By:Patrick Hall Monday, 13 February, 2006

Most of the ingredients for a great time had been poured into the Pratt Community College Dennis Lesh Sports Arena by late Friday afternoon: movies, pizza, basketball, volleyball, face painting, tattoos, and games galore. At 6:30 the final ingredient was added: 182 K-6th graders, and the recipe for another successful “Kids’ Night Out” was complete.

Head Softball Coach Ron Hill, his wife Dee, and the PCC Women’s Softball Team have been mixing up this batch of fun for 15 years, six here at PCC. “This event helps both PCC and the community,” said Hill. “It’s literally a kids’ night out, but of course, it’s also a parents’ night out. It’s a nice break for parents during this busy time of year.”

And of course, what kept this cooking was the noticeable absence of sleep. After all, who would chance falling asleep, when the perennial favorite Pillow Fight doesn’t even begin until 2:00 am!

Sixth grader Payson Maydew, a six year veteran of the event, would not have missed it. “The pillow fight is definitely my favorite,” said Payson. His fourth grade sister Jensen concurred, although as of late Sunday afternoon she was “still trying to catch up on sleep.”

This delightful sleep deprivation began when the nearly 200 area kids entered the Beaver Dome looking for a little quality play time with their peers.

“It started with the movie ‘The Grinch’,” outlined Payson. “Then we divided into age groups, had pizza, and then had free time to play basketball, wrestle, or play other games. The pillow fight didn’t begin until 2:00. I like it because you get to watch the little kids go first.”

Before the event, Sara Cossman, a PCC sophomore second baseman from Inman, said she was looking forward to another year. “Last year I was expecting it to be pretty rough with so many kids,” said Sara. “But I had a great time playing with them. Especially the pillow fight.”

Megan Truman, a sophomore outfielder from Valley Center, added, “It’s fun because you get to be a little kid again.” And her favorite part of the evening? You guessed it—The Pillow Fight!

If you missed it, don’t worry, the program will return next year. Besides giving something back to the community, the program is also a vital fundraiser for the PCC Women’s Softball program, as it augments their travel budget and helps defray the costs of field improvement.

So you’ve got a year now to catch up on your sleep—and to find that perfect pillow!