Amber Siratt
Kern Valley Sun

Last Friday evening, Wallace Elementary was the site for ‘good family fun’ as the Wallace Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) hosted the school’s annual Harvest Festival. Volunteers spent the day transforming the school’s multi-purpose room into a carnival-like atmosphere for the three hour event which brought together students, parents and faculty for a night offun. “We had a wonderful turnout with nearly 500 people walking through the doors,” said Susan Barr, Harvest Festival Coordinator and Wallace PTC Secretary.

As the doors opened at 5:00 p.m., several games, including the ghost house bean bag toss, wheel of fortune and penny pitch, awaited the eager children who were anxious to win a prize and candy. As in previous years, the cake walk was a popular choice for attendees. One ticket was all it took for a chance to win a plate of goodies. Kindergarten teachers Janice Moon, Lisa Jones and Susan Hughes not only kept the cake walk on track, they also danced and sang with a tremendous amount of energy to make the cake walk a highlight of the evening.

Wallace Elementary School principal Stephanie Pope aka “Madame Stephanie the Fortune Teller” tells the fortune of a student at the Wallace Elementary Harvest Festival on Oct. 30.

New this year to the festival was the fortune teller booth that featured Wallace Elementary Principal Stephanie Pope as ‘Madame Stephanie.’ The game proved to be a hit as students lined up and waited patiently for their principal to tell them their fortune. “A rainy day will make you happy,” and “You will make a new friend,” were just a few of the fortunes that lit up the children faces.

Admission to the event was free and tickets for games were sold for 25 cents apiece. Pizza, cotton candy(prepared by Rick Haines, Wallace’s Dean of Students) and beverages were also on sale. Although the Harvest Festival is one of the PTC’s main fundraising events, organizers took the difficult economic times under consideration and wanted to make the event affordable for attendees. “In this tough economic time, I feel we gave families a fun, enjoyable and safe evening out,” said Dana Goss, Wallace PTC Treasurer.

Organizers said the harvest festival would not have been possible without the generous volunteers, parent and faculty involvement and community donations. Along with parent and staff volunteers, Kern Valley High School students in the ECHO, FFA and FHA programs donated their time to work the game booths and other parts of the festival.

If you have a student currently attending Wallace Elementary School and are interested in helping with future school events the Wallace Elementary PTC meets the first Thursday of the month at 3:15 p.m. in the Wallace Cafeteria in Lake Isabella. For more information call Wallace Elementary School at 379-2621.