CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE June 7, 2018
On June 7, hundreds of people turned out to the playground at Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School in Shawville for the 6th annual Spring Fair.
Organized by the Home and School Committee, the event offered a host of different entertainment and activities for the youngsters, including pony rides by GELAM Stables, cow patty bingo and a mini-firefighter course by the Shawville-Clarendon Fire Department.
The Shawville Lions Club assumed their perennial position as grill masters, doling out hamburgers and hotdogs to the mobs of people milling about the schoolyard.

In the lead up to the fair, Home and School Vice-President Lisa Cartman organized a huge online auction with 155 items up for grabs, featuring everything from baking and knitting to oil changes and detailing. Cartman was proud to announce that this year’s auction brought in a whopping $10,384.
Home and School President Ronda Richardson explained that the event was created in 2013 to celebrate the fact that the school was no longer under the threat of being closed. Nowadays, it is a community fixture that raises tens of thousands of dollars for various school supplies and projects.
“It’s not only parents with kids,” she said. “It’s just people coming out to support the school.”
Some of the items on the wish list this year were leveled readers for every classroom, funding for the breakfast program and sporting events and laptops.
“It’s something different every year,” Richardson explained.
In addition to the games, there were live performances from the McDowell Glee Club and Dance Club as well as the local 4-H square dancers.
Both Richardson and Cartman thanked all the sponsors and community members who donated their time and money to the event.
Though the exact figure wasn’t available at press time, Richardson estimated this year’s efforts brought in around $13,0000.