Holiday Hoopla provides crafts, games, family fun

Girls Incorporated of Monroe County will be having its annual Holiday Hoopla event from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday at the Fountain Square mall.

Holiday Hoopla is a celebration packed with activities for all ages, such as live music, gingerbread house decorating, story time, arts and crafts stations, raffles, a “kids-only” holiday gift boutique and a special appearance by Santa Claus for pictures.

A hot pancake breakfast served in the Fountain Square ballroom is also included in the ticket price of five dollars.

Lee Ann Jourdan, executive director of Girls Inc. of Monroe County, said this is the third year Holiday Hoopla will take place at the Fountain Square mall. She said this location has made the event accessible to more members of the community, growing from a small breakfast into a full holiday celebration.

“Downtown is where a lot of people are and they’re doing their shopping anyway, so sneaking into the mall is easier,” she said, adding that this year Girls Inc. expects to serve more than 300 guests.

There will be a variety of raffle prizes such as gift certificates, gift packs and a basketball pack consisting of IU men’s basketball tickets and an autographed basketball. The grand prize is the “Night on the Town” package, which includes dinner at Malibu Grill, tickets to the Punch Brothers at the IU Auditorium and an Oliver Winery gift package.

Raffle tickets are $5 each, and ticket-holders do not need to be present to win.
Jourdan said the kids-only boutique has many beautiful handmade items donated by local artists, and the prices range from 50 cents to $5.

“We want the kids to be proud of what they can give without spending money,” she said. 

Volunteer shoppers will be available to help children pick out gifts, and there will be free gift-wrapping.

Girls Inc. is a nonprofit organization, and Jourdan said proceeds from Holiday Hoopla help the Monroe County center cover its operating expenses.

Girls Inc. of Monroe County serves nearly 500 girls in the area through after-school and athletic programs, its athletic facilities and a number of other year-round programs and activities.

Veronica Fosha, a senior at Bloomington High School South, said she has been a member of Girls Inc. for 10 years, and at last year’s Holiday Hoopla she worked at a crafts station supervising 2- and 3-year-olds.

“She’s a magnificent role model to younger girls and a stellar volunteer,” Jourdan said of Fosha.

Fosha said her favorite part of the event last year was seeing all the little kids so happy. This year said she’s looking forward to the pancake breakfast, which 7-year-old Chloe said she enjoyed when she attended last year.

Rebecca, 15, said this will be her first year at Holiday Hoopla but that she is excited to see all of the activities and her friends from Girls Inc.

“Just being around everybody was nice,” Fosha said.