UPDATED: Nanuet School PTAs Plan First-Ever Fall Festival

The Nanuet School District PTAs are organizing a Welcome Back to School Fall Festival for Saturday, Sept. 28.  The event from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Outdoor Education Center on Convent Road will offer a host of family friendly activities. 

The PTAs from the elementary schools, middle school and high school are holding the first time event to give the organizations a chance to work together to raise money for the school district. 

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Michelle Mazzaro, vice president of the PTA at A. MacArthur Barr Middle School, who is spearheading the event.  

In light of program changes and budget cuts, Mazzaro said the PTAs hope to raise money for the high school’s Project Graduation, programs such as author visits, assemblies and purchase technology for the middle school tech department.

The Fall Festival will include carnival games, jumpy castles and slides, a dunk tank, Rockin Gamin and Rockin Glamour Parties trailers, magicians, clowns, face painting, sand art, food vendors, carnival snacks and raffles. The festival to open to everyone and admission is free. 

All day wristbands for the inflatables will cost $15. There will be separate fees for the carnival games, sand art and dunk tank. 

When the idea was proposed during the summer, Mazzaro said, “All the PTAs were thrilled with it.”

A five-member planning committee worked on the planning and recruited many parent volunteers to help out on the 28th. The festival will be held rain or shine.  PTA members will sell carnival snacks: cotton candy, pretzels and hotdogs while DeLucia’s Italian Deli & Market of Nanuet and Luigi O’Grady’s Deli & Catering of Pearl River will offer other food choices.

Mazzaro said she is sending letters and reaching out to local businesses and asking them for cash donations to help offset the costs of renting the inflatables and keep the event affordable for families to enjoy and also for contributions of gift certificates for a raffle.

“It’s a good cause and it’s going to pay for a lot for all schools,” she said. “We’re hoping that we can get $2,000 per PTA.”