4th annual Family Fun Fest to raise money for Lincoln school

Friday, August 31, 2007 9:26 AM CDT

LINCOLN -- Zion Lutheran School will dish up some fun and sweet treats on Saturday. Homemade ice cream will be just one of the special treats served at the school's fourth annual Family Fun Fest, which will be held at the school, 1600 Woodlawn Road, from 2 to 7 p.m. Also planned are a pig roast, a corn boil, old-fashioned games, a flower sale, and a pie and cake auction.

Volunteers of all ages gathered Wednesday night to make 42 gallons of homemade ice cream, spending 10 hours preparing the recipe and a few more hours freezing it.

Despite the heat, the group talked and joked as they worked outside to freeze the ice cream, using 15 electric ice cream makers at a time to speed up the process. Don Hellman laughed when someone suggested they use hand-crank ice cream freezers. "Does anyone even own those anymore?" Hellman asked.

Inside, more than a dozen people packaged the vanilla ice cream in individual containers. By the time they were done, they had more than 1,000 containers.

The annual event is estimated to draw 800 people from around the area, said one of the organizers, David Opperman of Lincoln.

"It's something fun for families to do after school starts. It gives families with children at the school a chance to meet each other, and it's an opportunity for our church to get together as well," Opperman said.

The event also draws those from the community and even some travelers. "Last year, we had some people who had gotten off the interstate and saw the event. They ended up staying and having a great time," Opperman said.

The cost of the meal is $6.50 for adults and $3.50 for children younger than 12. Carry-outs are available.

Opperman says the money raised helps in "making tuition more affordable for more families at the school," which serves children from preschool thru eighth grade.

GO!

What: Family Fun Fest

When: 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday

Where: Zion Lutheran School, 1600 Woodlawn Road, Lincoln

Activities: Pig roast, corn boil, homemade ice cream, old-fashioned games, dunk tank, cake walk, flower sale; pie and cake auction, 5 p.m.