On March 24, East Petersburg Elementary School held its annual Entrepreneur Fair. During the event, students set up business stands and operated them with the help of their parents. A panel of guest judges interviewed the students at each stand about their products and what the preparation for the fair entailed, and the panel awarded prizes at the end of the event.

A month before the fair, the school held a meeting with the participating students to address the details of the event and offer guidelines for the competition. Certain students and their families began preparing for the fair by creating items such as keychains and jewelry to ensure that they would have enough inventory to sell. During the meeting, students were visited by 12-year-old Bennett Dufrene of Landisville, who started his own business selling ice cream when he was 9 years old. Dufrene, better known as Mr. Ice Cream Kid, shared his insight on operating a business with the students to help them to prepare for the fair.

Students were tasked with designing their stands, creating a sign for their businesses and navigating the expenses involved with creating a product. The fair incorporated student-run businesses that sold a variety of items, such as baked goods, lemonade, homemade crafts, artwork, food, flowers, dog treats and lotions. The goal of the event is to give students experience with running a business and tackling the challenges that accompany it. The students also learn about advertising as they promote their businesses at school in the weeks leading up to the fair.

"The fair gives the kids a view into the real world and what it means to be an entrepreneur," said Michelle Brenneman, who co-chairs the East Petersburg Elementary PTO along with Liz Gee. "They learn about supply and demand and good business practices. It's a great lessons for them and even their parents."

The East Petersburg Elementary PTO has been organizing the Entrepreneur Fair since 2008 and saw a record number of participants this year with 50 students running stands. The event also incorporates the community beyond the school, as the fair is open to the members of the public who wish to patronize the businesses. "The kids get so much confidence from participating, and we love to see how excited they get while preparing for the fair. We also get a great response from the community every year and a lot of good feedback," said Gee.

The panel of guest judges is made up of local business owners and community members. This year, Donna Longenecker, who started the event when she was a member of the East Petersburg Elementary PTO, returned to serve as a judge. Students were judged on their products, business plans and signage. At the end of the fair, cash prizes were given out to winning stands, and each student who participated received a coupon for Son's Ice Cream.

For more information, search for "East Petersburg Elementary PTO" on Facebook.