Annual Holidayfest kicks off Saturday
For those who didn't want to brave the crowds Thanksgiving weekend at area stores, the Somers-Lakeside PTA is offering an alternative that's much more family friendly.
The 13th annual West Shore Holidayfest will take place this Saturday, Dec. 5, in the Lakeside Elementary School gymnasium.
The 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. event features area arts and craft vendors, performances by the schools' children throughout the day, Santa Claus and more.
The event started as one of the ways to fund building a community playground in Lakeside and has since grown.
"It's come a long way. People appreciate it on a lot of different levels," Holidayfest coordinator Tina Lerum said.
The event includes two silent auctions and one live auction. Merchandise, artworks and packages donated by individuals and businesses in the community will be available in the live auction at 1 p.m. Silent bids close at noon and 3 p.m.
Lerum said she has been surprised at the level of donations this year.
"Even through in a recession, people are freely giving," Lerum said. "It's uplifting."
Money raised in the auctions goes to the PTA's Leap and Live grants to the school.
The grants, which people working with the school can apply for, promote projects and resources that help teachers jump ahead of the regular curriculum and do something extra to impact the lives of the students, Lerum said.
Past Live and Leap grants have included plants and parts for a courtyard garden project, science materials and equipment, Lego team challenge robotics sets, competition game buzzers and digital cameras.
The committee that disperses the between $7,000 and $11,000 a year usually gets twice as many requests as it can give out.
"All of the money (from Holidayfest) goes back to the school except expenses," Lerum said.
Most of the expenses of the event are funded through the exhibitors.
Other school groups also find ways to raise funds through Holidayfest.
Sixth graders will be selling Christmas trees for the first time to raise money to attend Ravenwood Science Camp.
Santa will return this year for breakfast from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The donation breakfast also supports the sixth-grade trip to science camp. Santa will stick around for most of the day so parents can get professional photographs taken of their children with St. Nick.
Holidayfest provides Christmas shopping opportunities for the whole family, Lerum said.
The more than 25 exhibitors out during the event will offer gift choices including school logo wear, jewelry, woodwork, soaps, fine art, folk art, fabric art, home dcor, clothing, children's items, pottery, Christmas cards and ornaments.
The KIDS-ONLY Market, one of the draws to Holidayfest, allows children to shop for loved ones for less than $7. The gifts available under the tent that only children can enter have been donated and collected throughout the year just for this event and are often worth more than the marked price.
Children will also have the opportunity to make ornaments, a project that ran for two hours last year and was so popular that the PTA group decided to do it all day this year. Youth can also try their hands at decorating homemade Sugar cookies.
For those who get hungry as they shop, the school district food service will provide concessions throughout the day, including hot dogs and a variety of quiches. In the middle of the day, attendees will be able to experience the Festival of Flavors, as local businesses have donated items off their menus to sample.
"To me this is like epitome of a great small town community event that offers great atmosphere and heartwarming stuff while raising money for a good cause," Lerum said.
For more information, contact Lerum at 844-3880.