We also have a popcorn machine and a cotton candy machine. We use one of the schools carts from the cafeteria to move it around when not in storage. We only use it for special partys and at our carnivals and dinners. What is really great about this is the dad's like to do this job. It does not take but maybe two people do do the cotton candy and one person to do the popcorn. Good idea if lots of people now how to clean and opererate.
Also a little word to the wise, everyone will want to borrow. We had some trouble with this. It wasn't being cleaned or put up where it belonged. Left out where kids were playing ball. Very scary. It is now privatly stored and only our ptc can use now. Sad and stingy, but safe.
We also have a popcorn machine it is a Echols Corn Popper Model 1408 Makes 12 oz at a time. We are a small school 200 kids and it is the perfect size for our events Carnival, Dance, Perfect attendance awards, incentive awards, etc. Cleaning it's not to bad. Hope this helps.
This is great information and I really appreciate the replies. Do you happen to know what size your machines are? (I gather it's based on the amount of popcorn kernals used per time.) I see there are 6, 8, 12, & 14 oz. There seem to be the most selections at the 8 oz and 12 oz sizes, so I'm guessing those are the most widely used.
Also, did you buy some sort of cart? I can see where it would be very handy to make this thing mobile. The cutesy popcorn carts seem to run $300-$500, but I was wondering if some sort of equipment cart wouldn't work as well.
We purchased our commercial popcorn machine two years ago and had planned to have weekly popcorn sales @ a quarter a bag...we have had many starts and stops due to lack of volunteers...currently we are up again!! The machine is pretty simple to use (there is a chance of getting burned with the kettle). We did find out we were cleaning it too much when we took it in for the bi-annual service and check, our distributor suggested that we clean it every three weeks because some of the screws on the kettle were rusting. The clean and check on our machine runs about 50-75 dollars and has to be done to keep our warranty up to date. We have modified our popcorn sales to be easier for us by making student class sheets that the teachers use in the morning to take a popcorn count (we limit the # of bags per student to two) and collect the quarters. We purchased big bags with handles and a zipper from the dollar store to deliver the popcorn to each class about ten minutes before the bell. We always pop about 30 extra bags for the kids who forgot or came late. We split half of the money made during each weeks sale with a randomly picked class room. One of our classes used their money to "adopt" a pet at the zoo, one used it to buy can food during our canned food drive...and some have bought classroom games. Popcorn sales are very easy to do if you have enough volunteers (as with every pto activity)...we have found if you have three teams of three volunteers it works great..that way no one has to do it every week...Good Luck:)
Every Friday we pop popcorn in the morning, put it in bags, tape them shut. We sell popcorn and jerky for .25 at lunch recess. We bring in anywhere from $30.00 to $50.00 a week. This is a elementary school, K-4th, with about 217 kids. This is a good thing. A bucket of soapy water, maybe a scouring pad on bottom of the pan is all you need. Takes maybe 15 minutes clean up time. I say go for it! Make sure you have many people who know how to make it!!
Do any of your schools or PTOs own a popcorn popper (one of the big - commercial ones)for use at events? If so, what has your experience been? Is it difficult to operate and clean? Is it worth it?
We have a snowcone machine that we use a lot and has been well worth the investment. Cleaning is pretty easy as it's just ice inside the machine. An adult volunteer can be trained and left alone with it in about 60 seconds. I wondered about the viability of buying a popcorn machine this Spring.
