Character Week ends by saluting patriotism
On Friday night, the Statue of Liberty had red hair and glasses.
North Columbia Elementary School third-grader Marlee Garner dressed as the Statue of Liberty for her school's All American Fair fall carnival, a patriotic end to American Character Week, which had revolved around the somber anniversary observance of the Sept. 11 tragedy.
North Columbia Elementary School pupil Donald Johnston, as George Washington, plays a game of bingo during the school's fair.
"I was looking for an Uncle Sam costume, but the hat was too big, so I decided to be the Statue of Liberty," said Marlee, who was dressed in a green gown, a crown and holding a torch.
Her father, Fred Garner, asked her if she knew where the Statue of Liberty was located.
"It's in a harbor in New York and it represents freedom," said Marlee, who competed in the costume contest which included such patriotic characters as Betsy Ross, a soldier and even one child dressed as a firecracker.
An annual event, the carnival helps raise money for the school to buy the things that taxpayers' money won't fund, said the school's new principal, Kay Sanders. Last year, the festival raised about $8,000. Usually held in October, the event was moved this year to coincide with American Character Week activities.
"We just thought it would fit in nicely with the theme of All American Fair. We wanted to have a little fun, along with the solemnity of the week. We wanted to do something that would brighten their lives," Sanders said.
Rain did not stop the crowd, the cake walk, the dunking booth, the grilling of hot dogsand hamburgers, or games like the frog toss. So much of the festival involved people donating items, homemade baked goods, items and services for the silent auction and people like Randy Cliett of Wisteria Hill, who donated the most of the entertainment activities such as the moonwalk and dunking booth and concessions.
"This has been a real slice of Americana," Sanders said.