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We have heard about the Windermere’s Fair Day for a long time. The teachers would say how long of a weekend it is. They said it is so stressful that the school even gives us the first day of school off for the following week and they call it, Recovery Day. Now I know.
Fair Day is the Spring equivalent to our Fall Fund Raising Banquet. As a private school, there is no way to meet all the financial demands with tuition only. Therefore we need to have a certain number of opportunities for raise the needed funds.
The Fair Day is sponsored by our PTA, and they do an amazing job. There are so many parents who give of their time to assist and help out with the fair. This year is the 3rd time it has been hosted off campus at the Governor Harbor’s Bay Front Park. We get much greater exposure to the public and therefore we raise more money. But one concern with hosting the event in a public park is the nature of the “public.” The culture here is like culture anywhere: filled with a eclectic expression of worldliness. This is one opportunity for Windermere to display a unique culture characterized as Christian and therefore set apart, yet the public venue make this a challenge. Standing for principles is often unpopular.
Despite it all the Fair Day was incredibly fun, albeit less so for those volunteering. Micah had about the best time he has ever had. He basically lived in the bouncy-house all day long. The bouncy-house operator controlled bouncy-procedures by allowing the children to pay $1 for 6 minutes of bouncy-time. I think we must have spent $1,000 on Micah! (not literally, of course – it was more like $30-40)
One of the main draws of the fair is the annual Windermere Auction. Normally, items are donated from around the island’s businesses to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. However, this year we ordered all kinds of goodies for the fair from our recent mission flight into Eleuthera. The trouble with the auction was these items were selling for less than we paid for them, and sometime substantially less! I spoke to the auctioneer and we ended up needing a replacement seller who could drive the price up where it belonged. Soon items were going for a very slim profit, but after half the items going for less, we’d be lucky to make a dollar on the auction. Next year its going to donations ONLY!
Everyone’s favorite part of the Fair Day is the food. We have grilled chicken, ribs, snapper, and all the Bahamian trimmings. It can be quite a feast. There are also a handful of games to be played at the fair. Our PE teacher played a variety of games out on the park, and there was a “ring-toss” at one of the booths. Micah and I tried it out and we won Emily some earrings, and we won Micah a little Transformer. He had a fun with the ring-toss.
Our students are a little less-disciplined at the Fair, after all it is off of school grounds. But, by-and-large they all gave a good helping hand with their rotations from booth to booth, and it was fun to be with them outside of the classroom. They really are a very special group of kids.
The Windermere sponsored portion of the evening was coming to a close with a Junkanoo Rush that seemed to last for hours. And, by the end of the night, the DJ was rocking strong and somehow every one in the crowd brought their own alcohol and the “night-crowd” was taking over. We started counting the night’s earning and cleaning up, but after 14 hours of work, it was exhausting. By the time we made the final count and deposited the money, the crowd had reached a roar with the battle-of-the-DJs. The rest of the Windermere staff carried the final boxes to the vehicles, slumped into our seats, and somehow made it back to campus.
I’m still feeling the wear from the Fair – days later. But it was a great opportunity to raise the money needed for our shed this summer, and a chance for Windermere to get out in the community and work towards becoming salt and light in our world.