Amid the festivity was a long, yellow fire engine from the Glendale Fire Department — a tool that would be used for the night's main event.
As children and adults alike gathered in a circle, the engine raised its 60-foot ladder, with one fireman up top, and began the egg-drop contest.
About 90 children submitted eggs for the contest.
They were wrapped in protective shields of each student's own creation, then dropped from the ladder.
"The goal is to keep [the egg] from breaking," Card said.
Among the entries were an egg tucked in a mannequin head and an egg stuffed inside a watermelon.
Fire Capt. John Preston emceed the event as the group watched intently to see which eggs would survive.
"It's nice that the school does this … having families spend the night and having the egg drop," he said.
As the night grew darker, children could be seen wearing glow-in-the-dark necklaces — a fundraising attempt from the school's sixth-grade class.
"I think its my favorite act this year, and it's even better with the campout," sixth-grader Nick Welsh said.
In prior years, the egg drop was held in the spring , but school officials decided to move it to coincide with the campout for an event to unite the community at the beginning of the year.
"Families come together here to celebrate," PTA President Deanna Kilgour said.
"It's an event designed to let families get to know each other and the staff outside of the classroom.
After all the eggs hit the ground, the Fire Department distributed awards for "best engineered" and "smallest egg" package, as well as "most unique."
"My favorite part is seeing packages fall and seeing how they look," sixth-grader Sam Clark said.
