This will be an opportunity for families to take their kids to a fun event, for people to eat good food, listen to live music and learn more about the people at ExHaLTT," said Jill Thomasson, describing the Spring Fling Festival Fundraiser. The event will be held on Friday, April 5, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Ironstone Ranch at Stone Gables Estate, 1 Hollinger Lane, Elizabethtown.

The event will feature a wide variety of activities, including field games such as tug of war, sack races, relay races, ring toss and other carnival games and a moon bounce inflatable, Thomasson said. Dancers from ExHaLTT Performing Arts Academy will perform, and social dance instruction in country line dancing, swing and salsa will be offered.

Food trucks, including Cafe 301, Sweet & Salty Handcrafted Rolled Ice Cream and Mocha Motion Coffee, will provide a variety of dinner options. Live music will also be featured; details on the performers are still being finalized.

A variety of silent and live auction items will be up for grabs as well, with top prizes including a zero-turn Cub Cadet mower and a commercial-size stand-on zero-turn mower donated by Messick's; a Weber smoker donated by B&G Lumber Company; an electric bike donated by Bicycle Outfitters; and tickets to a variety of local attractions. "We will have a paddle raise at the end of the auction," Thomasson shared, noting that local auctioneer Jeff Heisey will host the auction, which will begin after the ExHaLTT performances around 7:30 p.m. "I'll also give some remarks about ExHaLTT."

ExHaLTT Performing Arts Academy is a faith-based nonprofit located in Elizabethtown. Proceeds from the Spring Fling will help fund an ongoing capital campaign for work the organization undertook to restore a ballroom space in The Elizabeth, 18 N. Market St. Proceeds will also support ExHaLTT's student scholarship fund.

Last year, the organization held a similar fundraiser on a much smaller scale, but this year, Thomasson decided to go bigger. "We really want to keep building relationships with our community, and this is a great way to do that," she stated. "This is a nice location with plenty of room to spread out, and we have access to two barns if we would need to be inside due to weather."

She hopes people will come out to enjoy the activities and spend time together. "I want this to have the feeling of a festival, where people can meander through and do what appeals to them," she shared. "You can participate in as much as you want. You can sit and observe and enjoy the dance performances and live music and take it all in, or you can get out there and play."

Admission to the Spring Fling is by carload, and tickets may be purchased ahead of time by clicking on the "Events" tab at http://www.exhalttdancecompany.org. Tickets will also be available at the gate.