by Kara Gebhart Uhl
Sunday, September 21 members of the Fort Thomas community will participate in a festival rich in tradition at Fort Thomas Public School’s Woodfill Elementary. From noon to 6pm everyone from the community is invited to the school’s annual Big Top Festival, featuring inflatables, a major raffle, a silent auction, food, a cake walk, games, prizes, a basket raffle, spiritwear and up for grabs. Proceeds from the festival are used to provide student services, such as the purchase of media and cultural arts programs, events such as Kentucky Kids Day, and new playground equipment. The PTO fundraiser also provides a college scholarship to a Highlands High School senior from Woodfill each year.
The festival, formerly called The Fall Festival, has been a longtime tradition in Fort Thomas.
“It was called The Fall Festival as long as I can remember,” says
Rozellen Griggs, who started working at Woodfill Elementary in 1948 as a fifth grade teacher.
“It was always an exciting time for the students and community. It was also a lot of work and planning for the PTA. There were games and sometimes pony rides. Prizes were given. Tents were put up for some activities. A delicious spaghetti [dinner] was served for a very reasonable price. The teachers helped, too.” Griggs, who now lives in Florida, retired from Woodfill in 1985.
Howard Fischer taught at Highlands High School during the 1960s, and at Fort Thomas’s three elementary schools from 1970 to 1974. He was principal at Woodfill Elementary 1974 to 1989, returning as interim principal in 1999. Although now retired, he says he has fond memories of Woodfill Elementary, particularly the festival.
“There were games like the fish pond, ring toss, cake walk and dunking booth,” Fischer says.
“The first PTA meeting when I became principal they gave me a paddle that was imprinted ‘Bottoms Up,’” he says.
“Then they talked me into being the first in the dunking booth. I wore an old suit and tie and held my paddle. The first one to dunk me was not a Woodfill student, but a neighbor kid that had given me some trouble.”
In addition to pony rides and inflatables, Fisher also remembers a game where children tossed Ping-Pong balls at small fish bowls filled with water.
“If they won, they would get a goldfish in a plastic bag filled with water,” he says.
“The kids always got a prize. If they didn’t get the bigger prize, they would get a small inexpensive prize.”
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