able to purchase with the prize tickets.

Costume Contest

The costume contest has also been restructured somewhat this year. It will begin at 5:15 p.m. in the parking lot near the booths. Parents are not required to register their children to participate.

There will be eight categories including newborns, babies (1 and 2 year olds), toddlers (3 and 4 year olds, Pre-K and Kindergarten, first and second grade, third and fourth grade, fifth and sixth grade, and group entries.