Carla Clark | For The RepublicMark Elwood, Erin Wagner, Ben Wagner and Wendy Elwood visit during Carnivale: 1980’s, a fundraiser for Kidscommons held at the Commons, Columbus, Indiana. Friday, June 5, 2022.
THE 1981 DMC DeLorean parked in front of The Commons let passersby know that about 200 attendees at the Carnivale: 1980s festive fundraiser were shifting into reverse and “going back to the future,” as Ben Wagner put it.
Wagner is executive director of the local kidscommons museum that hosted the annual fundraiser to raise money for its work to educate and entertain youngsters and their families — more than 50,000 annually before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Even without a flux capacitator and Marty McFly, more than 200 people zoomed back to the decade of mullets and MC Hammer on Friday to raise money and maybe raise the stakes in friendly competitions of Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and more.
Organizers who had to reschedule the gathering from its original February date because of the pandemic praised supporters for steering the event toward success and an estimated $90,000 profit — well above an adjusted $75,000 goal. Detailed expenses still are being finalized.
”That total’s all because of very generous people,” Wagner said.
They were creative people, too, who dressed 1980s style. Wagner himself went as The Karate Kid.
The crowd ranged in ages from ages 21 to near 70s and found joy in retro recreation.
“Everybody gravitated to the video games,” Wagner said, adding that the younger attendees have played older, classic video games on a range of gaming systems through the years.
And they loved the night’s appropriately themed soundtrack from a group called The Big ’80s. And, heavens to big hair, they rocked.
“The band was fantastic,” Wagner said. “Their covers of all the ’80s songs were just spot on. At one point, it really sounded like we were actually listening to Journey.”
Wagner also praised local event planner Brittany Snowden, not even born until 1990, for suggesting and helping execute the 1980s theme — one which was plugged in to replace February’s winter Olympics theme. Snowden acknowledged that Pinterest was a big help in her research.
“She did such a fantastic job,” Wagner said.
Yet, Snowden passed partial credit to kidscommons board members for everything from the Rubik’s cubes hanging from the ceiling to the video games.
“I think everything went pretty spectacularly,” Snowden said. “But I guess if I were to put it in ’80s vernacular, I’d say everything was totally tubular.”
Nicholas Slabaugh captured the most expensive live auction package for $4,600 for an Indianapolis Colts package provided by Paul and Julie Furber and Julie’s company of Belden Inc.
Wagner overflowed with gratitude for the event’s “big success” as he called it.
“And,” he said, “we went back in time, for sure.”
