Raising Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools Endowment Fund’s profile

Though fall is the beginning of the end of warm weather, the Hewlett-Woodmere Public School Endowment Fund is seeking to heat up its activities and raise money for its cause through its inaugural Fall Harvest Festival this Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Woodmere Middle School.

The Endowment Fund is a 4-year-old organization comprised of graduates, families and area merchants that raises money to support several school district programs, including Project Bulldog and the Virtual Enterprise Program. Project Bulldog raises money to supplement the district’s art program by selling decorative bulldog statues. Virtual Enterprise is an academic exercise where students create a virtual company and compete against other schools. Hewlett High School’s team finished in first for Long Island last January and competed in the national competition in New York City in April.

John Roblin, an Endowment fund board member, said the festival is an extension of homecoming weekend and grew out of the Grant Park Long Island Growers Market the group has sponsored. The Growers Market opened in June and closed this month.

“It is a good way to wrap things up with a big party in the Five Towns,” Roblin said. “It is a fundraiser for the endowment fund to provide grants for years to come, keep our profile up, introduce us to others and celebrate the end of the warm weather.”

There were a variety of “Harvest Apple” sponsorship levels from “Golden Delicious” at $1,000 to “Family Pumpkin” at $75. Each level would underwrite specific activities and games, while “Family Scarecrow” at $150 and “Family Pumpkin” will be a scarecrow or pumpkin sign with your child or children’s names that can be taken home.

An array of vendors will also be on hand serving food and crafts, along with the Hewlett and Woodmere fire departments, Town of Hempstead’s Mobile Town Hall, a bicycle safety program, a carnival and a costume parade.

Education will also be a part of the festival as Hewlett High School teacher David Rifkin will coordinate with Cornell Cooperative Extension to have a few programs for children such as a tree planting at the new pond area at the middle school, seed planting of 30-day crops such as radishes and lettuce in gallon jugs and facts about nutrition.

“It is urban forestry awareness and what we are doing with Cornell Cooperative Extension is a grow out station; planting a crop of trees hosted at a family’s house in the community, it is all about going green,” said Rifkin, who noted that between 30 to 50 trees are expected to be planted and after five years distributed to different parts of the community.

Being planned for outdoors, the festival could be affected by the weather, but Roblin said there are plans to move most things inside the middle school should the need arise. “What we can do as a contingency is bring things inside, not the big food trucks or fire engines, but the crafts and other vendors,” he said noting that the school’s cafeteria, auditorium and lobby could be used.

Roblin won’t begin looking at weather reports until the middle of the week, he said. But, we snuck a peak. Sunday’s current forecast is for partly cloudy skies and a high of 52˚. Perfect for a fall festival.