NATCHEZ — Family fun and fundraising is the gist of Trinity Episcopal Day School’s annual Mayfair event today.

Events start at 9 a.m. with a carnival that will feature games, raffle baskets, a deli and a white elephant sale, Director of Development Betsy Mosby said.

Delecia Carey, head of the school, said preparing for the carnival is a collective effort.

“Each class sponsors one carnival game,” she said.

Each game booth has a Mayfair booth mother, who is in charge of not only decorating the booth but also staffing the booth with people to run the games and hand out tickets to children.

The carnival will last until 1 p.m.

From 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. after the kids are tucked into bed, parents can enjoy the Mayfair Mudbug Mania, the adult portion of the event.

This year, the school has added a new twist, a fundraising competition.

Four chefs are testing out their talents, creating crawfish dishes, such as crawfish poppers or a crawfish enchilada dip.

“We’re very excited,” Mosby said. “It’s something new and we hope everyone enjoys it.”

Those at the adult party can wander around sampling the four crawfish dishes and will give “tips” to whoever they believe prepared the best meal, Mosby said.

Each chef is sponsoring a different group in the school — the cheerleaders, the booster club, the golf club and the elementary science lab.

Money made by the chefs will be donated to the groups.

Crawfish is the main ingredient because there will also be a crawfish boil at the adult party and for those who love crawfish but don’t want to dirty up their hands can still enjoy the crustacean.

All event proceeds will be profits, since the supplies were donated as well.

“Area businesses have donated the crawfish, the liquor, it’s been a whole citywide effort, everyone has contributed,” Mosby said.

The Mayfair golf tournament, the third event in the Mayfair fundraiser, will be until May 9.

Carey said the golf tournament is enjoyed by the entire community.

“It’s a way to get members of the community that might not be directly affiliated with the school but enjoy playing in those events to help the school,” she said.

All of the money raised from Mayfair goes into the annual fund.

“Altogether when you add all the events of Mayfair, the carnival, the adult party, the golf tournament, it’s our largest fundraiser,” Carey said.

But at the same time, it’s not strictly a fundraiser.

“It’s an activity we plan not just to be something wonderful for our school community; but for our whole community it’s something fun and to celebrate the spring,” Carey said.

Carey said Mayfair is a good activity for the school.

“When you’re at a school you have to think about fundraising as something that enhances the school culture, not just bring in bucks,” she said. “So when we do events like Mayfair or the alumni flag football tournament, or any of the other events like that, it’s a lot more than raising money; it’s tradition; it’s school spirit.”