A West Texas wind couldn’t stop folks from coming out to enjoy games and performances at Muleshoe High School’s first Fine Arts Festival on Tuesday, April 26.

An estimated 200 patrons lined up to buy tickets in the parking lot area outside of the band hall and the old high school gym.

“More than 80 high school students manned the booths, and many of these took turns performing as well,” said Christy Butler, 5^th grade math teacher organizer for the Fine Arts Boosters. “We even had several junior high band students help us out.”

Kids clamored for their parents go back and buy more tickets to play games, while adults enjoyed activities like corn hole and the cake walk.

“A popular booth for many of the older-kid crowd was the Sousa Ball, where you tried to throw a Nerf football into the bell of an out-of-commission sousaphone, which was being moved out in the field by a band student,” Butler said. “Another unique game was the ring toss, where a player must ‘ring’ an out-of-commission instrument, like the old clarinet that was mounted straight out of the wall.”

Face-painting and a “Paint With Me” art booth added to the fun. Patrons could also enjoy art exhibits on display in the old high school gym.

“Many people’s favorite part of the evening was listening to the performers on two different stages,” Butler said. “We heard speeches, prose, solos, singing parts and ensembles. The jazz band drew a large crowd.”

The evening closed with a final ensemble of senior band students gathering and performing together one last time.

“The Fine Arts Boosters would like to thank the high school fine arts students and their teachers, Miranda DeBruin, Jessica Maynerich, Cristian Mora, Alyssa Lopez, and Heather Hancock. Without them, none of this would have been possible,” Butler said.

The Boosters met today to discuss and take notes on this year’s event to make next year’s event even better.

“Showcasing these high school students and offering a little family fun for the community of Muleshoe is what it was all about. We are looking forward to the second annual Fine Arts Festival in the spring of 2023,” Butler said.