Rohrerstown Elementary School, 2200 Noll Drive, Lancaster, will host its annual Fun Fest on Friday, May 12, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. The event, hosted by the Rohrerstown Elementary School PTO, will feature of games and activities and food that will be available to purchase.

Attractions at the Fun Fest will include a bungee jump, bumper cars, rock balls, an obstacle course and a mechanical bull. Face painting will be offered by Jonah Plymire, an art teacher at the school, and balloon animals will be available from Balloonables. Wristbands may be purchased to grant access to all activities during the event.

At the event, the PTO will sell tickets that will be accepted by each attraction, as well as several games operated by the PTO such as a soda toss, a cupcake wheel, a milk bottle toss, a butterfly burst and axe throwing. School staff members will also participate in a dunk tank activity, where students will try to throw a ball at a target to drop a teacher into the water.

A prize drawing for over 60 gift baskets will be held during the event. Each basket includes gift cards or other items donated by local businesses, families of students and teachers at the school. Last year, over 3,000 tickets were sold for the prize drawing to raise money for the PTO. Several teachers have also donated a "teacher experience" for the baskets, which entails an outing for a student and his or her favorite teacher such as getting breakfast together or attending the high school's theater production.

Live entertainment will be provided by a DJ at the event, and food will be available to purchase from Scoops Ice Cream and Grille and Skyline Cotton Candy. The PTO will sell walking tacos, soft pretzels, hot dogs, popcorn, chips and beverages. The PTO will only accept cash for food and drinks, and no ATM will be available on-site.

The PTO has been organizing a yearly Fun Fest for over a decade, although this year marks the second event that it has held since taking a break during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fun Fest serves as the group's largest fundraiser of the year as well as something for students to look forward to as they take standardized tests and as the school year draws to a close. In addition to the Fun Fest, the PTO also organizes fundraisers such as a hoagie sale in partnership with S. Clyde Weaver, a pie sale and a school dance in the fall.

"The Fun Fest is a great way for kids to end the year and allows the PTO to earn money for other fun activities throughout the year," said Allison Bacharach, a parent volunteer who is chairing the event. "It's always nice to bring people together and have a fun day with other families."

The Rohrerstown Elementary School PTO is always looking for more volunteers. For more information, contact respto@outlook.com.