The dunk tank made waves at the Crossroads Public School home show’s newest addition — a fun fair.
The fair included several outdoor activities for kids, including face painting, mini-games and bounce houses. But the most exciting part was Crossroads principal Kate Fish in the dunk tank, as seen by the line of students waiting for their turn to make the perfect shot.
The event’s main feature, the vendors, was also a success, especially for the three young entrepreneurs.
Charlie and her mom own Charlie’s Cool Creations, which sells 3D-printed items ranging from toy dragons to personalized name tags.
After a busy day of 3D printing and making sales at her first home show, Charlie said she definitely wants to come back next year. But for her, the best part is raising money to buy toys for the McMaster Children’s Hospital.
While the best-selling item is the pop-can lid, her favourite is the dragon, which Charlie said takes about six hours to print.
Another first-time vendor was Cindy Kaspar, who owns Splendidly Hooked Crochet, which sells crocheted plush toys.
Kaspar didn’t know what to expect but had heard positive feedback about the event, she said, which, by the end of the day, had turned out to be true.
“I’ve already broken a couple of hearts,” she said, as some items, like the ever-popular crocheted chicken nuggets, were quick to go.
The business owner said she heard about the home show on social media and decided to apply. At first, she was told all the vendor spots were full, but was happy to receive a last-minute invite after one opened up.
“This is the right kind of audience for my business, so the feedback has been great,” Kaspar said.
Christine Heather and her daughter, Mya, owners of Monster Slime, also heard about positive experiences from vendors after attending the home show last year as customers.
Heather said the most popular feature at their table was the gumball machine that dispensed either a random slime sample or a Croc charm.
Jordana Hernder, one of the lead coordinators of the event, said her favourite part is getting to give youth vendors a space to grow their businesses.
“We have young entrepreneurs who are trying to start their business … Charlie’s Cool Creations, Monster Slime and Simply Adorn,” Hernder said. “And they all make their own things themselves.”
Most vendors are on their fourth or fifth year of the home show, while two or three just joined the event, she added.
Another change to the event was its date — in previous years, the home show ran in March. Hernder explained the switch was to make the event “more about the kids,” which was also the goal in introducing the fun fair.
Sarah Dall’Orso, also known as SarahBeara, was painting faces at the fair. She said it was her first time at the home show and said it was a fun environment, despite the cold wind making painting more challenging.
Still, a large crowd of kids, most being Crossroads students, gathered outside to watch Fish in the dunk tank.
For each attempt at knocking the school’s principal into the water, money was raised for Crossroads and other schools in the District School Board of Niagara.
Hernder said the money raised this year will go toward Crossroads’ library as well as new Chromebooks and books. A percentage of the earnings will also be donated to other schools, so kids outside the NOTL community can benefit too.
With the excitement garnered by the fun fair, particularly surrounding the dunk tank, home show guests are likely to anticipate its return next spring.
For the sake of whoever sits on the tank’s ledge next, hopefully, the sun will come out and take away the need for blankets and kettles to warm the water.
