Friday Lind Fun Fair may be the last

Local families have participated and enjoyed the Lind Fun Fair during the last 14 years, but coordinator Sharon Reeve is announcing that the scheduled Fun Fair for May 4 could be the last one.

Reeve began the Fun Fair with four other mothers in the area, having been inspired to create the event after attending similar fairs in Everett, Wash. where she used to live. Gene Gardner, Dawn Kinney, Laurinda Ritz and Carin Monroe all started the project with Reeves in 1998.

During those 14 years, the group hosted 16 fun fairs since during the past two years, the group starting doing spring and fall fairs. Reeve said she wanted to create a fun experience and opportunity for the local kids.

“When we came into the school, my son was in first grade and they didn’t really have fun things for the kids,” said Reeve. “When I was a kid, we had fun fairs and my mom helped organize them and then my sister would do them for her kids.”

Reeve’s family continues to help her with the fairs and assisted with the first fair many years ago. It was Reeve’s sister who recommended the raffle and snow-cone machine, both that have been extremely popular and successful at the event.

When Reeve began the event, she asked the superintendent if it would be something she could host at the school. From there, she asked for donations from local community members to help pay for prizes and supplies for the event.

The first donations were made in $25 increments from Jean Stevenson and the Chatterbox Salon, and the group of mother’s continued to raise money by selling candy at the pool.

It started small but has continued to grow every year with the addition of new games and activities for the kids. The activities over the years have included a bottle toss, balloon darts, cookie booth, fishpond, surprise wall, cakewalk, balloon animals and a dunk tank.

Community members have participated in various ways, from volunteering their time to donating prizes for the raffle. Raffle prizes generally include quilts, a movie basket, art from local artists and Union Elevator always donates a bike.

The raffle serves as the largest fundraiser at the event and has always brought in a decent amount of money. The most important part of this event for Reeve is that all of the money goes back to the school and the kids.

The organizers have given money to help with band equipment, the Lind FFA chapter’s costs, playground equipment, books for the library and the annual sixth grade trip. The Fun Fair has been able to help three classes go to Seattle.

The group began helping fund the sixth grade trip when Rena Wahl began helping organize the event. Wahl had a son in the sixth grade and the students had assisted with the Fun Fair so the class received funds in exchange for the help.

The fall Fun Fairs were geared towards helping the classes go to Seattle and were the main reason for having the fair twice a year. The sixth grade students are the individuals who sit in the dunk tank, though it used to be faculty members from the Lind schools.

Over the years, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E) program has sent representatives to walk through the crowd and hand out stickers and bracelets. This year, the Officer Friendly program is going to be handing out raffle tickets in increments of $1 so all of the kids attending the event have the opportunity to play any game they would like.

The games are similar to former events with a few new events added in and activities include miniature golf, speed pitch, engraving, dress a bear and a sucker tree. Reeve is looking forward to the cakewalk and the mystery door game activities the most.

The cakewalk displays the amount of community support that is behind the event as cakes are donated from all age groups, including the high school students. The cakewalk allows grandparents a place to sit and watch the younger generation participate and win cakes, helping them to be involved in the whole experience.

The mystery door game is when the kids chose a door and Lind principal, Brian Ellis, either hands them a prize or sprays them with silly string. Reeve says that Ellis really gets into it and has as much, if not more, fun than the students.

Ritz and Monroe are still involved in organizing the Fun Fair with Reeve but also share the desire to “pass the torch” to other parents in the area. Reeve said she has one mother who has shown interest in coordinating the event in the future, but would still need help from other locals.

“I really hope somebody will step up to the plate and take on the responsibility. We’re ready to pass it on to someone else. We all felt it is a time to let somebody else pick it up or let it go completely,” explained Reeve.

Reeve said she would continue to help with the fair, but she does not want to be the main organizer. None of the organizers want to see the event end, and are in search of any individual who would be willing to help coordinate the annual event.

“It’s time for young mothers to take over. They have young ideas, and new ideas, of something that is better,” said Reeve. “It’s a hard thing for me to give up, it doesn’t mean I have to stop. I would still run a booth, or would offer advice and support. I had a lot of fun doing the fair. It’s a lot of work, but it has always been fun.”

The Lind Fun Fair takes place from 6-8 p.m. at the Lind Grade School on May 4. Any individuals interested in donating cakes, volunteering their time or wanting to help coordinate future fairs, should contact Reeve at 677-8167.