Community members, parents, coaches, fans and volunteers that support the Portage High School Athletic Department gathered on Saturday night for an evening of socializing, laughter and fun, all in support of Indians’ athletics. This marked the fourth annual Cabin Fever fundraising event at Woodland Park.
The generosity of the parents working behind the scenes is an important factor in PHS successfully running 22 athletic programs. Many of the parents who put in countless hours throughout the year helped make Cabin Fever a success.
“It went really well,” Athletic Director Kelly Bermes said. “There were quite a few people again. Every table was full.”
Bermes has been involved in Cabin Fever since its inception, but this was her first year running the event since taking over as Athletic Director last spring.
Popular auction items this year included a basketball Pop-A-Shot game and signed footballs, one of which was inked by Keith Van Horn of the 1985 Chicago Bears.
Bermes said she was assisted by 20 great committee members to lead the orchestration of Cabin Fever. Among those were Edna Elwood, Glenda Dixon, Barb and Cindy Simmons, Vanessa Ellis, Lisa Kizer and Jennifer Donohue. This group was instrumental in collecting donations for the event.
“You get to see the parents outside of the school house and that is nice,” Bermes said. “It’s amazing how many people we see all year long and those are the people that come back. I had quite a few coaches bring all their staff and all their key people.”
The money raised from the event goes toward big ticket items. Bermes will confer with the varsity coaches to determine what to purchase with this year’s proceeds. Last year, money raised at Cabin Fever helped cover the costs of basketball shooting machines, swimming pool lane ropes and new weight equipment. In addition, the Athletic Department upgraded signage in the wrestling room and put some money away for an emergency or an unbudgeted item.
“I just want to thank the community because they just came together to support athletics again,” Bermes said. “Lots of community people attended and it’s just wonderful.”