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Saturday night’s Island Derby, held at the beautiful Henell Estate on Mimosa Court in Marco Island brought out less people and less funds than last year, but the fun for everyone who did come out seemed to top the charts.

Karen Nettles, PTO president at Tommie Barfield Elementary, says the fundraiser, held to raise money for student field trips and other necessary supplies, may have taken a hit due to other functions taking place the same night.

“We made over $11,000 for the PTO. We had a good turnout. I think last year we made $16,000, but at that time we had twice as many people able to attend. Some people told me Lely’s homecoming interfered, so they couldn’t get a teenager to babysit for the evening. We’d always like to make more each year, but I think business has been slower and people spent what they could spend. We just have to be thankful for everything we got,” Nettles explains.

Saturday night’s social gathering, which was open to the public, offered chances to place funny money on pre-recorded horse races. Luxury trips, gift cards, fine art and other silent auction items were up for grabs as people enjoyed cocktails, hors d’ oeuvres and socializing with fellow Islanders. Deneen Rose, who just moved to the island in June, has a second grader at Tommie Barfield. She believes the Island Derby is the best thing that the PTO could do.

“Everybody’s all together, you’re meeting different people. It’s really, really nice. They did a great job. I didn’t know they would have this many people coming out, giving up a night, and doing it for the children,” says Rose. “It’s beautiful. You get to meet everybody. When you come from a different state, you don’t really branch out. You have your neighbors, you have your kids in school. At Island Derby, you find you do have something in common with somebody else. And everyone’s involved. It’s not just people giving, it’s fun! I think they should continue this on. This is great.”

Fun or no fun, according to Tommie Barfield PTO, there’s a chance that this year may have been the last for the event.

“We heard that the county is going to have stricter rules on fundraising events and gambling and that sort of thing. Island Derby may be effected,” says Nettles.

With the future of Island Derby up in the air, parents, teachers and students have no choice but to look to the future, counting on other fundraisers such as “Spooktacular,” coming up Oct. 27 at Mackle Park and next year’s Walkathon, to help students raise much needed funds.

“I am on the PTO and I’m doing the Spooktacular too,” explains Pegi Morris, during Saturday night’s Island Derby. “I think the most exciting part of these events is people getting together and having fun. Everyone’s here for Tommie Barfield. It’s for the kids.”

For more information or to volunteer for “Spooktacular,” call the City of Marco Island Parks and Recreation at 642-0575.