With balloons, puppet performers, bouncy things, food, music, popcorn and a climbing wall, last Friday’s fourth annual Calistoga Family Center Back to School Family Night might have looked like a well-planned carnival.

But it was really an education night in disguise, for moms and dads.

“It’s really a lot of fun, and everybody gets a chance learn about all the programs at the Calistoga Family Center,” said event volunteer Ruth Rodriguez. “I have five children, so I’ve really benefited from so many of the programs that my husband and I really wanted to help.”

Rodriguez, and her husband, Arturo Rodriguez, along with Will Mendoza and his wife, Wendy Lopez — a Family Center employee — volunteered to barbecue 400 hamburger patties, 240 hot dogs and 60 veggie burger patties for the night’s visitors.

Around the lawn at the Calistoga Elementary School, where the carnival was held, booths were set up by organizations from the Calistoga Police Department, the Calistoga Cat Action Team, all three local pre-schools — The Calistoga State Preschool, St. Luke’s Preschool and Highlands Christian Fellowship preschool — and others, to provide parents a chance to learn more about their many programs.

“It’s a great time,” said mom Colleen Williams. “I know that the preschools are all here talking about their programs. I know if there had been preschool scholarship programs available when my children were growing up, I would definitely have taken advantage of them. It’s a great idea.”

Williams said four of her children passed through the Highlands Christian Fellowship preschool, the first about 18 years ago, the most recent, two years ago. Williams’ sixth-grader daughter, Julia Williams, was busy helping the operators of her old alma mater — Teena and Kelland Ingram — entertain youngsters at their fishing booth.

For the kids

To hundreds of kids of all grades, the carnival had nothing to do with education.

“This is my last year here,” said Liza Frediani, a Calistoga Elementary School sixth-grader, after she climbed off the Rockzilla climbing wall. “I know that once I leave here I’ll be coming back often to visit. It’s a great school.

Celedonio Caldera, blowing and spinning a colorful pinwheel, took the opportunity to visit his former teachers. He’s in fifth grade now, but a few years ago he was a student at the California State Preschool.

“Yep, he was one of ours,” said Rose Le Clerc, who manages the school. “The kids grow up so fast.”

Other young students wandered the carnival with pets. Fernando Fernandez, up from Napa to visit cousins, was carrying around two small bunnies. His family raises them to sell as pets, he said. Three sixth-grade girls — Asmara Venegas, Hallie Andrew and Brenda Tristan — were wandering around with a cold-blooded critter.

“This is my new pet python,” said an excited Andrew. “His name is ‘Crush’,” she said.

Services

The Calistoga Family Center, which gets the bulk of its operating funds from donations by public and private benefactors, sponsors a barbecue family night twice each year, once at the start of the school year, and again at the end.

The center is located on the campus of the Calistoga Elementary School, and provides a venue where local families across the economic and ethnic spectrum can find access to a growing variety of services, according to Calistoga Family Center CEO Stephanie Snyder.

The center is open Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. It can be reached at (707) 942-6206.

The Calistoga Family Center provides free services to families with the support of collaborative partners, many of whom sponsored tables at Friday’s event. They include: Preschool Scholarship Fund; Clinic Ole; Healthy Moms and Babies; Nuestra Esperanza; Legal Clinic; Rental Assistance Program (RAP); Family Service of the North Bay; Volunteer Center (Victim Witness); Aldea List of Services: Advocacy, Case Management, Child Abuse Prevention, Child Care, Clothing, Counseling, Drop In Services, Education, Financial Assistance, Food/Nutrition, Health Care, Homelessness Prevention, Hotlines/Warmline, In-Home Visiting, Information and Referral, Legal Assistance, Libraries, Parenting Education, School Linked Services, Support and Self-Help Groups, Translation/Interpretation services.

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