The Harlem Wizards showed up at Riverhead High School Wednesday night and put the fun back in fundraiser.
“Are you ready to have some fun?” the announcer yelled. “Somebody scream!”
Before a packed, standing-room-only house, the Wizards faced off against Riverhead faculty in a basketball game-turned-comedy-routine suitable for all ages. Though it is a basketball game in its essence, the Wizards were very interactive with the audience, bringing kids and parents out on the court to participate in a series of games, keeping everyone interested every minute of the event.
Any potential dull moment was instantly swept away with music and dancing. Kids were rarely in their seats and if you were part of the Wiz Kids, you got to dance on the court with the players.
“We sold out,” event organizer Gregory Wallace said. “We sold every ticket. That’s two years in a row we’ve been able to do that.”
There were 1,100 tickets issued, 985 bought in advance and the other 115 sold at the door, Wallace said.
At the end of the game, the lopsided score didn’t really matter.
What mattered was that the money raised will go back to the kids. Proceeds from the event go directly to the RCFA scholarship fund. Every year more students are awarded with RCFA scholarships because of the faculty association’s fundraisers like this.
A final tally on the amount of money raised by the event was not yet available last night, Wallace said.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by George Faella
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