For one night last week, Tabernacle Township got a taste of Harlem.
Courtesy of the Tabernacle PTA, with help from the Southampton PTA and Chatsworth Home and School Association, the world famous show basketball team The Harlem Wizards brought its talents to Seneca High School on Jan. 13.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Tabernacle PTA president Jen Quartarone said. “It was definitely a total team effort on Monday night. All of our stations were staffed. The Chatsworth HSA did a fantastic job running the concession stand. It was a great night, the entire event was over the top.”
According to Quartarone, the three associations sold approximately 1,250 tickets. Attendees were drawn to seeing a show that does not typically happen in a town such as Tabernacle.
The Harlem Wizards, started in 1962 by New York sports promoter Howie Davis, were created to put a different spin on show basketball. Fifty years later, the Wizards have become an institution, creating awe-inspiring fundraiser events for schools and non-profits. This season, they expect to play more than 300 games around the United States and anticipate raising in excess of $1 million. The event was a slam-dunk opportunity for the PTA, since it was an event for the entire family that also raised money for the school.
“It was a great opportunity to get families out. It’s rare that there’s an activity our students can do with the entire family,” Superintendent George Rafferty said. “It was funny, I had a great time.”
The Wizards took on a team that was made up of teachers from Tabernacle Elementary School and Olson Middle School. Rafferty overcame his initial jitters on competing with the Wizards on the hardwood.
“When I was told I said ‘oh no, I don’t know about that,’” Rafferty said with a laugh. “But when you’re doing something for the kids, you can’t say no. It was so much fun for all of us.”
Quartarone said she was hopeful the event would be one for whole families to enjoy. From the response she received, she was successful.
“We don’t have many events like that, especially in the winter when the gross weather turns everyone into hermits. So that was my goal going in, for it to be something that everyone would have fun seeing,” Quartarone said. “All the feedback has been positive. I think the kids really enjoyed seeing their teachers out there playing and having fun. Everyone I’ve talked to has said it was fantastic, and they were thankful it was a community event.”
With the event receiving glowing reviews, Quartarone said the talk has already turned to next season. The teachers and staff may want to begin training.
“I’ve already had parents and members of the community ask if it is something we can do again next year,” Quartarone said. “I’ve already been talking to the director of the Wizards. It’s definitely something we’ll look into and work on. This year was such a success, so we’d be excited to do it again.”
