H&M Potter School's Boardwalk Bash On Tap For Today

H & M Potter School Principal Jeffery S. Zito and his band of staff, students, alumni and parents know how to put on a show.

And Saturday will be no exception. The school's Sixth Annual Carnival, sponsored by the H & M Potter PTA - kicks off at noon and will run through 5 p.m.

"This is a true community event," Zito said early Friday night. "We usually expect 2,000 people to visit the school campus. To run this, you need close to 100 helpers. It's a lot of fun. We plan for this all year long."

The Potter Panthers school gym won't be easily recognizable. It's been "transformed" into a boardwalk, with games of chance, rides, scooter races and much more, he said.

Zito and gym teacher Jason Miller planned to spend much of Friday night setting things up, along with many volunteers.

Sodexho - the school's food service vendor - has donated 500 pizzas, hot dogs and soda for the carnival, he said.

"It was a huge giveback for us," Zito said.

The event also features contests, 50/50s, face painting, prizes and the ever-popular "Dunk Tank." All proceeds go to the school.

The top prize for the games is an android tablet. Visitors can also try to win two Nintendo DSIs, in addition to stuffed animals and other traditional boardwalk prizes, Zito said.

Top items among the donated gift baskets include four-day passes to Disneyworld, eight tickets to Wheel of Fortune in California and a Kindle Fire, he said.

Student tickets for the games start at 50 cents. Students can also win "Zito Bucks" to play even more games.

And when it's all over, Zito and his group will begin planning for the school's annual Halloween event in October. Last year the theme was "Zombie Apocalypse."

H & M Potter School is located at 60 Veeder Lane in the Bayville section of the township.