Oh, a cake decorating contest! That would be so much fun! We have so many wonderful bakers at our school that I think this would be a hit!

We hosted a cake decorating contest. We judged and then raffled the cake off. Make sure the rules are written out-- no professionals and then if you want a theme- we also found out we need to divide into three age groups.

We raffled the cakes off afterward.

Thanks for all the great ideas! I love the idea of Pizza Night...just not sure how to get the donations. Potluck and pie bake-off sounds very interesting! I know there are a lot of moms & dads who bake! This definitely helps! Thank you!

Taco Night (with a separate fixin's bar)
Spaghetti with different Sauces Night (red, white)
Salad Bar night
Barbeque with pot luck sides.
Soup Suppers

JMMUS29-
I know you said that you like the idea of a dinner but thought I'd throw this out there: how about a pie bake-off? You could either have a potluck before it, or just make it a dessert event. Perhaps having a shorter evening event, after dinner at home, would boost attendance numbers.

Lisa

Suggestions I've seen: Chili, Fish Fry, Bar-B-Que, Hawaiian Luau, Taco Night.

At our school the Spaghetti Dinner is traditionally done by the teachers after Winter Break, so we wouldn't dream of messing with it. I believe attendance was up this past year.