Chris Herbert | The Valdosta Daily TimesBook bags colors ranged from each end of the spectrum. VCS Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason said he would pick a black or gold if he was a student. 

VALDOSTA — A line of cars stretched from North Lee Street to North Ashley Street Saturday morning. 

The kind of drive-through line usually reserved for fast-food takeout but people queued up for book bags and pencils instead of chicken and dirty rice. 

The City of Valdosta held its Fourth Annual Back to School Bash for families to pick up supplies for their kids as the school year approaches. The event, like seemingly everything in 2020, operated differently from its predecessors.

The past three years, families would flock to Drexel Park and students would receive customized school supplies, but due to COVID-19 concerns, a drive-through setup at the Valdosta City Hall Annex was installed and more than 1,200 book bags were packed with the same items. 

The book bags were filled with the school essentials called “the 20-item pack,” Vanassa Flucas, Valdosta director of neighborhood development and event organizer. The pack included pencils, pens, a ruler, glue stick and more to cover all the bases for students ranging from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade.

“We just wanted to the get bags out to (students) and put some school supplies in them because we don’t even know if they’re going back virtually or face-to-face this year,” she said. “But we wanted to make sure they had something.” 

That little something was appreciated by Cedric Small. The 62-year-old retiree had three kids in his car: a seventh grader, an eighth grader and pre-K student. Volunteers checked his name and brought out three book bags.

“My pockets feel a lot better,” he joked.

Small said all three students will “definitely” be doing virtual learning.

“I think it’s the safest way because if one kids gets it at school and brings it home to the family, that’s not cool,” he said.

Even though his kids will learn from afar, he said their excitement is palpable.

“Man, they’re more than excited. My kids love school,” Small said with a laugh. “I never did.”

Valdosta City Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Cason was on hand to watch families drive by and pick up their supplies. He noticed the same look Small did from his kids.

“When I look at the faces of the kids and the parents, you can see the excitement about school. Most kids I think are ready to come back to school in some form or fashion — either virtual or in-person,” he said. “Just the excitement, the opportunity to see the children, and them having the opportunity to say ‘hey I’m getting my book bag. I’m getting school clothes,” just puts them back into some sense of normalcy right here before school starts.”

Dee Strohl, 61, described her children’s experience with the pandemic saying “it’s been rough,” but she said the morning felt a little more normal to her kids. As for going back to school, her kids are “stressed” about it, she said.

Students and families still have more than a month to prepare and stock up on back-to-school gear before students head back to Valdosta City Schools Sept. 8. 

Cason saw the rainbow of color options for book bags being handed out that morning and said there were only two colors he would select.

“You know it’s got to be black or gold now,” he said, referring to the Wildcat colors.