Carlsruhe Country Fair
The little country fair with a big difference.
If you came to our country fair on Saturday, you would have noticed that it was filled with something more important than the silent auction, more inviting than the bake sale and more special than any of the wonderful rides. And that 'something' is our sense of community. The happy faces of children gathering together, the smiles and laughter of parents and friends who gathered to celebrate our school and all it offers, and of course the hard work and commitment of volunteers who helped make the day as memorable as possible.
What a celebration. What an achievement. And what wonderful memories we made.
Thanks to all who came to have fun, be entertained and support a little country school with a big community spirit.
With the glorious Macedon Ranges sunshine upon us, over 1500 people attended our Carlsruhe Country Fair on Saturday. It was extremely wonderful to see so many families attending, enjoying the atmosphere and catching up with family and friends. Numerous stall holders, food outlets, entertainment groups and amusement activities ensured that there was something for everyone.
On behalf of the committee, I would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to everyone for their attendance on the day, and for all the delightful compliments we received in regard to the extensive workload in putting the day together. Events like this do not just happen overnight. The committee has spent well over 12 months planning and organising with regular meetings, appointments, and a steady stream of WhatsApp conversations! As well as working on the outcome of the Fair, a lot of lovely new friendships have been formed.
A huge shout out goes to all our other volunteers for their assistance leading up to the event, as well as on the day; along with everybody who contributed goods or services towards the event. Without volunteers and contributions, events like this just cannot happen.
Earlier in the week a survey was distributed via Compass, as well as on the Carlsruhe Country Fair, Woodend Primary School Parents & Friends, and Woodend Primary School Facebook pages. Thank you to everyone who has already taken the time to provide your feedback.
As with all events, sometimes things can go wrong. We would like to take this opportunity to address the major concern of most families from the day, being the wait time for rides. Please be assured that the committee’s children also encountered delayed ride times and we are just as disappointed as many of you are.
An extremely last-minute decision was made to swap out the giant slide, as advertised, to a larger jumping castle alternative, due to the recent weather resulting in unforeseen costs associated with having the giant slide there far outweighing the cost of the ride altogether. Unfortunately, we were not made aware that this amusement had a height restriction, and as a result meant a lot of children could not go on it. Also, the amusement provider for the Chuggy Choo Choo had equipment missing on the day whilst unpacking, and as a result this ride did not begin operation until after 12 noon. We understand that both circumstances resulted in delayed wait times for many children, or them missing out altogether. Please be assured that all the feedback we have received has been provided to the amusement company in relation to this.
Many of the feedback comments suggested having more rides or more activities that could be available on the day, which we accept and take on board. Due to this being an event where we have no indication of the amount of people we are expecting, along with unpredictable weather, the extremely expensive cost of amusements and a consistent lack of volunteers, it is always a challenging task to get the right balance, however all feedback will be discussed, and we will pass all of this on to the next committee to take in to account.
Besides the above, overall feedback was positive and reflected the success of the day; one full of wonderful highlights. Seeing students perform on the big stage in front of hundreds of people, having our Senior Unit students show initiative by volunteering on stalls and seeing the joy on our children’s faces as they soaked the staff, made it a day to be remembered!
Big thanks to some incredible sponsors
Our Carlsruhe Fair was supported by some wonderful local and state businesses. In fact, we could not have done it without them. Please continue to show your support to the people who support your local school.
Salina Chamerski
Carlsruhe Country Fair Coordinator