Nevaeh and Cross Dzikiewicz came to the Newark Valley Nathan T. Hall Elementary School’s Fall Festival dressed as zombies who proved more adorable than frightening. (Photos by Keri Blakinger)
Four-year-old Abigail Boirier attended the Fall Festival in Newark Valley dressed as a witch.
Costumed kids lined up in groups of ten for judging for the costume contest at the Halloween event at Newark Valley’s Nathan T. Hall Elementary School.
Dan “The Snakeman” Chase visited Newark Valley as part of the Fall Fest held the week before Halloween.
On Oct. 24, Newark Valley’s Nathan T. Hall Elementary School was crawling with fairies, zombies, witches and ghouls. The school’s parent-teacher association, called the Nathan T. Hall Parents and Teachers for Schools (PTS), held its regular Halloween festivities including a reptile show, arts and crafts in the cafeteria, and a costume contest.
PTS member Jackie Wright said, “We do this event every year; it’s called Fall Fest.” She continued, “Our goal is to provide fun things for the students to do with their families that are little to no cost.” The entire event was free, although attendees could purchase pizza and drinks for a minimal cost.
One of the popular attractions at the Fall Fest was Dan “The Snakeman” Chase, who set up shop in the gymnasium with an assortment of slithery friends. Lined up on a table, Chase had aquariums filled with everything from a Burmese python to geckos to tarantulas to an African spur-thigh tortoise to a rather large African bullfrog appropriately named Jabba.
The rest of the gym was filled with a variety of carnival games including beanbag tosses and bowling games, each of which offered a smattering of Halloween-themed prizes.
Costumed kids mulled about in the cafeteria, waiting for the costume contest judging. Among the fearsomely clad hordes were kindergartener Neveah Dzikiewicz and her older brother Cross, who appeared to be the world’s first pizza-eating zombies. Decked out with realistic liquid latex blood and scabs, the pair looked remarkably undead but, fortunately, seemed more focused on eating pizza than on eating brains.
The arts and crafts offerings in the gym included everything from Halloween ornament-making to Perler beads to rock painting to clay sculpting. Sixth grader Ivy Kozerski was a volunteer helper at one of the craft stations. As a volunteer, she decided not to come in costume, but reported that she plans to be a 50’s girl on Halloween. Although she spent most of the evening in the crafts area, Kozerski said that the reptile demonstrations in the gym were the best part of the event. She said, “I like snakes.” When asked about the best part of the event, Brooke Judson, also a sixth grade volunteer said, “I’d have to say technically the ornament-making.”
The costume contest in the gym included more than 80 participants who vied for a handful of awards. The scariest costume went to Gabe the Grim Reaper, while Sarah the Indian snagged the best book character costume. Best movie character costume went to Mason, who dressed as Mater from Cars. The best boy costume was Brady, who came as an ice hockey player, while the best girl costume award went to Paige, who came as a vampire princess. Desi the Shredder garnered the most original costume award, while the most creative costume award went to Gracie, who dressed as a witch-vampire-fairy.
Wright explained that the Fall Fest is only one of several events that the PTS puts on every year. There are a number of movie nights throughout the year as well as a kids’ choice dance (like a father-daughter dance, except the kids can pick which parents to bring). Also, the PTS organizes a number of fundraisers, such as Yankee Candle sales. The proceeds from fundraisers go toward paying for student field trips as certain expenses, such as admission fees, are not covered by the school.
