Eldersville church holds back to school event

ELDERSVILLE, Pa. - The Eldersville United Methodist Church parishioners held their annual Back-2-School Splash Sunday, with dozens of children attending, despite an overcast afternoon.

The church holds the annual event, in its sixth year, as an end of summer celebration. In addition to carnival games, food and water-themed games, parishioners also distributed school supplies that were donated by church and community members.

The event drew participants from throughout the area, including from the Burgettstown, Follansbee and Avella areas.

The church community decided three years ago to distribute the supplies so the prizes the children won would be useful, instead of small toys and other novelties, according to the Rev. Dana Hiles.

The event included a two-hour long water gun battle, with several tubs of water and wading pools for quick refills for the "combatants" behind the church. The activity included dozens of children and several adults in attendance, and older children also played on a Slip 'N Slide during the event within a cordoned-off area.

New this year was the preschool "wet zone," where toddlers played in several wading pools and sprinklers. Hiles noted the move to include a wider age group came after the Westminster Preschool relocated to the church last fall. Westminster offers classes for 3- and 4-year-olds throughout the week and shares space with the Methodist church's Sunday School classes.

Several parishioners volunteered during the event, in addition to making donations of school supplies. Volunteers were kept busy operating the carnival games, including a milk bottle throw, plinko, birthday wheel and bean bag toss, and making food for those in attendance, including hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones and cotton candy.

Children also had the opportunity to make their own ice cream by placing milk, sugar and salt in a plastic bag, then sealing it in a larger bag full of ice and shaking it during the event.

(Wallace-Minger can be contacted at swallace@pafocus.com)