Jeremy Ranch Elementary School held its annual Family Fall Festival a fundraiser for its Parent-Teacher Organization, last Friday.
PTO Co-President Cheryl Anderson, said the event drew about 2,000 families and community members. The fundraiser was originally held later in the fall as a Halloween festival, but the school wanted to host the event outside and moved it to September for better weather, according to Anderson.
This year, the PTO raised $4,750. They will use the money to fund school field trips, teacher grants and school supplies for the classroom. The PTO is also working toward implementing a music program at the school this year.
“This is the year that we’re going to put our brains together and try and get that going,” Anderson said.
Park City businesses that sponsored the event included: Winder Farms, Great Harvest Bread Co., Monkey Mountain, Wedbush Securities, Al Barbosa & Company Real Estate Group, Basin Recreation, Utah Conservatory and Skullcandy.
“It was hugely successful and the biggest one we’ve had yet,” said Jeremy Ranch Principal Shawn Kuennen.
The school brought in inflatable slides, a bounce house and a bungee trampoline along with carnival games, a cake walk and magician. Kuennen also volunteered to do his dunk-tank duties at the beginning of the evening.
“It’s voluntary, but I pretty much do the dunk tank every year. There are mostly students in the dunk tank, the grown-ups you have to sell on the idea. But the kids love it,” he said.
The PTO sold tickets the week prior to the festival to cut down on ticket sale lines, which Kuennen said made the event more successful.
“If that becomes a routine and tradition, it will be better each year.” He added that the most exciting part of the festival was the turnout.
“We had more people there than ever before and I think there were more people from the community and not just Jeremy Ranch,” he said.