Planning for Fall Festival 2011!

 I hope you’re eagerly anticipating next month’s Fall Festival, scheduled for October 14^th, 5-8 pm at the Student Activities Field on Shippensburg University Campus. In the fifth year of its resurrection, it is a GBLUES tradition that gets better every year.  We do make a bit of money, and proceeds happily benefit the school camp fund, but Fall Festival is primarily a big party that you don't want to miss.  The food is always excellent, and the children very happy as they enjoy carnival-style games, autumnal-themed natural crafts, and a range of activities.  This year, planned activities include a zip line, hay ride, cupcake walk, a new science zone, dress-up & photo area, puppet theatre, fortune teller, and bike pump-powered rockets.  Children’s craft wristbands are $3, and you can do as many games and activities as you’d like for $5.  We’ve decided preschool children may attend and play for free. 

We are lucky to get a lot of university student support, but we need the support of GBLUES parents as well.  Please consider helping with one of the following:

*Donations:  we need baked goods (sign-ups coming soon--bake sale and cupcake walk) and gently used games & books for the prize store (there will be boxes in the lobby to collect them).

*Planning:  with such an early festival, much of this has been done, but I would love a new parent volunteer to coordinate the carnival games this year.  University students will do some, and we have a source for several pre-made others, but we need a leader to pull all of those together.  Could it be you?

*Work parties:  I’ve planned three making events: 

(1) Thursday, September 29^th, , 6 pm.  While the parents talk festival business during the evening PTO meeting, children and a few helpers will be working on festival decorations in the art room.

(2) Tuesday, October 4^th, 8-11 am in the office conference room.  We’ll work on organizing and preparing supplies for the crafts and prize table.

(3) Friday, October 7^th, 1:30-3:30 pm in the conference room.  Children are welcome during the after-school portion.  We’ll work on signs to organize our festival.

*Day-of help.  Food preparation and set up start at noon, and we can use particular help during the witching hours of 4-6 pm.  Parents are needed to help serve food and to fill in spaces in the craft and activity areas.

Please feel free to contact me with your interests and ideas.  We're open to everything, but of course implementation will depend on volunteer availability--if you really believe in your idea, go ahead and offer to lead the charge!  vfgoates@gmail.com or 422-4255.

See you on the 14^th!

Valerie Goates

Fall Festival Enthusiast

Fall Festival Bake Sale, 2010

Want to donate baked goods for the Fall Festival?  Bring your autumnal lovelies anytime Friday, October 22nd.  Items that can be wrapped individually (the committee will do this for you) often sell best, but there are exceptions (ie, muffins don't sell and whole pies do).  As with anything you bring to the school, please label accordingly if any item contains peanuts, tree nuts, or coconut.

Of course your goods will always be welcome, but we'd love you to sign up so we have a good idea of what to prepare for.  You may either sign up in the lobby, with Mrs. Howland or Tonya Green (bake sale mavens this year), or by commenting HERE.  Thank you!

Fall Festival "Sign-ups"

 Michaux State Forest, the week of my First Fall Festival, November 2007

We are lucky to have many of our activities staffed by Shippensburg University students, who use our festival to fulfill class requirements, but we do need parent/grandparent/older sibling help as well.

**NOTE:  our current interpretation is that the new school volunteer regulations DO NOT apply to PTO events off-campus. You do not need clearances to volunteer for Fall Festival.**
Sheesh--thanks for taking away my excuses!

At our last PTO meeting, parents expressed that it would be useful to have sign ups available in places other than our lobby, particularly for parents (most of us!) that don't come in each day.  I hope this helps meet that need (suggestions welcome!).

I'll try to synch this sign up with the one in the lobby so both portray actual needs; you may sign up via a comment here, on the lobby board, or by e-mail to gbluespto@gmail.com.

THANK YOU!

Food Servers, 5:00-6:30
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Food Servers, 6:30-8:00
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Prize Table 5:00-6:30
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Prize Table 6:30-8:00
1.Lisa Johnston
2.Larry Johnston

Food Cashier 5:00-6:30
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Food Cashier 6:30-8:00
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Arm Band Sellers 5:00-6:30
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Arm Band Sellers 6:30-8:00
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Craft Cashier 5:00-6:30
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Craft Cashier 6:30-8:00
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Clean-up 8:00-9:30
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(plus!  the more the merrier.  And quicker.)

Upcoming: Fall Festival

The next big GBLUES PTO event is Fall Festival.  Resurrected 3 years ago after a decade's hiatus, Fall Festival is a GBLUES tradition that gets better every year as we finesse our vision and orchestration.  We do make a bit of money, and proceeds happily benefit the school camp fund, but Fall Festival is primarily a big party that you don't want to miss.

Mark your calendar with the basics:

Friday, October 22nd

5-8 pm

at the Student Activities Field on Shippensburg University Campus

Excellent food, carnival-style games, autumnal-themed crafts, and activities that in past years have included wagon rides, rock climbing, a science zone, a hay maze, and relay races.

How you can help:

We are lucky to get a lot of university student support, but we need the support of GBLUES parents in planning, donating baked goods and gently used games & books for the prize store, and working shifts that night, especially in the food and cashier lines.  More details will be coming home with your students in the next couple of weeks.

Ready to dive in?

3 ways:

(1) mornings:  Fall Festival planning meeting start this week!  All are invited to come Tuesday morning, 8 am, to the first official meeting in the school conference room.  We'll meet together for some overall planning, then split into Food and Activities Committees.

(2) evenings:  Fall Festival will be a main discussion topic at our first general PTO meeting on Thursday evening, 6:30 pm.  As an added attraction, the art room will be open for accompanying children to start work on Fall Festival decorations (materials & supervision provided).

(3) e-mail (gbluespto@gmail.com) or comment below:  

*ideas:  If you cannot make either meeting, please feel free to contact us with your ideas.  We're open to everything, but of course implementation will depend on volunteer availability--if you really believe in your idea, go ahead and offer to lead the charge!  

*willingness to help:  we'll be happy to find you a place to help before, during & after the event.  Many hands are needed, and it's a great way to meet other GBLUES parents.

 More information coming soon, but in the meantime:

photos from Fall Festival 2009:
(2 weeks & one Daylight Savings Time change earlier this year=warmer!)

A popular craft option:  acorn folk

acorn toss

small children's area

Prize table