One of the surest cures for dreary Chicago winter is the fun of a carnival, with food, prizes and activities of all kinds. When the carnival also raises money for a good cause, so much the better.
Hundreds of people lifted their spirits Friday at the 24th annual New Trier High School Winter Carnival, held at the Winnetka campus. They also helped the school’s senior class bring in thousands of dollars for its Habitat for Humanity project, organizers said Monday.
The project helps build homes for local under-served families, both by fundraising and through physical labor, according to information provided by the school. The event was co-chaired by Chris Pearson and Susie Paunan, adviser chairs at the school.
“We were able to raise over $25,000, which I think is awesome,” said Pearson. “The community came out in a big way and supported the project.”
“We don’t track attendance numbers through the night, but we can say the hallways and rooms were busy throughout the night,” Paunan said.
More Top Picks Best Indoor Outdoor Thermometer
Paunen said many families return yearly to the carnival. Her own daughter started attending as a 2-year-old, and was still visiting as a 12-year-old, she said.
Senior Chandler Maizel of Glencoe said seniors have been working on the carnival for the past three to four months, deciding what on the themes of their booths and attractions, then putting them together.
Each of the school’s 40 senior advisory classes, and six of its larger student clubs, created booths, Pearson said. Those ranged from carnival traditions such as bean bag and bucket toss games to more unusual booths like a “crazy hair salon” and a Justin Bieber room, complete with a stand-up cardboard version of the singer.
Maizel said she had fun at the booth her own advisory group created; a “marriage chapel” where boys and girls could pretend to get married, complete with wedding veils and decorations.
For Pearson, the snow cone booth was a favorite.
“That’s a nostalgic thing for me,” Pearson said. “Snow cones just scream ‘carnival’ to me.”
Paunan said she was fond of the cupcake walk booth, in which participants walked around the room with musical accompaniment, over floor decorations made to look like cupcakes. People won prizes based on what cupcake they landed on when the music stopped, she said.
Maizel said she thinks the secret to the carnival’s continued success is because each new senior class takes on the project with a new sense of energy.
“What’s really unique about this is that it’s student led, so you have all their parents who want to get involved, and their parents’ friends, and everyone else they know. It’s kind of difficult not to have a solid group of enthusiastic people involved every year,” she said.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy