Kids and their families gathered at Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School for a sunny evening of fun and games at the school’s twelfth annual spring fair on Thursday.
Hundreds of people showed up at the school to partake in the fun, which included a bouncy castle, face painting and a cupcake walk, a musical chairs-style game where the winner was treated to a homemade cupcake.
Many of the school’s teachers hosted games for the kids to play, including a toilet paper toss and a lollipop game. The Shawville-Clarendon Fire Department was also on site, hoisting kids up into the big red fire trucks so their families could take pictures.
The Shawville Lions Club . . .

provided much needed sustenance for the high-energy event, with members grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, and spinning cotton candy throughout the evening.
The event was put on by the McDowell Home and School committee, a group of parents and community members who raise money throughout the year for different activities and needs at the school.
Chelsea Laframboise, vice-president of the committee, said this is their way of giving back to the school community.
Laframboise said their online auction in April, an annual event, brought in close to $10,000 this year. Auction items were donated by various local businesses.
The committee is already using that money to buy supplies for the school. “The breakfast program needed a new stove, so we were able to buy them a new stove,.” said Laframboise, noting the teachers are in constant communication with the committee, getting in touch when they need anything.
Monetary donations from Promutuel Assurance, the Municipality of Bristol, and Kelly Brothers made it possible to pay for some of the bigger-ticket entertainment attractions of the evening.