NATCHEZ — As music from the nearby cakewalk competition played, a child held still as a cheerleader delicately painted on whiskers as part of his tiger face makeup.

Alexandra Person, 14, was one of several cheerleaders who came to Cathedral School Saturday to paint faces for the Fall Festival, a school fund-raiser.

“The cheerleaders do it every year,” Person said. “It’s kind of like a tradition.”

Person been attending Cathedral since she was 3, and remembers coming to the festival when she was younger. Last year she began face painting with the cheerleaders when she was still in middle school.

It’s also the second year for Paige Foster, 17, from the drill team, who shared the tent with the cheerleaders. Unlike the cheerleaders though, Fos-ter and the drill team did hair painting, spraying people’s hair with different colors.

“Kids enjoy having their hair colored I guess,” Foster said.

Like Person, Foster has been attending Cathedral since she was 3. Also like Per-son, Foster can remember coming to the festival as a child.

“When I was a kid, I would look forward to it every year,” Foster said.

Now though, both girls have phased into new roles. Rather than visiting the tents games, they’re helping run them.

“It’s weird working it now, because I used to play all the games,” Foster said.

But Foster said she doesn’t mind. Foster said she’s out-grown the games and is happy to help. Person, on the other hand, said she doesn’t find the experience unusual.

“Being here is fun, so it doesn’t really matter if I’m working or playing,” Person said.

Attending Fall Festival is a tradition Foster, a senior, is considering continuing even after she leaves Cathedral. Foster said she thinks she’ll come back after she graduates “to see my family and hang out with them here.”

Cathedral’s Fall Festival continues at 11 a.m. today with games running until 2 p.m. A turkey dinner will be available from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and bingo will run from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.