Part 14: A Year at a Glance ~ Ballentine Elementary Fall Carnival

    During the summer I was approached by one of my sons friends Mom. She said that her friend was the current president of the PTO and wanted to know if she could give her my number in hopes that I might help with the Fall Carnival. Well yes indeed, for many reasons, the school is an amazing school ! A National Blue Ribbon School that wants to offer parents and children of the school a fun filled night?  How could this not be fun for us too!
    I had an introductory meeting with the PTO and found that this event would be the 3rd Annual and by the sounds of it, this was a very "trying" event to produce.  Luckily, in all my years producing events, I understood that now was the time to listen to the challenges of the past and take those into serious account when designing the perfect Fall Carnival for 2011.
    I went home and talked to my design partner...(my husband)...and we reflected on the Fall Carnival that we had attended at the school last year, and then began to create a cohesive and fun filled design for the school.

Central Dining Area and Midway Games

Pumpkin Walk

Overview

As the summer months passed and school was now back in session I had not really heard much more about it until one day an email popped up inviting me to a meeting with the new PTO members to discuss the event.  What? A new PTO President and VP?  But alas all went well and what a dynamic duo I found in Angela and Jessie!  I presented the renderings and Inspiration pages to the PTO and committee members and this time.... Big Smiles!!!
   Over the next few months we had lots of meetings, I created spread sheets, event time lines, and maps. The idea this year was to create an event that appealed to all ages from kinder to 60+ and the best way I found to do that was through age appropriate games and music!!!  We needed a way to captivate the parents! And what better way then with a Master of Ceremonies and DJ spinning carefully selected fun party music from all eras was key!  And all this with a Halloween Town meets Harry Potter vibe....
                                                     

F

Fun costumed Pumpkins adorn the entry...

Inflatables like the popular Boulder Dash and Play Pen Bounce are just a few that made their appearance at the Carvinal

And don't forget our 24 foot Giant Slide!!!  A crowd favorite !!

The Fishing Game was fun as the kids cast a line to the awaiting brightly colored fish in hopes to reel in the catch of the day!!!

Our 4 foot LuminAire Event Lighting is perfect for outdoor venues.  Like an event by moonlight this soft, yet bright lighted sphere is not only functional but creates a great ambiance.

We thought it would be fun to offer the crowd a fun mini costume fashion show & contest.  And who better to participate but the BES teachers.  Children voted with tickets for their favorite costume.  From our Clown to the right to Princess Lea and Jack Sparrow, we had many terrific "costumed guests" in attendance!


 Among the continuous action other contests such as the traditional Pumpkin Walk, a contest of Pumpkin Art. The Great Pumpkin King
(Guess my Weight, win a pumpkin full of candy) to The all Grades Scarecrow Contest.

           The Midway Games were great fun for all ages with such games as Gravity Ball, Bats in the Belfrey, The Pumpkin Tumble, Scare D Cat, Witch Hat Ring Toss and Ghost Busters to name a few....

The Soda Pop and Candy Shop and Potters Potion were among some of the delicious food sweet treats found at the Carnival.  Diimmler's Catering provided carnival style food from their mobile kitchen, just like at the fair!!!

A Crowd Pleaser was the forever popular ~ Cake Walk with a Twist....we set the stage for this high energy Cake Walk in our Rhythm Mania Dome equip with up lights , flashing strobes and music.  The kids loved it!!!

Our Par 3 Mini Golf was a fun challenge for both kids and parents.

Whimsical Witches and Moroccan Lanterns created a Magical evening

Kooky Monster Bowling was among the Kiddie Games

And lets not forget Bess Bear!!!  The group Photo Op was a lot of fun!

A Grown Up's Seating Area was located front and Center so Parents could relax, enjoy the activities on the main stage and still have a 360 degree view of the Events Festivities

The PTO provided fun prizes and these great signs to hang over the Midway Games

Among the Decor were "Creepy Cloth Swag" , LED Lighting, 7 foot Corn Stalks, Flashing Lumi-Loon's,  A Glitzy Ghoulies Novelty Shop with Face Painting, Colored Hair Spray Fashions and even Hair Feathers by our licensed Cosmetologists

 Thank you so much to Diimmler's Catering, Mike with Carolina DJ, Angela & Jessie and the Festival   Committee (a small but mighty crew!) and my terrific team of extremely hard workers! 
                                         It was truly a fun night for everyone....
            It was even said that it was the best Carnival the school had ever had to date!
                                             Well.....Wait till next Year!!!