By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
For 20 years, Eastern Elementary School’s Parent-Teacher Association has hosted its Pumpkin Festival as a means to fund special projects on campus.
This year, event organizers were concerned the economy would have a negative impact on the fundraiser held for the school in Washington. They have found, however, the opposite is true.
“We sent out a fundraising letter to the community, and our cash donations have doubled what we had last year,” said Gillian Pollock, president of the Eastern Elementary School PTA. “We have less big donors this year, but everything else has been $10, $20 and $50 donations. We’re already going into the festival in the black.”
In fact, local businesses have been so supportive the PTA didn’t spend all the funds it had budgeted for the festival.
“We’ve had donations of paper plates, napkins, hot dogs, ketchup, rolls … that was great,” Pollock said. “We had expected to pay a lot out of pocket for that.”
Saturday’s Pumpkin Festival runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Activities include what Pollock called “homegrown” games such as a football toss, fish pond, scarecrow ring toss, pumpkin-cookie decorating and face-painting. There also will be a used-book sale, food items and several inflatable play areas for the youngsters.
The festival features a raffle, with cash prizes of $250, $100 and $50 offered. Eastern Elementary students have been busy selling tickets at $1 each, and the boy and girl who sell the most tickets will each win a bicycle donated by the Washington Wal-Mart, Pollock said. Tickets will be sold until 1 p.m. Saturday.
Saturday’s festivities also include live musical entertainment provided by members of the Beaufort County Traditional Music Association. Those performers usually play during the Saturday Market in downtown Washington, but part of the group will be guests during the Pumpkin Festival, offering bluegrass, gospel and children’s selections.
Other guests will be members of the Washington High School football team or WHS dance team, many of whom attended Eastern Elementary in their younger days. They will help out with running the various booths and games, as will parent volunteers, Pollock said.
In the past, the Pumpkin Festival has funded the purchase of new playground equipment or provide money to meet technology needs in the classrooms. This year, all the proceeds will go directly to the classrooms because of budget cuts brought about by the economy.
“We’ll be getting supplies for the classrooms, things like dictionaries, paper and pencils,” Pollock said. “We’re doing this for the students and the teachers.”
As part of an effort to help the community, the school is holding a Salvation Army food drive the day of the festival, according to Elizabeth Picone, guidance counselor at Eastern Elementary. Anyone who donates a nonperishable food item will be given a free ticket to use during the festival.
Earlier this week, students kicked off the celebration by holding a pumpkin-themed art contest. The winners were Teresa Singleton’s class, first place; Heather Elliott’s class, second place; and Merilyn Crisp, third place.