Middle Gate Elementary School’s PTA hosted a “Middle Gate Madness” event Friday evening, May 23.

Although the rainy weather affected a number of planned outdoor activities, many of the attractions were moved inside and the event, from there, reportedly went off without a hitch.

Students in attendance filtered into the gymnasium along with family members, and after they had closed their umbrellas, they completed the registration process. The school’s gymnasium was filled with a number of options for students to peruse, and most of the students managed to experience the myriad opportunities available to them.

A karaoke machine provided by HealingNewtown was a popular feature throughout the night, as a group of young female students belted out songs from the newest Disney animated film, Frozen.

Members of Newtown Juggling & Circus Arts Club taught eager young learners about their craft by sharing knowledge about circus arts and instructing them how to juggle.

Middle Gate Madness also offered elementary school students the chance to play games like the bean-bag toss, where successful throws were rewarded with a variety of prizes.

Extreme Martial Arts, led by Russ Moore and his two children, Julian and Alex, put their skills on display by performing on stage and by giving some individual demonstrations.

New England Bounce About had donated a bounce house for the event.

Dance Etc also put on six performances on stage over the course of the night. The age groups of dancers ranged from elementary school to high school students, and the rehearsed productions featured songs and ensembles.

Debbie DeBlasi was the MC for the event, coordinating stations and times.

During the event, food in the school’s cafeteria was provided by Romy’s BBQ and DOrazio Sister’s Bakery, along with some light refreshments. Holy Cow Ice Cream also sent its mascot, “Sprinkles the Cow,” to Middle Gate, along with ice cream. The cafeteria also contained a silent auction with various items for the event participants to bid on. Many of the gift baskets were summer themed, while some of the prize packs gave students the chance to have lunch with a favorite teacher, or even Middle Gate Principal Chris Geissler.

Activities were also held throughout the school in classrooms.

In one room, Ben’s Bells and EverWonder provided students the chance to build their own arts and crafts projects.

In another room, a Cakewalk game was offered. This game was reminiscent of musical chairs in that the participants walked around in a circle to the tune of a catchy song, but once the music stopped, all of the kids were to stop in their tracks and pick up the rubber circle under their respective feet. Each circle had a different number on the underside, and the child who had his or her number called out won a cake.

Cub Scout Pack 270 was also present at Middle Gate Madness, and they were recruiting new members for the upcoming year.

Therapy dogs and their kind owners were also walking around the hallways.

Newtown Police Department’s K-9 Officer Felicia Figol and Officer Matt Hayes put on a demonstration with the department’s German shepherd Saint Michael. The police dog showed off his skills by locating a fake drug hidden under one of the three traffic cones on stage and by obeying Officer Figol’s commands, spoken assertively in German.