The PTO Carnival was held at the end of last week, bringing hundreds of kids and at least that many parents down to the Event Center for an evening of games, food, friends, and seasonal spirit.  In a relatively recent tradition (inspired by a previous PTO president’s schedule), the Carnival generally takes place during the first week in October.  While it can be a shock to hear that a Halloween event is being held before September has even been buried yet, the timing does give kids a chance to test drive their costumes, and possibly the motivation to get them started on them in the first place.

The event has been held in other locations in the past, but ever since the Event Center opened, the space and indoor accommodations of the facility have made it a perfect location for hosting the event.  The night also gave teachers, parents, siblings, and volunteers a chance to help out with the many booths and games.  

According to PTO member and Carnival organizer Andrea Jones, “I think it was our biggest success.  It’s our biggest fundraiser but it’s such a fun night for the whole family to come out and kick off the Halloween season.”  Jones is in her third year of spearheading the carnival, and she made sure to convey that it couldn’t be done without the support of a lot of people.  “Thank you to the volunteers and all those that come and support us.  We couldn’t do it without you!”

The funds raised from the carnival are used for a variety of purposes throughout the year, and allow the PTO to function as student-centered support system for the school and its learners.  Jon Abrams recently suggested that the new school, which had originally been planned to open during the end of 2024 will be opening at the beginning of 2025.  Whether the new school will ever be considered as a location for the carnival in the future is unknown, but those in attendance at this year’s event all agreed that the indoor and outdoor flexibility of the Event Center made it a great location for the event.  The sheer number of visitors necessitated the outdoor space, as the location itself was certainly the busiest it has been all year.  No hard count of guests was available, nor was a total of the funds raised, but based on the overflowing parking lot and the standing room only floor space, many hundreds of people made their way through the fairgrounds over the fun-filled two hours.

As always, a long list of games were stationed both inside the Event Center, as well as throughout different areas outside, including Crossley’s Gourd Ball Bounce, Jensen’s Spinner Board, Kaufman’s Token Toss, Ipsen’s Fishing Pond, Weeks’ Lucky Ducks, Mackey’s Tombstone Toss, Brown’s Pick Your Prize, Ball’s Pick Your Lock, L. Jones’ Splat the Rat, Lamb’s Pop Toss, Langston’s Pop Toss, Mr. Grote’s Plinko, Clark’s Monster Moves, Cook’s Cookie Walk, Waldron’s Jack-O-Lantern Shoot Down, Allen’s Down the Clown, Blaisdell’s Skeleton Skee Ball, Johnson’s Putt-Putt Pumpkin, Ireland Bank Data Center’s I Spy Tunnel, Ivy Wright and Friends’ Tattoos, After School Program’s Tiny Tots’ Train Cars, Soccer/Cheer/Student Council’s Spook Alley, Patsy Sherman/EMS’ Lost Child/First Aid/Sheriff’s Station, Main Picture Booth, Kid’s Raffle, Walking Tacos, Crisis Center, Hess Lumber and others.  

It has been mentioned already that the PTO Carnival is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the group, and by virtue of that fact, the biggest fundraiser of the year for Malad’s elementary school students.  As a result, community involvement is a critical part of the event.  The Malad Valley parents, businesses, and the school’s supporters once again came through in a major way.   

Sponsors for the event included the PTO, Andrea and Wacey Jones, ATC, Blue Rock Excavation, Burbidge Custom Timbers, County Commissioners, Crisis Center, CWC Defend Pest and Lawn, malad Drive-In, Edith’s Collective, Oneida County Fair board, Ferree Electric, Malad Fire Department, Oneida County EMS/Sheriff’s Office, Hess Building Contractors, Hess Lumber, Hess Pumice, Horsley Funeral Home, Ihler Hydro Seed/Fencing, Ireland Bank Data Center, J Peak Propane, Jeremy and Laura DeJong, Just for Fun, Last Mile Wireless, Library, Liquid Lava Coffee, Le Grande Aqua Plunge, Lofthouse Cookies, Malad Medical Supply, Malad Rock, Mountain Peak Apparel, Melanie and Brad Coleman, Mountain Valley Realtors, Mt. States Insurance, Nell J. Redfield Hospital, Non-Typical Excavation, Oneida Family Dental, Oxford Peak Arts Council, Pizza Stop, Redd Roofing, Reeder Excavating, R&R Driving School, The Gym, Thomas Market, Tony Tots Day Care and Pre-School, Valley Implement, Volcano Girls, W7 Transport, Werk Ranch, Wittman Farms, Iron Door Smokehouse.