WOODLAND, Maine — School Union 122, which includes school board members from New Sweden, Woodland and Westmanland will be holding a summer festival fundraiser to help raise both money and community involvement for the upcoming school year.
The original idea for this weekend’s fund-raising supper was one received with a significant amount of skepticism. The School Union 122 board members did not begin discussing the possibility of holding a summer festival/fundraiser until nearly halfway through the month of April. With the month of April, the school union’s budget season begins with the arduous task of balancing the school’s funds, a feat that is not often feasible for a small school system receiving increasingly less state and federal funding, year after year.
With the upcoming 2014-15 school year fast approaching, board members developed the idea of holding some kind of summer festival. As these type of events are, of course, ideal for fund-raising, the thought was aimed more toward the prospect of establishing a festival that could become an annual celebration of summer for the entire school system, while continuing to bring the already tight-knit communities closer to the school board.
School board member Wanda Anderson relayed her thoughts on the idea during the meeting in which it was initially introduced. She explained the benefits to not only funding, but the desire to increase transparency by getting non-board members more heavily involved in the board’s activity.
“A summer festival like this can really do a lot to bring our towns even closer together,” said Anderson. “Aside from the fact it will help to raise money, it’s a chance for people to come together and enjoy a summer celebration as a single community, because that’s really what we are.”
Despite the board’s enthusiastic sentiment in regard to the festival idea, which would officially become the 11×14 Art Auction and Bean Hole Bean Supper Fundraiser, a few board members were concerned that two months wouldn’t be adequate time to plan and execute the time and effort that goes into such a large-scale fundraiser. However, with the help of a special sub-committee headed by Laura Ostlund, the specifically designated committee was able to coordinate and solidify a plan for the event.
“We came up with some neat ideas when we initially began planning for the event,” said Ostlund at a board meeting in late April. “We had a “blank canvas” event that we discussed where we would ask different local artists to put their rendition on a canvas we would provide for them, then they would return them and we would hold an art auction along with the supper.”
Ostlund’s committee was faced with a rushed planning process, which worried some board members, but perhaps even more challenging was finding a date for the event that wouldn’t conflict with other various summer events traditionally held in the Woodland and New Sweden areas. To ease the board’s nerves, Ostlund explained that in her 10 years of experience with planning events like this, she knows the task may seem daunting at first, but the process would eventually pick up in time.
“I know the process seems slow going in the beginning, but with events like these the motivation always seem slow, at first,” said Ostlund. “Once things get rolling and we start making progress and getting closer to the event, I anticipate we will see a lot of outside support from the community once the event draws a little closer.”
At the same late April board meeting, New Sweden Principal Laurie Spooner voiced her concerns with the very real possibility a number of school events coinciding with the art auction bean hole supper, could fill the entire month of June with events that would take up nearly every weekend. The board was eventually able to settle on a June 28 date that seemed to satisfy all parties involved.
Ostlund explained another idea would be to have local author and amateur photographer Chris Hearn display some of his artwork on the provided canvases.
“His wife has volunteered to come in and do face-painting for the kids as well,” Ostlund added.
The art auction and bean hole bean supper will be held at the Woodland Consolidated School on Saturday, June 28. The supper will start at 4:30 p.m. and the menu will include, of course, bean hole beans, hot dogs, rolls, salads, beverages and desserts. Admission for the event will be $8 for adults and $6 for seniors. Children under 12 will only have to pay $4.
The art auction portion of the fundraiser will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will also include a silent auction, raffle, 50/50 and a children’s artwork sale. Tickets can be purchased at the door or from school board members. FMI on the event call 498-8436.
