Old Colony Senior Class Advisor Heather Darcy had never been in a dunk tank before, but recently she got some firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to get soaked straight out of a dry sit.
“It was quite the experience,” said Darcy, who said that seven teachers were dunked in all, with students and other participants paying for a chance to submerge their teachers, a far cry from what they’re used to during the school week.
These dunkings took place at the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School Craft Fair, which was held as a benefit for the current senior class. More than 25 vendors and crafters packed into the gym, with all extra proceeds going toward the Class of 2014.
Tables included cosmetics, wood, candles, origami, raffles, cookware, home goods, food, quilted items, scents, jewelry, spa products, tarot readings, and more.
“It’s been a fun day,” said eighth grader Amy Pringle, whose brother Jake is the varsity football team’s starting QB, and who also sang the national anthem at OC football’s homecoming game earlier that day. Pringle, along with friend Taylor Raposa, had set up a table at the fair peddling Old Colony-inspired clothing and merchandise to benefit the Gridiron Club.
“We’ve done a lot of fun stuff,” Pringle said.
“We’re at pretty much every game,” added Raposa, who is also a student at OC.
Just around the corner from the Gridiron Club’s booth was a group from Plymouth who were selling some interesting glassware called Redneck Wine Glasses, which were mason jars with wine-glass like stems fashioned to the bottom. Creator Duncan Rynne said his wife Ruth saw someone who had come up with a similar idea and told him about it.
“She saw them one day, and said, ‘Hey, [Duncan] can make those!’” he said, noting that the couple had been married for 52 years. “We’ve been fighting every since,” he joked.
Another of the fair’s vendors was Gateway Wood Turners out of Wareham. Representatives set up what they called a “travel lathe” on which they demonstrated some of the inner workings of their craft.
“Besides making a mess, we’re showing people how to take something that was a tree and turn it into something that’s not,” said Jim Silva of West Wareham, who was at the fair along with Ian Manley of Acushnet, another Wood Turner.
Darcy said that though she got soaked, she had expected it, which she could not say for co-teacher Jackie Machamer, who was voted into the dunk tank that day by the staff. Machamer proceeded to surmount the greatest total number of dunks out of the group of seven. “It was good timing,” Darcy said. “The football team was still out there” before heading off to their homecoming game, which they unfortunately lost 28-6.
By Nick Walecka
