Judging by the 320 hotdogs sold at Central School’s Family Fun Night, the event was a success.

Mary Ellen Meindl, first vice president of Central School Parent Teacher Association and mother of a second-grader, was in charge of organizing Friday’s event.

“I wanted to have an event that allowed people to really socialize and get to know each other and for the kids to have fun and be more active,” she said. “That was my goal.”

Meindl said about 400 people attended the event at the school.

The evening included food, carnival games, a disc jockey and a free hip-hop dance lesson courtesy of Riverside’s Principle Dance studio.

Meindl said a campaign launched at the beginning of this academic school year allows families to make donations and all the money stays within Central School to help fund events such as Family Fun Night.

“Our focus this year in the PTA is to do more fun and educational programs and focus less on fundraising because we don’t want to be taking up our time and volunteers’ time to raise money,” Meindl said.

Central School parent Kim Bolton said Family Fun Night really lived up to its name.

“Sometimes the events are geared toward either the parents or the kids and this actually had something for everybody,” Bolton said. “My husband and I were both talking to parents that we wouldn’t necessarily interact with.”

Meindl said the PTA has allowed her to become better acquainted with the school.

“It’s nice to be able to be involved in the school and feel like you’re making a difference,” Meindl said. “I’m in the school and feeling a part of it and I feel like I’m helping my son and all the other kids.”

As chairwoman of Central’s Family Fun Nights committee, Meindl will also plan an event for the school next spring.