PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Many Southeast Texas school districts returned to school Wednesday following the holiday break.
One Port Arthur woman was caught by surprise when she saw a man dressed in a colorful pterodactyl costume nearby Port Acres Elementary.
Roxxy Bennet then shared the images to Facebook.
The man behind the inflatable is Blake Alling, who is a Senior Pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Port Acres, a subdivision of Port Arthur.
According to the Calvary Baptist Church website, Alling has been their Senior Pastor since December 2018. He has been a pastor for over 20 years, serving in Utah, Kansas and Texas.
Alling says this is the 2nd time he's done this, and he wants to continue dressing up and greeting children randomly throughout the school year.
He likes to have fun with it, and aims to bring some happiness to the community children.
"I felt that there was so much negativity in our children's lives and going back to school has been scary for some and brought anxiety for others, so it's just a way to bring some joy and maybe relax them before the day starts," he said.
Not only did this cheer up the kids, but adults got a good kick out of it, too.
"A lot of adults that are on their way to work like it too. It's a win win," Alling said.
