Preschool Parents’

Frequently Asked Questions

About the 23rdAnnual Craft Fair

and Children's Carnival

 

When is this Event?  Friday, October 23, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  The Carnival is on Saturday only.

 

What’s Going On at this Event?  A Craft Fair with more than 60 vendors of professional crafts, a Bake Sale, an Opportunity Drawing, Lunch served by the Church’s Food Services Ministry, a Pancake Breakfast (Saturday only), a Children’s Carnival (Saturday only), and a Halloween Costume Parade (Saturday at Noon). 

Why Does the Preschool Hold This Event?  The Craft Fair raises money for classroom and playground equipment and materials.  If you enjoy the pirate ship on the playground, the shade structure over the pirate ship or in the garden area, or the new technology in your child’s classroom, thank the Craft Fair!  Also, more than simply fundraising, the Craft Fair and Carnival are just a really good time for the whole family!

What Should I Do to Help With the Craft Fair?  The Craft Fair needs the help of all preschool families to operate.  If you can, we would love for each preschool family to do each of the following four tasks to help with this event:

·        Bake:  Please make or purchase a baked item which can be sold at the Craft Fair’s bake sale (you can bring more than one if you want).  This year, we would especially like:  homemade breads (pumpkin, banana, zucchini, etc.), brownies, cookies, homemade candy (peanut brittle, chocolate pretzels, etc.), fruit pies, cakes, muffins, pre-packaged cupcakes or large break-and-bake cookie dough packages.  No refrigerated items (other than cookie dough) please.  Please wrap items in clear saran wrap and label your item, including whether it includes nuts.  Items can be dropped off in the preschool office on Thursday, October 22nd or Friday, October 23rd, during preschool hours.

·        Volunteer:  Please sign up to perform a volunteer shift during the two days of Craft Fair.  There are many jobs from cashiering, to data entry, to bake sale selling, to running carnival games, to set up, to break down and more.  (Click here) for a complete description of all Craft Fair volunteer positions.  Most shifts are two to three hours and are available between 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23rd and 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 24th.  If both mom and dad want to volunteer (or grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.), we would love to employ them!  We especially need some dads for the set up and break down shifts to help crafters carry their big and heavy items into and out of the Fellowship Hall early on Friday (i.e., before work) and mid-day on Saturday.  Free child care and lunch bunch (lunch bunch on Friday for Friday preschoolers only) are available to volunteers during their shifts, if they sign up in advance.  Sign up boards for these shifts (as well as child care and lunch bunch to support your shift) will be available just inside the preschool gate starting on Thursday, October 1st. 

·        Buy Opportunity Drawing Tickets:  A few weeks before the Craft Fair, each family will receive twenty opportunity drawing tickets per child enrolled at RBCPC to either sell to others or purchase themselves for $1.00 per ticket.  Each opportunity drawing ticket will be entered into a raffle to be held at the end of the Craft Fair for some amazing prizes, including gift baskets and two grand prizes:  a two-day a week, three-week session at Outpost Camp (www.outpostsummercamps.com) (for kids 5 and up) and a photography session including all photos on a CD by Photos by Sweetpea (www.photosbysweetpea.com).  Please sell to others (or buy yourself) as many tickets as you can and deposit the money (cash or checks made payable to “RBCPC Preschool”) and any unsold tickets into the “Opportunity Drawing” envelopes in your child’s classroom or in the preschool office by Thursday, October 22nd.  You can purchase more opportunity drawing tickets (and check out some of the prizes first hand) at the opportunity drawing table at the Craft Fair.  Please purchase only the number of tickets you are comfortable purchasing.  Families with multiple children at the preschool should not feel obligated to buy all of the tickets that they receive.     

·        Come and Enjoy the Event:  Please come attend the event with your family and friends.  Purchasing crafts, enjoying the pancake breakfast, purchasing bake sale items and opportunity drawing tickets and playing at the Carnival all help raise money for the preschool to help provide our children with an amazing playground and classroom equipment.  Most importantly, you and your children will have a great time!             

What Can I Do with My Pre-teen or Teen Kids During the Craft Fair?   Sign them up to volunteer at the Carnival!  We need at least 40 pre-teens, teens and young adults to run the Carnival games on Saturday.  Carnival volunteers get a certificate from our preschool Director for community service hours (required by some local middle and high school academic classes and clubs, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc.) and volunteers still present at the conclusion of the Carnival at 1:00 p.m. will be treated to a free pizza lunch.  Volunteer shifts at the Carnival are either 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (or your volunteers can stay for both shifts).  Please sign your pre-teens, teens and young adults, friends, neighbors and babysitters up to work the Carnival by emailing our Volunteer Coordinator, Kathie Moehlig at kmoehlig@rbcpc.org, and provide their name, age and a contact phone number for confirmation of their shift a few days before.

What If I Cannot Attend the Craft Fair?  Everyone has conflicts.  You can donate bake sale items early in the preschool office if they will keep, or donate refrigerated pull-apart cookie dough that our bake sale team can prepare the night before the bake sale.  Volunteer shifts are at a variety of times so that moms or dads can perform shifts before or after work or on Saturday.  But if you cannot be there, we understand. 

What Types of Crafts Will Be at the Craft Fair?  The selection at the Craft Fair is amazing and unmatched by most local craft fairs.  The Craft Fair includes 60+ expert craft artisans offering professional customized and unique gifts including children’s items, holiday decorations (Halloween and winter holidays), handcrafted jewelry, home decor, art, furniture, clothing and more.  This is a great opportunity to purchase unique gifts and decorations, and to start your holiday shopping too!

If Most Items are Handmade Crafts, is Everything Really Expensive?  There are a wide variety of items sold at the Craft Fair, not only in terms of type but also cost.  You will find everything from $1-$2 stocking stuffers to moderately priced toys, clothes and holiday items to more expensive gemstone jewelry and higher-scale home décor. 

Do I Have to Haggle Over Prices With the Crafters?  No.  Each item’s price is clearly marked.  A portion of that price is donated to the preschool.

Do I Pay Each Crafter Directly?  No.  There is one central shopping check-out where you will pay for all of your items, regardless of who sold it to you, at one time.

Do I Have to Bring a Bunch of Cash to Shop?  No.  Our central shopping check-out accepts cash, checks and credit cards (checks and credit cards with I.D.).  The pancake breakfast, lunch, the bake sale, opportunity drawing and the Carnival accept cash and checks (with I.D.) only.

Will There be Food Available?  Yes. Lunch items will be sold by the church’s Food Service Ministry from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Friday and from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.  There will be menu items for both adults and children.  Additionally, we will be holding our 2nd Annual Pancake Breakfast, put on by the Kiwanis Club of Poway (www.powaykiwanis.org), starting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning until 10:30 a.m. or until the pancake mix is gone!    

Costs for the lunch items will vary from $3 to $6 per person depending on the items purchased.  Cost of the Pancake Breakfast is $5 per adult and $3 per child.  Juice and other beverages will also be sold at the bake sale table during the pancake breakfast as well as throughout the Craft Fair. 

How Much Money Will I Have to Spend at the Carnival?  The Carnival is just about having fun, so game tickets are inexpensive.  There are approximately 20 different games, crafts and activities to play.  Each ticket (to play a game, do a craft or jump in the bounce house) costs $0.25, or you can buy a 20 game/craft/activity punch card for $4.  You can also buy tickets in advance (and for a discount, see below) on the church patio or in the preschool office, or you can buy them at the above prices at the Carnival.

How Can I Save Money at the Craft Fair?  Buy one of our advance purchase, discount ticket packages.  You can buy any of the following packages of discount tickets on the church patio after Sunday services or in the preschool office, between Sunday, October 11th and Thursday, October 22nd: 

·        Carnival Advance Purchase Package: 60 tickets (3 punch cards) for $10

·        Pancake Advance Purchase Tickets: adult pancake breakfast for $4.50, kids pancake breakfast for $2.50

·        Fall Fun Advance Purchase Package:  40 carnival tickets (2 punch cards), 2 adult and 2 kid pancake breakfasts, and 2 opportunity drawing tickets for $20

There can be no refunds on unused portions of the advance purchase packages.

What Kind of Child Care is Available While I am Volunteering At the Craft Fair? 

·        Lunch Bunch (Friday): If your child is in preschool while you are volunteering on Friday, you can sign up for Friday’s lunch bunch for free.  Lunch bunch is provided in the usual lunch bunch room.

·        After School Care (Friday): If you are volunteering for a shift that ends after your child’s afternoon preschool on Friday, you can sign up for free after school care to occupy your child while you finish your shift.  After school care will be provided in one of the preschool classrooms. 

·        Child Care (Friday and Saturday): Free child care is available in the church’s child care for any child, ages 0 to 5, while you are volunteering.

Child care, lunch bunch and after school care must be signed up for by no later than Monday, October 19th at the volunteer sign-up boards or in the preschool office.   

What If I Have a Last-Minute Conflict and Cannot Make My Shift?  If it is the day before your shift, respond accordingly to the email you will have received confirming your shift.  If it is the day of the shift, please call our Staffing Coordinator at (858) 382-9156 to cancel your shift.  If you have a spouse, friend or relative who can step in for you at the last minute, please feel free to send them in your place. 

What If I Want to Help Organize This Event?  The Craft Fair Team is made up of twelve to fifteen parents who are each responsible for different portions of the Craft Fair.  Most team positions start working in September and being on the team is a great way to meet other preschool parents and have some fun!  If you would like to join the Craft Fair Team, either this year or for next year, please contact the preschool’s volunteer coordinator, Kathie Moehlig at kmoehlig@rbcpc.org. 

What If I Want to be a Crafter At This Event?  Crafters may reserve a booth as much as a year in advance of the Craft Fair.  Booths fill up early and the Craft Fair maintains a waiting list of interested crafters who can be called to fill in for a last-minute cancelation.  Most goods at the Craft Fair must be handmade.  Interested crafters should contact rbcraftfair@yahoo.com for more information about registering and to be placed on our crafter interest list.

What If I Want to Help Advertise This Event So We Can Raise More Money?  Pick up some Craft Fair fliers or cards from the preschool office or (click here for printable versions) and post them around your neighborhood, on your community mailboxes, at your local Starbucks and pass them out to your older children’s classmates.  If you work at a doctor’s or dentist’s office, a child-themed store, play zone or other similar location, the Craft Fair Team can supply you with as many signs as you need to post in your lobby or waiting area.  Just let us know how much you need!  Every bit of advertising helps!