Bouncing and bidding

It was an evening of inflatable fun at Maryville Middle School Friday night during the school’s Family Fun Night.
The gym was filled with inflatable toys -- slides, a multi-sided climbing wall, a Velcro wall, an obstacle course and a bungee run.

Down the hall, several classrooms had games that challenged participants in their accuracy with a soccer, basketball,
baseball and other games. Over at the library, folks perused a variety of items for the silent and live auction.

The cafeteria was filled with the aroma of barbecue. The barbecue dinner, which included kid-favorites mac and cheese and cinnamon apples as side dishes, was donated by Aubrey’s.

"Aubrey’s is our adopt-a-school (partner)," Kellie Calloway said. "They donated the food."

Calloway, with school parent group Parents in Partnership, said this was the second year the event had been held. They improved the auction and added more inflatable for this year’s event, she said.

The event raised $5,000 in 2006, and that money went toward a set of security cameras, landscaping, technology and teacher’s grants. The group hoped this year’s event would raise even more for the school.

Returning to their "alma mater" were about 25 Maryville High School students who volunteered and helped with the games and inflatables.

Teacher Gena Damron said the students were excited about the event. "They knew about the blow ups (the inflatables). That was the draw for them. We (the adults) get excited about this," she said of the auction items in the library. "We get to mix and mingle. It’s a wonderful thing. The parents work real hard to put this together for us."