WELLS — The United South Central Education Foundation will host its annual The Price is Right fundraiser this weekend.

Activities will begin at 5 p.m. Saturday with food and raffle prizes in the commons area once the doors open.

Dairy Queen, one of the sponsors of the event, will have an ice cream sundae bar; the Wells Area Backpack Program will sell slices of pie and the USC Athletic Boosters Club will offer tacos in a bag. The concession stand will also be open and run by We are United.

During the pre-game period, USC Education Foundation member Dan Hart said those who would like a chance to participate on stage can register and get their name tags. This includes anyone from kindergarten age and up, as the age bracket of potential contestants have been expanded to include kindergarten through sixth-grade students, who can vie for cash prizes between $5 and $250.

Raffle items participants can purchase tickets for prizes including a 4-by-8-foot shed built by students in Doug Sahr’s construction class, a Makita 18-volt LXT Lithium-Ion seven-piece tool kit valued at $600 and two tickets to see “Newsies” at Chanhassen Dinner Theater, which stars USC alumni Joey Miller and Brett Pederson, among others. In addition to those prizes, there will be a second-chance raffle for all prizes not won during the onstage event.

The voice of USC sports, Jon Melby, will make a return as The Price is Right announcer while Clay and Sharyn Miller will emcee the show, which starts at 7 p.m.

Hart said Clay and Sharyn Miller were chosen due to Clay Miller’s role directing plays for over 30 years at USC, a position he recently retired from. Hart and others on the board felt it would be nice to reverse his role and put him on stage for a change.

“Clay is well-known throughout the community for his work with USC theater, and he’s a natural performer,” USC Education Foundation member Kirstyn Wegner said. “Sharyn is a teacher, so she’s also comfortable in front of a crowd. Together, they are a fun, engaging, hilarious couple. They’re a natural fit for this role. We are thrilled to have them on board.” 

The USC fundraiser will closely mimic the well known game show. Four contestants are called out of the audience to participate in the program. After hearing Melby’s call of “Come on down!” they race to the stage to bid on an item. The person who bids closest to the amount of the item without going over gets to play a game on stage. Eight games are played in total, leading to winners spinning the wheel to see who will play for the final showcase.

The Price is Right fundraiser, which is in its third year, is the foundation’s only fundraiser and typically brings in about $25,000 per year, Hart said.

The funds are used to help support educational programming at USC.

“We exist to enhance education when the traditional budget is lacking,” Wegner said. “We want to ensure that USC students get the best education possible, so teachers are able to come to us with requests for materials and experiences they might not otherwise be able to afford.”

The foundation reviews requests for funding from teachers every quarter that fall outside of the school’s budget. The funding requests list what the funding would be used for, how many students would benefit from those funds and how granting the funds would benefit those students.

“We cover things like supplemental materials and field trips,” Wegner said.

She said the group paid for an English class to see a Shakespeare play, funded materials for the robotics program and purchased new Kitchenaid mixers for the family and consumer science classroom. To support elementary students, the group purchased STEM centers for the kindergarten classes and an electronic reading curriculum for the third grade, among other donations.

Tickets for The Price is Right are on sale and may be purchased from foundation members or Easton State Bank in Easton, Farmers State Bank in Freeborn, First State Bank in Kiester, Farmers Trust & Savings in Bricelyn, Thrifty White Drug Store in Wells and the USC High School office.

Tickets are $10 purchased in advance for the event and $15 at the door.

For more information, visit the USC Education Foundation Facebook page.