Happy Halloween

Every year the Nicholson Street Public School P&C presents their annual Halloween Festival to raise money for the school, with the event attracting witches and goblins from all over the Inner West. Read on to find out how you can join the fun…

halloween-good-witch

In 1992 an American family living in Balmain East introduced some Halloween fun into the school’s ‘FUN’draising and two decades later what started out as a low-key affair has evolved into a highly organised, slickly run event that is now a ‘must do’ event for families in the Inner West.

It was estimated that 3,000 people attended the festival last year, with visitors coming from far and wide to join in the Halloween fun. Mrs Michelle Evans of Penrith told ticket sellers on the door that her family travel every year to attend the festival.

“My kids love coming…there’s nothing like this where we live and we heard about it through friends…it’s amazing and every year it just seems to get better,” she said.

Come and check out the various spooky stalls this year when the festival kicks off on Saturday 26th October from 3pm to 8.30pm onwards so you get a double dose of Halloween Fun in 2013.

Be prepared for extra scary fun and Halloween hijinks as the creepiest festival in town just took a gruesome turn to Balmain – dust off that old costume and start channeling your inner ghoul.

 


 

Head witch gets ready for a ghoulish good time!

Ciao chats to festival organiser, Head Witch Kerry Guthrie, to find out what horrors are in store for festivalgoers this year…

It’s the festival’s 21st birthday this year, how do you manage to keep it going with such success?
As with most fundraising, there’s always a bit of Halloween fatigue that sets in now and again. The trick is to make it easy for parents to get involved and by being super organised! Each year the event evolves and now we have 20 years worth of props, decorations and a thick book called Halloween Festival for Dummies, which we roll out every October. Each new organiser brings his or her ideas to keep the festival fresh.

halloween-teachersHow do you get the students excited about the festival?
Are you kidding? They don’t really need much to get them excited… they are so proud that their school hosts such an awesome event. Year 5 and 6 classes have also been putting together the Halloween school newspaper, The Ghouly News, to create a bit of buzz. The kids have been writing content for the past few weeks.

Do you have a message for any local families thinking of attending this event?
This is no ordinary school fete.  If you have primary school aged children and want to come along to a totally unique event, then come to the Festival. You will be amazed at the creativity that has gone into putting on this event. Not only will you and your kids have great fun, it’s all for a good cause.

Do you have any costume suggestions for people that want to get dressed up for Halloween this year?
Witches, wizards, devils, ghosts and scary masks – these are all great dress up ideas for Halloween. And don’t forget, the festival’s Beastly Beauties stall will be operating on the day so all kids can get their faces made up!

See you at the The Halloween Festival presented by the Nicholson Street Public P&C Assoc!
www.nicholson-p.schools.nsw.edu.au


 

Spooky Stalls 2013

Balloon Pop

We have over 500 balloons to pop and some fantastic prizes to give away. Each balloon has its own numbers inside that correspond with different prizes. Burst the balloon any way you like – sit on it, death stare at it, jump on it, squeeze it – just make sure to pop it.

Licensed Bar

Our fully licensed bar promises to tantalise your taste buds with a variety of quality wines and beer all served by our RSA trained parents. Cheers!

halloween-stalls-deathly-treasureBox Maze

Weave your way through the tunnels of darkness with your friends and make sure you take the correct turns to get back to the beginning! After many years of construction experience, the Nicho parents promise to keep you in there even longer this time round.

Beastly Beauties

Want a makeover you’ll never want to remember? We’ll give you some grisly injuries, gruesome sores and wounds so realistic your parents will be rushing you to Balmain Hospital before you can say ‘fake tattoos!’

Bridge of Doom

A feat of constructive genius – built with rope, you’ll wobble as you weave your way across the bridge… beware the crocodiles waiting for dinner below.

Cakewalk

Join the mayhem of the cakewalk if you dare. The Maestro will make you jump, dance backwards, do a jig or any move that amuses him. The music blares, everything is a blur and the one left standing at the end of the round chooses a spooky Halloween decorated cake as a prize AND gets to eat it too.

Centre Stage Disco

This dastardly disco will begin when the stars come out. If you can think of a tragically spooky tune we will play it and you WILL dance to it.

Chocolate Wheel

Buy a ticket, get a paddle with a number on it and wait with bad breath as the chocolate wheel is spun – will your number finally be up? The prizes will be amazing including kids toys, books and DVDs along with a few adult treats like gourmet goodies or wine.

Deathly Treasures

Last year it was a map but this year the parents are working hard on a very realistic Mummy. Some even say there’s a real body underneath all those bandages (the principal did go on long service leave right?). Pick a spot to stick your flag into and you may win one of three incredible prizes.

Duck Pond

Try your fishing skills at the duck pond. This is especially fun for little visitors and everyone gets a prize (except the ducks).

Kitchen of Horrors

When you suddenly realise you’ve been at the festival for hours without a break you can come over to the kitchen and top up with a sausage in a roll, try a lamb curry or butter chicken with rice – yum, yum.

halloween-foodL’il Shop of Horrors

One of the most popular stalls returns to the festival again this year. The chief merchandiser will ensure the shop is well stocked with witch’s nails, devil’s horns and heaps of other dastardly delights.

Lucky Dip

What will you have to put your hand into this year in order to pull out your lucky prize? Will it be a shark’s bloody mouth, a maggot infested wound or a pit of venomous spiders and snakes?  Only time will tell.

Monstrous Megadrop Slide & The Spine Chilling (Bouncy) Castle

This dual lane slide will keep the thrill seekers amused and the bouncy castle will let the little ones get rid of some of that energy.

Plaster Painting

Choose one of the many bloodcurdling plaster casts to paint…we have ghosts, vampires and other weird plaster casts. This is sure to be a great area for the kids (and grown ups) to sit down and chill out for a while.

Pick a Pumpkin

Watch out for the evil scarecrow who will be watching over you as you select a pumpkin or two. If you pick the lucky ones you could win an awesome prize.

Touchy Feely

After its wildly successful return last year, the parent in charge of Touchy Feely this year has promised to provide all the vomit, congealed blood, old scabs and slippery eyeballs you would want to stick your hands into. Have you got the nerve to touch them all?

Tombola

Easily the best value Tombola stall in the Inner West, the tombola stall is a lolly lucky dip – pick out a numbered ticket from the witch’s hat and find that number on a jar – you never know what creepy, sugary delights you will get and all for just $3. And these are no ordinary tombola jars; last year we made 1,600 jars and still ran out at 7pm.  A delightfully ghoulish jar of treats, stuffed with lollies and/or novelties.

Witch’s Cauldron

Our students have had lots of colds this year and we’ve saved all the snotty mucus from their hankies just for this stall! Maralyn the witch has lent us her Cauldron of Slime – dip your hand in, find an eyeball and win a prize.

Witch’s Hair Fairy Floss & Popcorn

If you’re not full from the tombola jars, sausages, curries and cakes, then this green and orange fairy floss and popcorn will finish you off.

 


 

halloween-ghost-biscuits

Halloween Recipies

Ghostly Biscuits

Ingredients
200g butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup honey
2 1/4 cups plain flour
1 egg white
250g pure icing sugar
1.5 tbs lemon juice
Black cake decorating gel

Method
• Beat butter, icing sugar and honey until pale and creamy. Stir in plain flour until dough forms. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 160°C. Roll out the dough to 3-4mm thick. Make a ghost shape 10cm high and 5cm wide out of paper. Use to cut out ghosts on the dough. Use a piping nozzle to make a hole in the top. Place on lined baking trays. Chill for 15 minutes. Bake for 12-14 minutes.
• Combine egg white and pure icing sugar. Add lemon juice. Spread over biscuits. Use a black cake decorating gel to draw on eyes and a mouth. Use fishing line to hang around the house.


 

halloween-forked-eyeballs

Halloween Recipies

Forked Eyeballs

Ingredients
12 White marshmallows
White chocolate chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
A tube of red cake-decorating icing

Method
To coat a dozen white marshmallows eyes, melt white chocolate chips over low heat (and keep the chocolate warm while you work).
• With a fork, spear each and submerge it in the melted chocolate to coat it, then gently tap off any excess.
• Stick a semi-sweet chocolate chip with its point cut off onto each marshmallow to make the pupil.
• Place the forks (handle side down) in a mug to allow the chocolate coating to harden.
• Use a tube of red decorator icing to add squiggly veins radiating out from the pupils.

 

For more cool Halloween recipe ideas visit: spoonful.com/halloween/halloween-recipe

 

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