School fest to feature games, parade, chili contest
Get your Halloween costumes ready for Saturday's World's Largest Halloween Parade at Schneider Elementary School at 304 Banbury Road in North Aurora.
At least that's what Schneider PTO vice president Carol Chaney is calling the parade, held at the school's annual Pumpkin Patch Fall Festival fundraiser.
Chaney said that children are invited to come in their costumes at 1:30 p.m. and join the parade around the front entrance of the school.
After the parade the school will open its doors and the indoor fun begins. Kids will be able to get their faces painted, play games, win prizes and tour a haunted pirate ship.
Schneider parents Don Linder and Frank Angelli built the haunted pirate ship from plastic pipes and other items found around their homes.
"It's amazing and cool," Chaney said. "It's scary enough to be scary but not too much to scare the little ones. I can't give away all the secrets but scary dummies pop up and down off the drawbridge of the ship," Chaney added.
The PTO is also repeating a chili contest it started last year at the fall fest.
"Last year I won the chili contest so people are trying to dethrone me this year," Chaney said.
Entrants are bringing a large pot of homemade chili and Principal Mike Smith will be the judge. Guests can buy cups of chili for 50 cents apiece and also get plenty of other treats at the school's bake sale.
The school is also selling pumpkins at the event but Chaney says to come early before they sell out.
Proceeds for the fall fest will go toward paying for school field trips and granting teachers' wish lists for their classrooms.
Schneider's fall fest is just the start of Halloween events in North Aurora.
Lions dinner
Saturday evening the Lions Club will hold a spaghetti dinner with the Great Pumpkin from 5 to 8 p.m. at the North Aurora Activity Center at the corner of routes 31 and 56.
"The Lions already have a breakfast with Santa and a breakfast with the Easter Bunny so we thought we'd change it up a little and have a spaghetti dinner this time," said Lion Denise Duran, who is chairing the new event.
The Lions will serve spaghetti, tossed salad, garlic bread and coffee, tea and milk at the dinner. Adults would pay $8, children under 12 pay $4 and children under 3 get in free. The Lions will charge $20 for a whole family. No reservations are needed.
As usual, the Lions will be collecting used eyeglasses, hearing aids, cell phones and ink cartridges at the event.
Duran said the proceeds from the dinner will go to the North Aurora Mothers Club's Operation Christmas.
Halloween party
The NAMC is gearing up for Halloween too with its ninth annual Community Halloween Party, which is moving to Fearn Elementary School this year, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 28. Fearn is at 1600 Hawksley Lane.
Children are asked to wear their costumes to the free party and bring a non-perishable food item. All food donations will be distributed within the community to families in need during the club's Operation Christmas in December.
Last year more than 300 children attended the event and the Mothers Club amassed a huge amount of groceries to help provide a bountiful holiday for their families in need.
"The Lions Club has already donated $200 to our Halloween Party this year and I think it's fantastic that they are holding the spaghetti dinner to benefit Operation Christmas," said Cristy Petitjean, who is chairing the Halloween this year.
Petitjean said she has added some new "old-fashioned" games to the line-up this year. "We'll have an egg on a spoon race and a clothes pin drop and the kids see who can unwrap candy the fastest with gloves on their hands," she said. "We'll have a coloring area and a little duck pond and magnetic fishing game for the little guys too."
Petitjean said the Mothers Club has received prize and coupon donations from Target, A&W Root Beer, Steak and Shake, Boston Market and Claire's Boutique.
"I'm really happy to be doing this party. I love Halloween and I think kids will have a great time this year," Petitjean said.