Spring carnival set

The carnivals at Cooper Elementary School draw hundreds of students back to school on a Friday night, event Chairwoman Keri Sallee said. Last fall, more than 600 people attended the carnival organized by Cooper teachers.

She’s hoping the Parent Teacher Organization’s spring carnival, coming up on Friday, April 25, will do even better.

The carnival takes place from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the school, Principal Matt Young said. An armband costs $3 for students and $5 for adults and grants admission, a hot dog dinner and access to more than 40 booths.

The booths are sponsored by local businesses and community groups, Young said. Each one features a game with a small prize.

Some of the games are returning favorites, Sallee said, but each year always brings some new games. There are also two large inflatables this year, she said. One is a giant maze.

A silent auction will feature approximately 40 baskets with themes like movie night or Italian dinner night.

“Cooper parents are good at reaching out to vendors and getting good prizes for baskets,” she said. “We have a lot of vendor parents and Walmart parents.”

One basket contains a year-long DirecTV subscription with installation, worth approximately $2,000, Young said. There are also several gift cards for various restaurants.

Also on sale at the carnival are tickets to Cooper’s night at the Arkansas Naturals ball game on May 8. Every Cooper student who attends will be invited out onto the field to sing the national anthem.