RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - From a pickle dressed as a ghost to La Catrina from the Day of the Dead, myriad youngsters trying to be someone else and their parents flocked to the annual Harvest Festival held at Cosumnes River Elementary School on Oct. 25.

Sponsored by the PTA, the event included the spooky haunted hallway, a popular costume contest, Halloween-themed carnival games, a dance performance, a cake walk, crafts, DJ music, bounce houses and food trucks. A book fair ran concurrently in the library.

The main organizer was Lizzeth Delgadillo, the event coordinator for the PTA. “I heard a lot of cool feedback,” she said afterward. “There were a lot of happy parents and kids.”

This year’s Harvest Festival differed from previous years in that it wasn’t a fundraiser. Instead, Delgadillo explained, “I just wanted it to be more of a celebration of our students and the parents, and not having to ask them for too much.” After a highly successful jog-a-thon earlier in the month, the PTA opted to focus on celebration rather than additional fundraising.

Instead of asking parents to bake for the cake walk, Delgadillo used a donation from Turley Wine Cellars, arranged by a fellow PTA member, to purchase pastries. Although she had a budget, Delgadillo sought donations to elevate the event. New to cold calling, she managed to secure contributions and make some new friends.

Donations from Rancho Murieta Homes and Land and Town and Country Realty funded better prizes for the games and costume contest, while a donation from Illume Luxe Studios sponsored a face painter. Tractor Supply also contributed pumpkins, potted mums, and straw bales for decorations.

Delgadillo and her co-chair, Nicole Laird, expressed appreciation for the volunteers, including PTA members, the Kiwanis Club, the Ranch Preschool, CRES teachers who judged the costume contest and ran the cake walk, and seven Pleasant Grove High School students who supervised the carnival games for community service credit.

Parent Thomas Xanos orchestrated the haunted hallway, despite having fewer helpers this year, while Reggie Vezia served as the DJ, setting the Halloween mood. Dan Reid, dressed as an American revolution soldier, emceed the costume contest and helped organize enthusiastic youngsters into a single line for judging.

Delgadillo had another acknowledgment, “I’m only brave enough to take on these events because I have the best husband (Johnny Delgadillo) and friends that always show up to support me, Katie (Coon), Sam (Kissane), and Amanda (Spangler),” she said. “I’m grateful to all of all parents too.”

 Adding to the festivities, the junior competition team from Murieta Dance Company performed “Who Do You Think You Are,” a piece they’ll showcase in their recital on Dec. 14 and 15.

Delgadillo has become well-known around the school for her imaginative and elaborate decorations, having created memorable designs for three father-and-daughter dances and a PTA gala at the country club.

At this year’s Harvest Festival, Delgadillo once again showcased her creative talents. Her handiwork was especially visible in the eight Halloween-themed carnival games she crafted from scratch. After designing each game concept, she ordered backdrops, often modifying them with paint. She also hand-made many game accessories, like covering cans with starched cloth to form little ghost targets for kids to knock off a shelf with a ball. For another game, she individually decorated jars of “witch’s brew” as targets for a ring toss.

Delgadillo also designed the Harvest Festival display on the front stage. She and a friend wrapped dried flowers to create a fall foliage arch. She found a fun inflatable tractor, saving her from having to construct one, and scored a giant inflatable pumpkin arch that perfectly bridged the playground and the quad. She also created a photo booth.

The pink witch costume Delgadillo crafted for her daughter Lilah won first place in the kindergarten division, earning the loudest applause. She transformed a pink dress with layers of star-studded and glittery fabric, added a matching cape, crafted a witch’s hat from cardstock covered in the same material, and decorated a broomstick.

View more photos from the Harvest Festival at TheRiverValleyTimes.com