Wackalaylee

What is wackalayee?  It is one of the most fun and anticipated games we play at Irish Fest.  It's when all the kids get to line up and take whacks at a giant, candy filled Piñata!!!

The Irish Fest kids club came up with the name.  We challenged them to think of a title that sounds both Irish and fun.  Someone told me they were thinking of the word shillelagh, which would be pronounced SHI-LAY-LEE in our tongue.  A shillelagh is an Irish club.  Since one needs a club to whack the piñata, the name evolved from there.  I like wackalaylee because it is a fun word to say, like how Larry likes the word blog.

There aren't many times when it is okay to take a swing at something...baseball, tennis, and maybe some other sports.  But, this is the only time when you get to wear a blindfold, spin around until dizzy, then take a swing at something...all for the bonus of candy!

These are what the wackalaylees look like this year...a crown for the High Kings of Ireland - it's almost a shame to break them open because they are so pretty, not quite a shame because I loooooove candy but almost!

We also make sure everyone who is participating gets a bag.  The moment the wackalaylee is broken you had better be ready to swoop in and get all the candy you can grab!  Grabbing the loot is half the fun!!!

Wackalaylee is run throughout the day.   We have scheduled time for the Wee Ones (ages 2-6) and scheduled times for the 7-12 Year olds, where the wacking gets fierce.    By the time the fest ends, we will have wacked 18 Wackalaylees. 

 

We have aprox 500 lbs of candy plus some surprises in each Wackalaylee, so look at the schedule of events and make sure you don't miss it! 

 

Good luck to all!!!!