Belleview carnival supports PTA

The Belleview Elementary School annual fall carnival was well attended on Saturday afternoon, with students and parents alike prepared for Halloween night in alternately scary and silly costumes.

Activities included a football toss, sack race, duck pond and face painting, among many others.

According to PTA member Lorena McLemore, the event is the PTA’s main annual fundraiser and usually nets approximately $2,000.

Jayne Fuscsick, an instructional aide at Belleview, said the celebration has been going on for over 60 years.

“It’s a family affair,” she said.

She said the event is held “during the day, so kids can still do something at night.”

Current PTA president Deborah Rainey said the funds raised are used to benefit the students.

In prior years, the money has been used to bring an author to the school to speak with students and to run a book exchange.

Parent volunteer Lupe Moreno ran the football toss booth and handed out small prizes to students who were able to throw a football through a hanging tire.

Prizes for the games are typically donated by community members and businesses, Fuscsick said.

“They seem to like [the game] because they keep coming back,” Moreno said.

Fourth grader Andrew Ledesma was one of the frequent returnees to the football toss booth.

“I just like football. It’s fun,” he said.

This year, fewer prizes than usual were donated, Fuscsick added, citing the poor economy as the main reason.

The newest addition to the usual games and food the carnival has had in past years was a small popcorn stand.

“We’re going to see how the popcorn does this year,” McLemore said.

-- Contact Sarah de Crescenzo at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or sdecrescenzo@portervillerecorder.com.