The Daily Southerner, Tarboro, NC

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  • Monica Kaiser, 3, (left) paints a heart, while Rymek Williams, 11, (right) paints a leaf at Saturday's back-to-school bash at the Blount-Bridgers House. The children were with a group from Word Life International Church.

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  • Caroline Pitt, 3, of Tarboro, creates spin art Saturday morning at the back-to-school bash at the Blount-Bridgers House. Children learned about art while having fun at the bash.

    back to school bash photo2.jpg
August 13, 2012

Back-to-school bash

Staff Writer MIRANDA BAINES

TARBORO — Mixing fun with learning was the theme of Saturday morning’s Second Saturday back-to-school bash at the Blount-Bridgers House. “It’s a good thing before they go back to school to have a lot of fun,” said Elizabeth Kiser, a volunteer at the house. Kiser helped children create “spin art” at Saturday’s event. The kid-friendly artwork involves placing a piece of construction paper in a spin machine and squirting paint on the paper to create paint spirals.

Three-year-old Caroline Pitt of Tarboro put her creativity to work by creating her own spin art.

“She likes to paint and chalk on the sidewalk,” said Pitt’s mother, Courtney Pitt. She said her daughter will attend Stocks Preschool this year.

While Pitt created spin art, children from Word of Life International Church created paintings with different shapes. Three-year-old Monica Kaiser painted a green heart, while 11-year-old Rymek Williams painted a leaf.

“They’re all excited to get back to school,” said Word of Life’s Jean Grimes.

On the other side of the lawn, 6-year-old Temple Eidson of Tarboro and his 6-year-old cousin, Will Terrell of Wilmington, tried their hand at Pinetops potter Brown Holloman’s pottery wheel.

“They’re letting the kids be hands-on and I think that’s impressive,” said the children’s aunt, Laura Temple.

Other features at Saturday’s gathering were a popcorn machine from the veteran’s museum, a bounce house, and live demonstrations by spray paint artist Phillip Benz and Sgt. Jesse Webb of the Tarboro Police Department. The audience of children barely blinked as Webb did obedience exercises and demonstrated drug search and suspect capture with his K-9 partner, Bullitt.

Blount-Bridgers executive director Joyce Turner said she was pleased with the turnout at the bash and estimated that 60 children attended.

“I think we’ll do this again [next year] and we’ll embellish it,” Turner added.

Storm clouds rolled in near the end of Saturday’s event, but the rain held off long enough for the children to enjoy a slice of pizza and participate in water activities.

 

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