Fairyland Festival Brings Community Out for 58th Year Running
For nearly 60 years the Fairyland Festival has been the place to see and be seen for the elementary set. In addition to faux casts and colored hair spray, students plunk down green tickets for horseback rides, bouncy houses, plush animals at the Emporium and springing their friends from “jail.” It’s one of the largest fundraisers for Fairyland Elementary School with nearly 40 booths and more than 100 parent volunteers. Besides current students, the fair hosts plenty of future Fairyland Falcons.
“It’s definitely the highlight of our year,” smiles Carrie Gallant, who hopes her oldest will attend FES pre-K this fall. “When we moved up here and were deciding between Tennessee and Georgia this school was a big factor. Everyone told us how great it was. We really chose to be on this side because of Fairyland.”
“When we moved up here and were deciding between Tennessee and Georgia this school was a big factor. Everyone told us how great it was. We really chose to be on this side because of Fairyland.”
And while the funds raised solely benefit the Georgia school, the festival is equally popular with kids from the Tennessee side. (The favor is returned when Lookout Mountain School hosts their carnival later in the year).
“This is as much a community event as it is a fundraiser,” says Dawn Pettway, this year’s event co-chair. “We support each other, which is important. We’re definitely one community when you step outside of any state border.”
Undoubtedly, one of the biggest perks of living on Lookout is having access to two of the area’s top elementary schools. For many, it’s the main reason for moving to the mountain, particularly for this year’s festival chair, Susan Bevill.
“My husband and I moved up here when I was pregnant with our first 14 years ago,” she says. “Neither one of us is from Lookout – he went to East Ridge; I’m from Hixson. But we were looking for a house and came up here and saw all the little kids running down Rock City Trail with their backpacks. I was like, ‘This is where I want to be.’”
Bevill and Pettway have been working tirelessly on the event since January, hoping to meet this year’s goal of nearly $40,000. One change to this year’s event is separating the silent auction from the festival. (It will be held as part of a Bluegrass and BBQ event this August at the Lookout Mountain Golf Club). Proceeds will go toward the PTO’s budget of $115,000 which pays several salaries and supports enrichment programs.
