It’s been said “It takes a village to raise a child,” and that’s also true when organizing and executing a school festival.
West Elementary held its fall festival recently, with hundreds of supporters arriving at the school to have fun and offer their support.
The event was organized by many, but under the guidance of the Parent Teacher Organization president Lincoln Talbert. Kindergarten teacher Brandy Davis was also instrumental working with other teachers and staff pulling the events together.
“There are so many that helped and worked hard to make it happen,” said Talbert. “Our vice president Jeff Davis, treasurer Myra Mara and her husband Mark, as well as Amanda Talbert worked many hours on the festival.”
He was especially grateful to Dawn Davenport, with her assistance in the dinner. She was in charge of desserts, and got over $400 worth of desserts donated from parents and grandparents, with her making many of them herself.
Guests enjoyed a turkey and dressing meal, complete with vegetables and homemade desserts. It was prepared by cafeteria workers and was a good start to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Several carnival-type games were available for the children, with lots of fun had with a jail where people could be locked up, only to be released by posting their bail. Another fun game involved a fire game with water guns extinguishing the flames.
An auction ended the night, with a Jackson Kayak, an Orion cooler and a signed Predators hockey puck being just some of the items auctioned. The item that turned the most profit was a load of gravel donated by the Rogers Group, and Hillis Trucking donating the haul bill. 
“The gravel made us a lot of money, because we did not have to purchase it,” said Talbert. “Randy England did a great job working the crowd and getting the best bid.”
West students sought ticket donations for a Xbox One combo pack, a $250 Visa cash card, a $100 gas card and a 7-inch tablet, with the lucky winner’s names drawn from the hat.
Talbert estimates approximately $7,500 was raised from the festival, with it to be used to purchase new playground equipment.
“The PTO has discussed the need for equipment on the upper playground,” said Talbert. “It’s extremely dated, with many folks remembering it from when they were in school.”
West Elementary PTO is appreciative of everyone’s support, and is now looking forward to its End-of-School Bash, which is in the planning stages.
“I have found when you set goals for the kids, people will get behind you and support the movement,” said Talbert.