BILLINGS — The 32nd annual Saturday Live, a fundraiser put on by the Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, will be kicking off Saturday, Sept. 28 at 10 a.m. at MetraPark.
"You can still expect the same Saturday Live you know and love it. Pioneer Park, we've got 100 booths. We've got lots of food, lots of games, lots of entertainment throughout the day. So it'll be a great day in a central location, easy parking," Shelley Pierce, Education Foundation development and community relations manager, said recently. "We really needed a way to weatherproof our event. Every year we would check the weather forecast, leading up into the event. Last year we had to move on three days' notice."
Every year, Saturday Live raises thousands of dollars for Billings schools. Traditionally, the family-friendly event is held at Pioneer Park, but the event wouldn't make as much if the weather was cooler. Occasionally, the organization would have to move the event indoors to Skyview High School.
"Everything will be safe and secure. Everything will be on a level playing field. We're not on multiple floors. And so it'll be really good. We're excited," Pierce said.
The fifth grade classes at Eagle Cliffs Elementary School are eagerly prepping for Saturday Live.
“We're going to sell cotton candy,” fifth grader Bentley Rae said. “All the money that we're getting from Saturday Live is fundraising for an event that we have called fifth grade day.”
Fifth grade day is used to celebrate the kids moving on from elementary school into middle school. While the students are already having fun raising money for their special day with a school store, they're also learning valuable lessons.
“To always be respectful to like people and people that are buying stuff. You should always be respectful, be kind, make eye contact to show that you're listening,” fifth grader Anastacia Kazmierczak said.
