ARLINGTON — Third-grader Nikole Christian’s favorite part of the Kent Prairie Elementary Kiddies’ Carnival was the “troll bridge,” as she took aim at the tufted-hair plastic creatures with a Nerf crossbow March 6.

Nikole had a bit better aim than her kindergarten sister Autumn, who preferred the bouncy house in the school cafeteria, but they still had as much fun as their father Caji.

“The kids get to talk to their friends and have fun, but for us, it’s fun to see how much extra effort the school puts into this,” Caji Christian said.

The Christians’ experience was echoed by many other families, including that of Christi Angelshaug, who took her two daughters, Khloey and Ryli Marshall, and her father, Randy Angelshaug, to the carnival.

While second-grader Khloey favored the cake walk, first-grader Ryli enjoyed the clowns the most.

“I just like watching my granddaughters have fun,” Randy Angelshaug said.

Christi Angelshaug replied: “I like watching the girls have fun with their grandpa.”

Fifth-grader Makenna Perdue found the cake walk surprisingly difficult, since it took her 12 times to win, while Steve Buckel and his third-grade son, Michael, voiced equal enthusiasm for the troll bridge.

“Shooting the trolls was pretty cool,” said Steve Buckel, who wished he was still small enough to try out the bouncy house. “The decorations alone are phenomenal. An awesome amount of work went into this event.”

Sydney Costello, treasurer and co-chairwoman of the carnival, agreed with Buckel that the “Wizard of Oz” themed decorations were crowd-pleasers, and confirmed Snohomish Council Councilman Ken Klein’s perception that “this place is more packed than I’ve ever seen it.”

Costello estimated the carnival drew as many as 1,000 attendees, and generated around $4,000 for the school PTA, mostly through the silent auction and food sales.

“It was a really popular theme, and the kids got excited about decorating the school,” Costello said. “Parents loved seeing the school principal and staff join in. When the librarian is serving nachos and the teachers are taking tickets for games, you see how dedicated they are to this school. It’s a great community spirit builder.”

Costello explained that the carnival proceeds are spent on student enrichment programs ranging from field trips to technology including iPads and electronic whiteboards.