First Posted: 1/24/2014

Looking for affordable, family-friendly fun? Do your kids need a great night out to blow off steam during these frigid winter days? Would mom and dad like a night off from cooking? Wouldn’t it be nice if all this were happening close to home and would benefit hundreds of school kids?

The date is Tuesday, Feb. 4. The time is 5-8 p.m. The place is the Abington Heights Middle School. The event is Family Fun Night.

The PTA has pulled out all the stops to create this carnival-style evening of fun. It will feature an enormous inflatable bouncy obstacle course and 15 games with prizes. There will be delicious foods for sale including hoagies, pizza, pierogies, hot dogs and countless homemade baked goods.

“Come for dinner and stay to play,” event Chairperson Erin Osterhout said. “It will be a really fun night.”

There will be a teacher “jail”, where volunteer teachers will be “arrested” by a student sheriff and put into a cell for all to see. They will only be released when their bail is paid by generous event attendees.

All proceeds from the event go to sponsor school programs for which there is no other funding. Items recently funded by the PTA include the mats needed for the physical education rock climbing wall and a music-making system for the music department. After a grant was cut and the Abington Angels program was put in jeopardy, the PTA stepped up to stream funds there as well. Abington Angels provides weekend meals, clothing and educational supplies to district students from needy families. The number of children who receive help through Abington Angels is significantly higher than in past years.

In order to fund the event, Osterhout entered a contest on line and won a $400 award from party supply company Shindigz. Other local and national companies agreed to sponsor the event and donate goods for the raffle. There will be more than 80 raffle items including four Disney Hopper Passes valued at approximately $700. These are passes for admission to all of the Disney theme parks and their partners in Florida. Other prizes closer to home include stays at the Chateau Resort at Camelback and Fernwood Resort, as well as a Golden Golf Package at Fern Hall Inn for an entire season of play. Other items were donated by Pizazz Salon, Shawnee Pocono Playhouse, the DaVinci Science Center, the Crayola Factory, Medieval Times, Jaya Yoga, Duffy’s, Abington Art Studio, Posh and many more.

There is no admission fee to the event and credit cards will be accepted at the various booths.