EXTRAVAGANZA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

CONTENTS

What does the money raised from the Extravaganza support?

Is this a First Come/First Served or a Juried Show?

Why allow Manufactured products and Direct Marketers?

How do you determine Vendor Fees?

What is the Extravaganza’s Attendance?

How big are the vendor spaces?

Can I rent two spaces?

Can I request to be next to another vendor?

Can I share a booth with another vendor?

How important is my application?

Are there extra fees/options?

Is there a charge for electricity?

Can I hang things on the walls or the bleachers?

Can I set up a tent?

Can I use display racks, shelving or clothing bars?

Can I use a generator or other machine?

Can I offer free samples?

Can vendors set up the night before?

Can Vendors arrive prior to 7a?

What are the hours of setup?

Do you have rolling carts to help with setup?

Will Volunteers assist with setup and breakdown?

When can I breakdown my booth?

Why are there no refunds offered?

Can I find a replacement Vendor?

How do Vendors communicate with the Extravaganza Committee?

Why is my email not being answered?

When will I know my application was accepted?

When will I know my Booth #?

Can I bring helpers for my booth?

Why is there an admission charge?

Can I request a specific location or booth #?

Why is someone else also selling products similar to mine?

Why is there another vendor selling similar products in the same aisle as me?

What is considered successful for vendors?

Why does the show end at 3p?

What kind of marketing does the PTSO do?

How can Vendors help with promoting the show?

Why are some vendors promoted on social media?

How do I get an ad in the Extravaganza Program?

Why should Vendors care about Sponsors?

How do I follow the Extravaganza on Social Media?

What are the benefits of making a donation to the Craft Committee?

Is there manpower relief for my booth?

Can I tip Student volunteers?

Can I purchase lunch during the show?

Why is my lunch not delivered on time?

Why is the music so loud?

Can my team, club, organization fundraise at the Extravaganza?

Do South County Pyramid School students, teams, clubs, and organizations receive a vendor discount?

Do you have to be a South County Student to qualify as a Student Entrepreneur?

Can we host a Bake Sale?

Can we host a Raffle or Silent Auction?

What is allowed for fundraising?

Can I volunteer for the Craft Committee?

Can I volunteer if I do not have students at SCHS?

 

 

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What does the money raised from the Extravaganza support?

Proceeds from the Extravaganza support the South County PTSO which supports academic awards, honor societies, club support, science fair, PTSO Scholarships, academic enrichment programs, teachers in the classroom, and staff development programs. Proceeds also benefit the Senior Class, the SCHS Band, Swim & Dive Team, Crew Team and South County Athletic Boosters.

 

Is this a First Come/First Served or a Juried Show?

We have gotten away from first come, first served as we sell out every year and we feel it is more important to host a variety of interesting vendors rather than just fill up our vendor spaces. We are a juried show do allow a limited number of Student Entrepreneurs and school and community groups. We consider ourselves a hybrid. We gather up all applications and go through them to select those we think will provide our customers the best shopping experience. We are looking for variety and creativity as well as a range in price points. Long-time vendors certainly carry some preference, but we are always looking for the next best handmade item! If we must break a tie, then the timestamp on the application will play a role in our consideration, so keep getting those applications in early!  

 

Why allow Manufactured products and Direct Marketers?

This show was started 18 years ago by a group of SCHS parents who had home-based businesses. These vendors continue to be very supportive and generous often helping us with flyer distribution, banner hanging and putting out road signs. We are largely a handcrafted/handmade show so spaces for manufactured products and Direct Marketers is extremely limited. We moved from a first come, first served to a lottery system for Manufactured Products and Direct Marketers. We draw names of all vendors in this category. This does not guarantee a vendor for every Direct Marketing business, so some years we may not have a particular type of vendor. We feel going forward this way is the fairest way to include these types of business.

 

How do you determine Vendor Fees?

We want everyone to WIN with these events – the Vendors – the Lorton community – SCHS Students. There are several considerations that go into determining vendor fees. We are well below the fees charged by similar school-sponsored craft shows in northern Virginia who often charge above $100 for their cheapest booth, and we have 3 to 4 times the attendance of these other schools. This is first and foremost a fundraiser for the South County PTSO. Each year there is a fundraising goal. To reach this goal we balance the vendor fee versus adding additional vendors to meet the goal. We make small adjustments to the vendor fees every couple of years. There are other local craft shows who add as many vendors as they can get with very little effort to attract the additional shoppers needed for those vendors to be successful. We only add additional vendors when we believe we can attract the right number of shoppers to support the vendors. We usually receive close to 300 applications for 180 vendor slots so we could easily increase the number of vendors but then the profits for all vendors might decrease if we do not get enough shoppers. It is a balancing act we face every year.

 

What is the Extravaganza’s Attendance?

We are proud to say we have seen a rise in attendance every year for the past 12! In 2010, we estimate around 400 shoppers attended the show with 50 vendors. By 2019, we had topped 2,600 shoppers with 170 vendors. Last year due to concerns with Covid and FCPS mask restrictions, we hosted a smaller show with only 90 vendors, and we were still able to attract 1,500 shoppers. In 2023, our goal is to attract 3,000+ shoppers which we will count with wristbands.

 

How big are the vendor spaces?

We offer 10x10 spaces in the gym and cafeteria and 6x12 spaces in the hallways.

 

Can I rent two spaces?

Yes. Please indicate on the payment form.

 

Can I request to be next to another vendor?

We realize that many of you have become friends and enjoy being near each other during a show.  We make every effort to honor those requests, however our first priority is coming up with a floorplan that offers the best shopping experience with similar vendors spread apart.

 

Can I share a booth with another vendor?

We do not allow booth sharing. This would essentially offer a discount of the vendor fee and it is not fair to full paying vendors. We will allow you to sell another vendor’s wares at your booth, under ONE business name as long as the items to be sold are listed and approved on your application.  ABC Crafts who sells handmade jewelry may be approved to sell Pampered Chef items if we do not already have a Pampered Chef vendor, and if the items are listed and approved on the application. The business name in the program would read ABC Crafts, not ABC Crafts & Pampered Chef. No flyers or signs can be put up in the booth promoting the second business. Anyone in violation will not be invited back to a South County vendor event.

 

How important is my application?

It is vital! You must list all items you expect to sell. We base our decision and plan the show based on the information on the vendor application. Anyone selling items not approved on their application will be asked to put those items away and will not be invited back to a South County vendor event.

 

Are there extra fees/options?

We get so many requests for corner booths that there is an additional charge for a corner booth. Every booth is supplied with 2 complimentary chairs. You can also choose to rent tables or participate in the Bonus Marketing offered to help with your pre-event sales. All extras must be indicated and paid for at the time your vendor fees are submitted.

 

Is there a charge for electricity?

We do not charge for access to electric. We have limited availability so we cannot guarantee access and the vendor is responsible for bringing extension cords. Vendors with an electric outlet in their booth do not own the outlet. Outlets are usually assigned to vendors in advance so while you may have an outlet in your booth, it may be assigned to another vendor. You must request access to electric on your vendor payment form.

 

Can I hang things on the walls or the bleachers?

Yes, as long as the tape or adhesive that you use does not damage the wall or bleacher.

 

Can I set up a tent?

You can set up a tent if you are assigned a booth in either the gym or the cafeteria. It must fit within your 10x10 booth space. It can not bleed out into the walkway or another vendor’s booth space. You must put something on the bottom of the tent legs (socks, wrap, or rubber covers) to protect the floor.

 

Can I use display racks, shelving or clothing bars?

You can use a variety of display options as long as it fits in the booth space you are assigned. It must fit within your 10x10 or 6x12 booth space. It cannot bleed out into the walkway or anther vendor’s booth space. You must put something on the bottom of all display racks, shelving etc. (socks, wrap, or rubber covers) to protect the floor.

 

Can I use a generator or other machine?

All use of electric must be approved in advance by the Extravaganza Committee. You may not play music, offer a light show or run a machine that would interfere with nearby vendors, or the entertainment scheduled throughout the event.

 

Can I offer free samples?

You can offer free samples from your booth. You can not be out in the aisle or walking around the event offering samples or otherwise promoting your products or booth. You may only market and sell from your 10x10 booth. Anyone walking around the venue addressing shoppers will be asked to leave immediately and will not be invited back to a South County vendor event.

 

Can vendors set up the night before?

It takes the Extravaganza Committee and an army of volunteers 6-8 hours to remove equipment to clear the gym, cafeteria and hallways, mark 180 booth spaces, and set up tables and chairs. We do not get access to some areas of the school until 8pm on Friday night and we are often working until 11pm on setup. Another reason we cannot allow set up the night before is we have no way of securing items overnight.

 

Can Vendors arrive prior to 7a?

No, the Committee is busy with last minute setup details, posting signage and organizing volunteers. Doors will not open before 7a.

 

What are the hours of setup?

7am-8:30am

 

Do you have rolling carts to help with setup?

We have a limited number of rolling carts, first-come first-served, to help you bring your items in. We ask you to roll your items in, unload, and return the cart as soon as possible. Do not keep the cart at your booth while you set up.

 

Will Volunteers assist with setup and breakdown?

Yes, depending on availability. A lot depends on scheduling. If South County is involved in a playoff football game or has a county band assessment on the day of our event, student help may not be as available. The Committee goes to great lengths to line up student help and we work with what we have on the day of the event. Student volunteers will help you bring items in and unload. They cannot help you set up your booth. SCHS Student Volunteers, the PTSO, or the Extravaganza Craft Committee are not responsible for any items broken during setup or breakdown.

 

When can I breakdown my booth?

It does not matter how ‘slow’ it is, Breakdown begins promptly at 3p. Vendors seen breaking down at 2:45p will not be invited back to the Extravaganza. If you can not man your booth until 3p, please do not apply for the show.

 

Why are there no refunds offered?

We spend approximately $3,000 on marketing and maintenance for this event and countless volunteer hours. This is money and time that we cannot recoup if the event is cancelled. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for the PTSO. Our system is not capable of electronic refunds. While we sympathize when something unexpected happens to our vendors, the time, effort, and volunteers involved with sending even one refund check is not feasible. We’ve had years where we have upwards of a dozen cancellations for very good reasons which drastically effect our fundraising efforts. The South County PTSO is a 501C3 nonprofit, so vendors fees are considered a donation and are tax deductible.

 

Can I find a replacement Vendor?

You may, with the approval of the Vendor Coordinator, have someone else run your booth for the day. You may also with the approval of the Vendor Coordinator find a replacement vendor. Not all replacements will be approved, especially if your products are not similar. We make great effort to make sure we do not have too many vendors of one type. If you sell candles but your replacement vendor sells jewelry, we may be sold out in the jewelry category and will not approve the replacement. If a replacement is approved, you will NOT receive a refund. It is up to the original vendor to collect payment from the approved replacement vendor. Depending on how late the replacement is approved, the replacement vendor may not be listed in the program.

 

How do Vendors communicate with the Extravaganza Committee?

We are a committee of volunteers who all have fulltime jobs and additional volunteer commitments. Often, we are answering your emails and phone calls while we are shuttling kids to practice or making dinner before our student heads out to play practice, or we head to a PTSO meeting. We try to answer emails within 24-48 hours.

 

Why is my email not being answered?

We get a dozen plus emails every day asking questions already answered on our website, on our social media or in a previous email. Vendors submitting an application should receive an automatic email confirmation. This email which comes directly from the system may end up in your spam file depending on how your email is set up. Before emailing us, please check your spam folder, promotion folder etc.

 

We do not have the volunteer hours necessary to confirm receipt of your submitted photos so emails asking if photos were received will most likely not be answered. If we have not received your photos when the Committee meets to go over applications, we will reach out with a reminder at that time.

 

There may also be a delay in our response because vendors do not identify what business they are. Emails without a business name take much longer to answer. We will receive an email from Jane Doe asking if her application or photos were received or if she can be in the hallway. Without identifying her business, we have no way to provide a quick answer. Our Vendor Coordinator volunteer must log into the system, do a search of Jane Doe to find out that her business name is ABC Crafts and YES, we received the application. The 15 minutes it takes to do all of this could have easily been avoided if Jane had first checked her spam folder or at least included her business name in the email.

 

Emails certainly get lost, and a thorough check of the spam folder may turn up nothing. Our volunteers make every effort to correspond with vendors in a timely fashion, but we recommend checking the website, our social media, prior email communications and even this list of FAQs before submitting a question.

 

When will I know my application was accepted?

For the Dec 2, 2023, Extravaganza we expect to confirm will all accepted vendors no later than Sept 30.

 

When will I know my Booth #?

We are usually working on the floorplan until the last minute, but our goal is to have it finalized by the Sunday before the show. We work over the Thanksgiving weekend firming up all the details. Emails asking for booth numbers will not be answered. You can tell your customers that you will be at the Holiday Extravaganza from 9a-3p on Dec 2 at South County High School. Since most are not familiar with the school layout to begin with, they do not need advance notice of your booth number. Upon arrival, they will receive an event program with every vendor listed by booth number and a map of the layout for shopping so they can easily find you.

 

Can I bring helpers for my booth?

Yes. We supply two name tags per vendor. If you have additional help, they will not receive a name tag. While they are allowed in to assist with setup, if they leave the building once the show starts, they will have to pay admission to be allowed back in. Helpers can come back in free of charge beginning at 3p for breakdown. We can not have people coming through the admissions area without a wristband.

Any vendor offerings such as a complimentary water and snack, or a vendor breakfast or other perk for our vendors is limited to 2 per booth no matter how many helpers you have assisting.

 

Why is there an admission charge?

Our philosophy is that anything given away for free to everyone is often taken for granted. We offer FREE admission to several groups including all military and veteran families, all FCPS teachers, staff and bus drivers, and all kids 12 and under. Senior citizens and students receive a discounted admission. We also distribute 20,000+ flyers which have a $1 off coupon. Typically, 10-12% of all admissions use this $1 off coupon. All participants in the Candy Cane Kids Fun Run and a parent are given complimentary admittance into the event. FREE admissions typically represent 45-60% of all admissions. When people are offered FREE admission because of their association to a specific group (military or FCPS) they value the perk. The first year we offered the FCPS discount we saw a 70% increase in attendance from that group! We use wristbands so we can have an accurate count of the number and type of attendees.

 

Can I request a specific location or booth #?

On the payment form you can choose your preference for booth location in either the gym, cafeteria, or hallways and request a specific booth. We cannot guarantee you will get your first choice of location or the exact booth.

We get all kinds of requests including to be next to a fellow vendor or near a window, to have a wall behind, to be on a corner, to be near the restroom or electricity, to be away from or close to concessions or entertainment, to not be near any strong odors, to not be near a booth featuring children’s items etc. Trying to juggle these requests while making sure vendors with similar products are not too close is quite the challenge. We spend many hours piecing together the floorplan.

We try to honor all requests, but it is not always possible. It’s kind of like figuring out seating for 170 people at a dinner party and trying to make everyone happy at once!

 

Why is someone else also selling products similar to mine?

If we limited it to only 1 type of vendor per category, then 90% of our vendors would not be accepted into the show. We limited every category of merchandise. For instance, one of our most popular categories is jewelry. This category is capped at 12% and includes all jewelry vendors both handmade and direct market. We look for variety which is why we ask vendors to submit photos. Two vendors may make jewelry, but one uses glass and the other uses their own clay beads.

 

Why is there another vendor selling similar products in the same aisle as me?

We spend hours looking at the information vendors supply on their application. We use product descriptions to make sure vendors making similar products are not too close to each other. When this happens, sometimes it is an honest mistake, but it is usually because the product descriptions were not very accurate or descriptive or there may be a vendor selling a product not listed on the application which is a violation.

 

What is considered successful for vendors?

Each year with our Vendor Survey we see a variety of results. Vendor profits range from $200 to $3000 depending on product. Our goal is to attract as many shoppers as possible. It is up to the vendor to sell product. We post signs and maps in every hallway to direct shoppers throughout the building. At each entrance, shoppers are handed an Extravaganza program which includes a list of every vendor with their booth number and a map of every shopping area.

 

Why does the show end at 3p?

We have to be cleaned up and out of the school by a certain time. After all the vendors have left, we have to take down all signage, put away tables and chairs, put away the protective floor in the gym, take down all decorations, clean up the volunteer room, the concession stand and restore all items to their original place such as vending machines. We need to close by 3pm to assure we are out of the building by 6pm.

The last hour to hour and a half is traditionally slower than the rest of the day. We start to slow down around 2pm. We believe this is because most people do not want to wait until the last hour to shop, because they fear that items may be picked over. We start calling out raffles around 2p in an attempt to get people to stick around. We believe that shutting down the show at 2p would just move the slow period earlier. We work very hard to encourage people to attend between 9a-3p. We do still have shoppers who browse from 2p-3p which is why we do not allow early break down. If shoppers see vendors breaking down at 2:45p they may feel it wasn’t worth the trip to come out to the show so late in the day. So, the following year, when they are at a soccer tournament all day and are thinking about dropping into the show on their way home, they may decide to not stop since the prior year everyone was breaking down as they were browsing. We want our shoppers at 2:30p to feel as welcome as shoppers at 9:30a even though the number of these shoppers is significantly lower later in the day.

 

What kind of marketing does the PTSO do?

We promote our show year-round on social media. We start regular weekly posting in mid-summer when the vendor application opens. We steadily increase posts and post several times a day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram beginning in mid-September. We start paid advertising in late October.

We also start distributing 20,000+ flyers at local craft shows and community events beginning in September. Our students are out every weekend through the Fall passing out flyer promoting our show. We also distribute flyers at Friday night SCHS football games with an estimated attendance of 2,000 at each game. Other large event distributions include Back to School nights at pyramid schools, fall theatre productions and Election day polling places.

We place road signs in a 5-mile-wide radius. Roads signs tend to disappear after a few weeks. Fairfax County prohibits road signs on select roadways which is why you will not see signs on the Fairfax County Parkway or Rt 123/Ox Road. We also place banners and sandwich boards at select locations.

Additional marketing efforts include a press release to Washington DC media, articles in regional community magazines and HOA newsletters, and 6,000+ flyers delivered to local pyramid schools. We also send a digital flyer to each school asking them to post on their website.

We reach out to all the military bases in Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland to offer military families free admission. We also send flyers to schools through Fairfax County to offer all FCPS teachers and staff free admission.

Our partners such as the South Fairfax Chamber of Commerce and our sponsors help to promote the show on their websites and social media platforms. And our fabulous vendors help to spread the word at their events and on their social media!

 

How can Vendors help with promoting the show?

Vendors come in contact with shoppers almost every week prior to the show. While your customers may have already done their shopping with you at an earlier show, they may enjoy shopping with other vendors. If every vendor promoted the show, there would be plenty of shopping customers to go around!

Print out and share our event flyer at all your events. Share, like and follow us on social media to help spread the word.

 

Why are some vendors promoted on social media?

We offer a Bonus Marketing option which allows vendors to promote their items on our social media. It also allows vendors to take orders for items in advance of the show. All accepted vendors are eligible to purchase Bonus Marketing, but it must be purchased at the time of payment of vendor fees.

 

How do I get an ad in the Extravaganza Program?

We produce a multi-page complimentary program handed out to shoppers featuring a listing of every vendor, a map of all the shopping areas and a listing of all the events through the day. As part of our Bonus Marketing option, vendors can purchase an ad in the program featuring their Booth #, logo, website info or a coupon or discount on their products.

 

Why should Vendors care about Sponsors?

The Craft Committee depends on our sponsors to help defray the costs of hosting the show. We have to pay for marketing, advertising, custodial fees, signage, banners, volunteer shirts, name tags, printing of flyers, name tags, and booth numbers. Local businesses may sponsor a vendor breakfast or water and snacks for volunteers. Sponsorship helps us keep the vendor fees down so please ‘like’ and ‘share’ our sponsor info shared on our social media.

 

How do I follow the Extravaganza on Social Media?

Follow us on our Facebook Pages

• Lorton Holiday Extravaganza @LortonHolidayExtravaganza
• South County High School Craft Show @SCHSCraftShow

Instagram

• lorton_holiday_extravaganza
• southcountycraftshow

Twitter

• @LortonSCHSCraft
• @SCHSCraftShow

What are the benefits of making a donation to the Craft Committee?

We run a silent auction and several raffles as a way of raising additional funds. The success of these have allowed us to keep our vendor fees down. Your donation helps the PTSO and our associated fundraising groups to reach their fundraising goals. All donors receive a FREE post across all of our social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in advance of the show. We will send a volunteer to your booth to collect your donation during the setup period of the show.

 

Is there manpower relief for my booth?

South County student volunteers are available to booth sit for 15 minutes while vendors visit the restroom or concessions. These students are not allowed to sell any product or handle any money.

 

Can I tip Student volunteers?

There is nothing expressly prohibiting tips for students; however, we discourage it. Most of our volunteers are earning required community service hours and are more than happy to earn their hours while helping you!

 

Can I purchase lunch during the show?

Our concession stand run by the South County Athletic boosters is open from 7a-3p for snacks, drinks and food. Since vendors attend shows every week and are usually looking to avoid the usual school concession stand fare of hot dogs and pizza, we try to offer a health alternative such as a salad. Items such as salads are not on the usual concession stand menu so we have to order specifically for our event which is why salads are offered pre-order only. A couple of weeks before the show, vendors will receive a lunch order form to preorder lunch. Student volunteers will deliver your preordered food around the time you request. Payment is made upon delivery. We also usually host several food trucks. Delivery from food trucks is not possible but student volunteers can booth sit while vendors order lunch outside at the food truck.

 

Why is my lunch not delivered on time?

We try! Many times, when lunch is not delivered to you at the requested time it can be for several reasons to include:

• The food delivery was late
• We have a shortage of student helpers
• The concession stand is extremely busy

Know that we are working as fast as possible to deliver your lunch!

 

Why is the music so loud?

Every year we receive comments that run the spectrum from:

• “I loved the student entertainment!”
• “You should have more ‘holiday’ music.”
• “The student musicians were playing too loud.”

We try to provide a festive atmosphere to encourage shopping! The availability of our student entertainers in any given year is dependent on several factors. Some years the county’s required band assessment falls on the same day at the Extravaganza so our student entertainers are extremely limited. Some band instruments are louder than others. Our student musicians cannot ‘play quietly’ which is why we schedule them in 15-20 minute increments so if it is too loud to talk over, it doesn’t last too long! We hope you enjoy the talents of our student musicians and singers!

 

Can my team, club, organization fundraise at the Extravaganza?

The Holiday Extravaganza is the largest fundraiser of the year for the PTSO. Vendor fees raised from the craft show are 75% of the total money raised. All activities associated with the event must in some way benefit our vendors or the overall shopping experience, rather than group fundraising. We have added several different fundraising components/activities to the event over the years, all with the intent of increasing attendance at the craft show. These activities include Santa arriving on the Lorton Volunteer Fire Department truck, the Candy Cane Kids Fun Run, Photos with Santa, the Candy Cane Kids Shop, Greetings for the Troops, Child ID and Fingerprinting, Silent Auction & Raffle, Concessions and Food Trucks, and Santa’s Book Emporium. We are fortunate to have several school groups and teams help us run these PTSO fundraisers. In turn, these groups are expected to assist the Craft Committee with marketing the event.

When adding any activity or attraction to the event, it must meet the main criteria which is attracting shoppers for our generous vendors. Vendor success makes the craft show. Events such as the Candy Cane Fun Run, the Silent Auction and Santa's Book Emporium were started and run by the PTSO in the beginning and are now a huge part of the Craft Show because they draw people into the event. The overall Extravaganza experience would be adversely affected if one of these events were absent from the event.

 

Do South County Pyramid School students, teams, clubs, and organizations receive a vendor discount?

The PTSO wants to support South County Pyramid School students, teams, clubs, and organizations in their fundraising efforts, but our main priority is the Extravaganza and our vendors, not individual fundraisers. We offer a limited number of discounted booth fees for student entrepreneurs, school teams and clubs. Any student, school sports team or club interested in fundraising at the Extravaganza is asked to fill out the official application form. Explain in detail what you plan to sell.

In order to qualify for a discounted booth fee, all participating school teams, clubs and groups are expected to assist with publicizing the event. This includes flyer distribution at local craft events, hanging banners and placing and collecting road signs.

 

Do you have to be a South County Student to qualify as a Student Entrepreneur?

No, all FCPS students in elementary, middle or high school are eligible for the Student Entrepreneur discount. All student entrepreneurs must make their own items and must be present in the booth from 9a-3p. Parents may assist with filling out the application, making payment, setting up, breaking down, and manning the booth.

 

Can we host a Bake Sale?

No, bake sales at the Extravaganza are not allowed. Each year we get multiple requests to sell baked goods. We have several professional vendors selling baked goods and this would be direct competition with our vendors. We will consider on a case-by-case basis requests to sell whole cake or pies, cake pops, dipped pretzels, flavored popcorn etc. Approval is dependent on the registered professional vendors in any given year.

 

Can we host a Raffle or Silent Auction?

We host raffles and silent auction items at the Silent Auction hosted by the South County Band Boosters, the PTSO Reindeer Games booth, and Santa’s Book Emporium. We allow vendors and school groups/teams to do FREE giveaway drawings, but we do not allow any other raffle or bidding on items.

 

What is allowed for fundraising?

We encourage student and school teams and clubs to think outside the box when fundraising at the Extravaganza. In the past we have had groups sell face painting, caricature drawings, fairy hair, SoCo wrapping paper, poinsettias etc. If you choose to sell items that our vendors are already selling such as jewelry, ornaments, and wreaths, you may be declined if we already have enough professional vendors selling these items. Specific SCHS items typically sell well such as wreaths decorated in South County colors etc. Gift wrapping is not popular at this type of event. Many items purchased do not come in containers which can be gift wrapped so groups are discouraged from depending on this type of fundraising.

 

Can I volunteer for the Craft Committee?

Absolutely! This is not your normal school fundraising event which can be turned over to new volunteers each year. We are always looking for interested volunteers who would like to take on parts of the event whether your skills are creative, managerial, organizational – we have a spot for you!

 

Can I volunteer if I do not have students at SCHS?

Absolutely! Some of our Committee members are alumni parents who have many years of experience with this event. We welcome all, especially you empty nesters!