Come one, come all to the Winter Carnival at Lopez School.
Carnival festivities for kindergarten through 5th grade students include face painting, a cake walk, pie throwing at the principal and teachers, a book walk, and balloon tying. Although the games are for kids, adults are welcome to attend.
The event, on Friday, Jan. 25 in the multi-purpose room, is a fundraiser for the 5th grade class’s trip to IslandWood, an environmental stewardship camp on Bainbridge Island. The fun and games begin at 5 p.m. A dinner, which is also for all ages, will be served until 7 p.m. Lopez Village Market is donating pizzas and more, Horse Drawn Farm is providing fresh produce and meat for a homemade stew, and Steve and Michele Heller are giving some of their fresh greens for a salad. Coffee and tea and a bake sale will be available after the meal.
The dinner is $2.50 per person, and carnival tickets are 50 cents per coupon. The games will circle around the dining area, and the room will have a carnival atmosphere, complete with hay bales and decorations. Paper Scissors on the Rock is contributing game prizes.
IslandWood is a unique 255-acre outdoor learning center designed to provide learning experiences and inspire lifelong environmental and community stewardship. It offers programs for schools, adults, children and families.
“It helps the children bond before they go on to middle school,” said Lorri Swanson, the farm-to-school curriculum assistant at Lopez School. The students are scheduled to leave the week after WASL exams in May, “so it’s kind of a reward for them.” Fifteen kids are attending, two of whom are from Decatur Island.
The carnival is being primarily coordinated by a group of fifth grade parents. Swanson is working on having a fiddle player perform music for the cake walk, and “we’re hoping to have an auction. We want to raise close to $1500 [during this event] so parents don’t have to pay for all of it for the kids to go,” said Swanson. If anyone is interested in donating art pieces such as pottery or a painting for the auction, please call Susan Bill at 468-2409.
The last carnival was several years ago, called the Spring Fling. “We’re hoping to do it in the winter during the dull months when it’s dark. We want it to be a community event with socializing,” said Swanson.
