Penns Valley hosts Spring Carnival

SPRING MILLS — The Parent-Teacher Organization of the Penns Valley Intermediate School hosted its annual Spring Carnival fundraiser in the school gymnasium April 22.

The carnival featured a ring toss, a Frisbee toss, basketball, bowling — with soccer balls and 2-liter soda bottles as pins — face painting and a bounce house. The Penns Valley High School football team assisting in running the games.

Carnival attendees purchased tickets for the games, and were awarded paper “dollars,” which they redeemed for prizes of small toys, hats, candy, pinwheels and other items.

On the stage was a 6-foot-wide igloo, where school principal Danielle Yoder, wearing a gypsy costume, sat inside serving as a fortune teller.

The igloo was made from 250 plastic milk jugs by carnival co-organizer Amy Smith. She said she tried gluing the jugs together with hot glue, but it wouldn’t stick to the jugs, so she ended up using clear packing tape to construct the igloo in sections, finally assembling it on the stage.

In the lobby were gift baskets, assembled by school classes, businesses and other organizations, which were raffled off. In the cafeteria, third-grade teacher Cassie Ward presided over an auction of Earth Day-themed cakes decorated by sixth-grade classes.

Organizer Smith said that money raised by the carnival is used by the PTO to fund student field trips, sponsor assemblies and purchase school supplies.

Smith and Denny McCloskey organized the carnival, as they have done for several years. They were both pleased with the turnout of children and adults for the event, and for the efforts of the many volunteers who made it happen.

Smith and McCloskey agreed that this is the last carnival they plan on organizing.

“We’re retiring,” said Smith.