Spring Fling raises money for school’s multi-purpose room

GLEN RIDGE, NJ — The Home and School Association of Linden Avenue Elementary School had its bi-annual Spring Fling on Saturday, May 21.

The purpose of the event was to raise money for the refurbishment of the multi-purpose room.

It is expected to cost in excess of $100,000, with work beginning this summer. It is hoped the everything will be in place when the school opens in September.
The co-chairwomen for the event were Angie Konetani and Tracy Nix.

“The project came about a year ago,” Nix said. “We identified that we wanted to remodel the multi-purpose room.”

The Spring Fling raised money by selling tickets for games and concessions. Food was donated by area groceries. There was an auction of goods and services provided by local businesses.

The Home and School Association supplemented the funding with after-school programs. Beth Mikros, the president of the Home and School Association, said ongoing funding is necessary for the project.

“Our goal today is $20,000,” she said. “It would best previous ‘Spring Flings,’ but we were setting our sights high.”

According to the Glen Ridge historian, the Linden Avenue “Spring Fling” was instituted in 1951. Linden Avenue School opened in 1911, she said.

“After Glen Ridge declared its independence from Bloomfield in 1895,” Mikros said, “students attended school for five years in several locations, including a two-family house at 128-130 Linden Ave.”

One of the traditions of the Linden Avenue “Spring Fling” is the “Cake Walk”
Mikros said 500 baking tins were given out, in which people were asked to bake a cake.
A game of “musical cakes” was played. When the music stops, the children win the cake nearest to them.

“There have been times we thought of limiting it to a cupcake walk,” Mikros said.
“It seems so glutinous to have cakes. But the ‘old timers’ remember the tradition.”