Duette fall fest is serious fun

MANATEE — Felicia Tappan baked a chocolate cake from scratch with chocolate frosting to sell at auction during Duette Elementary School’s Fall Festival.

She calls it “Amanda’s” cake, in honor of her daughter who attended the one-teacher school for six years and later graduated from Lakewood Ranch High School with a 4.0 grade point average.

Although Amanda Tappan is now a freshman at the University of South Florida in Tampa, her mom still has great loyalty to the country school, which is the last of its kind in Florida.

As do many others in Duette, who are working hard to make sure that the school, built in 1930, and which has an enrollment of 11, doesn’t have to close.

They say that the money made from the festival, set for noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, is especially crucial this year, considering that on Jan. 1 it becomes a contract school.

Local residents have formed the Duette Education Foundation Inc. to spearhead the effort to keep the school open and are seeking nonprofit status.

Donna King, teacher at Duette Elementary, 40755 State Road 62, said the festival is organized by the PTA with proceeds going to pay for field trips and special programs. None of the money will go for school operations.

Although there is a serious purpose for the festival, it is a fun event, said Jerry Groover, parent and president of the foundation.

“The school will be open so people can walk through and look,” Groover said.

The small setting with students of mixed ages — preschool to fifth grade — works to the advantage of the children, he said.

“They can work at whatever pace they need to and the teacher works along with them,” Groover said.

Saturday’s festival will include games for all ages, a bounce house, hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, fried green tomatoes and entertainment from local folk singer J.D. Lewis, who King likens in style to Hank Williams Sr.

There will also be an auction and a silent auction, where a Mosaic fishing trip is always a draw.

Valerie Mercer, president of the Duette PTA, said her favorites at the festival are a toss-up between the food and the auction. The cakes are usually best-sellers, she said.

Some might look at the task presented to the Duette community in keeping the school open as a mission impossible.

“But we’re not looking at it as impossible, we’re expecting it to work out,” Tappan said.

For more information about the festival, call (941) 721-6674.

James A. Jones Jr., East Mantee Editor, can be contacted at 745-7021.