HI MIDad,
That's a good question. It is not uncommon for groups to hold adults-only events offsite and serve alcohol. What we typically see with this type of event is organizers spell out what kind of event it is and so it's a choice. What we typically hear is it's a nice way for parents to connect in a casual, relaxed atmosphere. That said, we hear about just as many non-alcohol events that work just as well in giving parents a casual way to connect. I think it comes down to PTO leaders understanding their community and providing appropriate events.
I have been reading about all the fund raisers that we all brain storm to come up with without overloading our parents, but I have yet to see anybody post they do a Night at the Races. We rent DVD's of horse races from a company. We usually do 10 races at ours. We sell the 100 horses for $10.00 each and the "owner" get to name the horse. If your horse wins you win $50.00. If you have enough participation you can sell the races 2 or more times. We print up a program listing the names of the horses and their owners and give them out that night. We charge a $5.00 admission charge. This usually more that covers the cost of renting the DVD's. We sell beer and wine along with "snack" foods - roast beef sandwiches, pizza, hot dogs, tacos etc - and allow people to BYOB themselves. We try to get local businesses to donate the beer and most of the food, when possible including parents who will usually make salads or desserts. People bet on the races just as if they are at the track and winners are paid based on the odds which are announced prior to evey race. Even if you only sell each horse once you make a $500 profit. We are a small school but have made up to $5,000.00 at these events and it is always a good time.
