By By KATHIE HEMPEL / Niles Daily Star
NILES – The last day of school at Ballard Elementary was a real circus.
Fire-eating and aerial acts with performers high in the air on silks were all part of the students' last day.
Movies, blow-up obstacle courses, games and a hot dog barbeque, all made for a memorial time before school was finally out for the summer.
This was the second year for the PTO sponsored carnival.
"We knew we would do it again for the kids before last year's (event) was even over. It was great for the teachers, who didn't have to worry about a last day party and got to relax too. We built in a schedule that allowed students to spend the last hour with their class and teachers so all got to say goodbye too. The teachers really wanted that," said Darla Schneider, PTO chair for the event.
The "Aerial Angels" a high-flying aerial act out of Kalamazoo, were the main event. The three person team entertained all while delivering a message of getting fit.
"It takes your entire body to do this. The aerial silks are the most difficult of all the aerial routines to do," said "Isabella," aka Allison Williams, artistic director for the group.
Williams along with "Spike," aka Zay Weaver and ""Max," aka Zach Martens, had their audience mesmerized as they "ate" fire. One young member of their audience Marcel Cutler got to light a torch from Williams tongue.
"The most important part is the pulling it out after it's lit," Williams said.
Following their act, the entertainers took questions from their audience.
"Is it real or magic?"
"Everything we do is real. Although the moves we make are often referred to as stunts or acts, we are really performing each feat. Don't try this at home. Even as adults, we often get burned," Williams said.
This is the kind of event kids talk to their families about for months, said one staff member.
Each class went through the various events at the carnival in a rotation. From the grade appropriate movies with popcorn, to the cool treat stations with frozen ices, there was plenty to eat in addition to the entertainment and games.
"The picnic lunch with the hot dogs, fresh fruit and vegetables is followed with a cotton candy dessert treat. Special treats for a special day, but as moms, the kids' nutrition is very important to us, so we made sure there was plenty of healthy food too," Schneider said.
"The kids just love this," Pat Jarach, Ballard secretary said.
The cheers and laughter heard all the school and its grounds yesterday were proof of that fact.
Aerial Angels will be doing four performances Saturday, June 23, at the Niles Downtown Arts in Motion Festival.