Leader Resource CenterPioneer Clubs


Fun Fair

To earn this award, complete and check off each requirement:

1. Get started.
2. Plan booths and activities.
3. Advertise.
4. Hold your fair.

1. Get started. (do all)
Brainstorm with your planning group to decide the following details for your fun fair.

Purpose
Begin by deciding what you want your fair to do. Provide a fun times for families? Introduce the community to club or your church? Raise money? Something else? (It’s okay to have more than one purpose.)

Guests
Who will you invite? Ideas:

  • friends
  • church
  • community
  • another Pioneer Clubs age-group
  • families from a local shelter
Theme
Choose a fun theme that will lend itself well to posters, decorations, signs for booths, prizes, and so on.
Ideas:
  • FROG Fair ("Fully Rely On God")
  • 3-Ring Circus
  • Psalm 126:3
  • Famous French-Fried Fair
  • Afternoon at the Zoo
Date and Time
Pick a time that doesn’t compete with other big local events. Also, make sure the helpers you need will be available then.

Location
Consider questions such as these:
  • Do we want to be indoors or outdoors?
  • What facilities will we need?
Get permission to use the place you choose. As your planning continues, check to make sure the activities you plan will be allowed at that location.

Budget
Figure out how much you can spend and what you will spend it on: supplies for games, advertising materials, and food need to be considered. Will you need or want to charge for admission, game tickets, food, and so on? Will you be able to rent anything like a cotton candy machine, dunk tank, or inflatable slide?

2. Plan booths and activities. (choose at least 5)

PRIZE AND FOOD DONATIONS

Ask members of the congregation or businesses in your community to donate items such as:

  • food
  • paper cups, plates, etc.
  • prizes
Before you talk to them, plan what you will say to these people so that they will have all the information they need to make a decision.

As a thank-you, include donors' names on booth signs or flyers, saying "Prizes donated by...," "Food donated by...," and so on.

As you choose what you want to include, decide how many volunteers you will need to staff the booths, lead activities, make food, and so on, to make your fair a success. Estimate any costs for your budget also.

Face Painting
Recruit artistic volunteers to paint fair-goers’ faces.

Paint-the-Leader
Provide brushes and paints, and let fair-goers create artwork on adult volunteers’ faces, arms, and legs. Let guests draw one item apiece, or give them a time limit.

Balloon Bombardment
Mark off a playing area that adult volunteers must stay within. For one ticket, each guest gets three water balloons and the opportunity to chase the adult volunteers and “bombard” them. Option: To add to the silliness, give adult volunteers props, such as snorkels and face masks, funny costumes, old-time beach clothes, and so on.

Animal Adventure
Recruit owners of friendly animals to take turns at this booth, telling about their animals and supervising so fair-goers can pat or hold the animals. You could post a schedule telling fair-goers what animals will be available at what times.

Information Booth
Provide fair-goers with information about Pioneer Clubs or your church. Keep the booth staffed all day with adults or kids who can talk to guests and answer their questions. If you’re promoting Pioneer Clubs, display handbooks, photos, and projects your clubs have done.

Carnival Games
Build your own versions of favorite carnival-style games. Be sure to estimate any costs involved and compare against your budget before deciding.

Ideas:

  • Duck Pond. Mark point values on the bottoms of rubber ducks: lots of ducks marked "1," a few with "2" and only one or two marked "3." Float them in large tubs or rain gutters. For one ticket, let fair-goers choose one duck. The point value on the bottom tells what size or value of prize they get. For instance: 1--small prize such as a piece of candy; 2–medium prize such as stickers; 3–large prize such as a book.
  • Basketball. Players “pay” a ticket for three tosses. Award different-size prizes depending on how many baskets they make.
  • Frisbee Toss. Make a target, marking different point values on different sections. Players “pay” one ticket to aim a Frisbee at the target. Give out prizes depending on what section the throws land in.
  • Pop a Balloon. Players “buy” the opportunity to throw darts, trying to pop balloons. For instance, one ticket “buys” three throws. Award prizes based on the color of the balloon that gets popped. Note: Adult supervision required.
  • Bucket Ball. Line up a series of buckets, with prizes in the bottom of each. For one ticket, players start by tossing a table tennis ball into the closest bucket, then the next closest, and so on. Players choose a prize from the last bucket they tossed the ball into before missing.
Karaoke Stage
Provide a microphone, and let fair-goers “pay” a ticket to sing a song to a sound track.

Entertainment Stage
Recruit talented kids and adults to take turns performing for fair-goers in one- or two-hour shifts.
Ideas:
  • Singers
  • Musicians
  • Storytellers
  • Jugglers
  • Puppeteers
Food Booths
Volunteers could serve popcorn, hot dogs, and so on. Perhaps local restaurants would be willing to donate beverages or snacks (see the “Prize and Food Donations” box).

Your Choice:

___________________________________________________________

3. Advertise. (choose at least 1)
Get the word out about your fair. Choose words and graphics that go with your fun fair theme.

Personal Invitations
Make invitations for all guests. Hand-deliver them or mail them.

Flyers/Posters
Hang or post these around your church and community. (Get permission first.) Deliver flyers door-to-door, if it’s allowed.

Creative Announcement
Do a skit or commercial in a church service.

Your Choice:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

4. Hold your fair. (do all)
Work at the fair.
Do at least one job during the fair. Ideas:

  • Staff a shift at a booth.
  • Be a runner (“gofer”).
  • Be a ticket-taker.

Look for other ways to help.
Whatever your job on fair day, also consider yourself an official fair representative. Smile and welcome fair-goers. Jump in and help if a worker discovers missing supplies, or a game breaks, or whatever. You're vital to your fair's success!

Evaluate.
After the fair, brainstorm with the other planners. Discuss what worked and what could be improved if you decide to hold a similar event in the future.


Awards © 2003 Pioneer Clubs. This award may be reproduced for use in Pioneer Clubs® Challenger clubs.