There was magic in the air June 13 to 17 in Caernarvon Friendship Park as kids and grown ups alike strolled the ‘little town’s midway’ for the Morgantown Carnival.
The whirring of rides, some that could lift you high in the sky; food like sticky pink cotton candy; the sounds of live bands and entertainers; the thrilling colors and crackle of fireworks exploding in the darkness; it was all back, the ghost of “The Old Fireman Carnival” from the of the 70s and 80s was alive again.
Morgantown’s Pauly Whiteman, Jr., a third generation Morgantowner, was on the stage Friday night accepting a Thank You plaque from the 2017 Carnival Committee.
Whiteman, a Caernarvon Township Supervisor, had spent his boyhood summers anticipating weekends of fun meandering through the carnival midway. Now, chair of the carnival committee, again those boyhood memories were alive for a new generation with the help of Shannon Long, Vice Chair, and committee members Terri and Frank Payne, Roseann and Joe Thomas, Colt Grazioli and Jack Hess.
“Pauly spearheaded this event. He gives a lot of himself. We honor his dedication, his heart, sweat and tears,” said Long.
“It’s a fantastic thing for all of the community. Grandparents, Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, families and kids look forward to it; can’t wait for it. You see the same faces, a lot come every night,” said Long, “They come from all over, Reading, Hamburg, Honey Brook, Downingtown; they come all week long.”
One of the big draws was free admission to the grounds along with free parking and an adjacent large handicap lot. There are Mega Pass wristbands that offer unlimited rides for all five days or a Tuesday and Thursday night unlimited ride special.
“In the weeks leading up we were kept busy with the pre-sale of the Mega Pass at a $10 discount,” said Long.
Local vendors and food stands add to the community atmosphere.
The famous Mom Mom’s and Mimi’s Original Carnival Chicken Corn Noodle Soup was back for the third year and delicious.
Duke Fries said, “It’s the BEST booth on the Midway!! We sold out almost every night. It’s a family thing, our entire extended family pitches in including Duke and Don Fries, Rick and Mary Favinger, Terry McEwen, and Staci Miller and Michelle Elliott to benefit the Joe Favinger Scholarship Fund.”
Fire Chief Pete Hornberger was manning the Twin Valley Fire Department stand. Friday and Saturday nights the Northern Chester Fireman’s Association Safety Trailer, known as the Smoke House, showing a real live house with staged problems was on the field with the firemen giving out fire hats to the excited kids.
The Girl Scouts had a booth selling s’mores, water and snow cones and raffle tickets for a chance to win a fire pit with all the s’mores fixings. Delicious food stands of barbeques, French fries, fresh lemonade, ice cream, and all carnival foods that you can imagine peppered the fields.
Gary, Donna, Charlene and Kim were playful and in good spirits at the Morgantown Athletic Association Stand. “These are our field,” they said. “Lots of fun. Thursday and Friday nights were blockbusters.”
A car, truck and motorcycle shows, along with raffles, and tons of stuffed animals waiting to be won caught the eyes of the lookers before the week’s line up of entertainers. And shouts of “BINGO!!” were heard. Good old fashion bingo was hosted by! St. Benedict’s Knights of Columbus each night starting at 6 p.m. The Blood Mobile was on site Friday.
“Joe and I both worked the original carnival. Oh, there were a lot of chance games then to win prizes and even money and the cake game where you could win a cake” said Roseann Thomas who along with husband Joe are part of this year’s carnival committee for the 3rd year.
“When Pauly Whiteman decided to start it up again he asked several of us if we would help. And ‘Walla’ a carnival was up and running,” she added.
“Most of the stands are non-profit or food venders. Generally, most people come to see people they knew from years ago. The fact that it is free to get in, and free to park, makes it a wonderful place to spend an evening. The Pony rides by Creekside Stables are a popular thing and the ride passes have become very popular. If you’re going to be there all night or every night they are great. We had a very successful week with no rain,” said Thomas.
“Every year our goal is to make it bigger and better,” said Long, “We keep investing more in entertainment and people are coming out in droves to see what all the talk is about.”
Local Morgantown carnival fans strolling the midway, Amy Savanna and Andre Gilpin said, “We come every year and it is amazing. The fireworks get better each year. We love the fun house.”
Chris and Jamie from Robeson Township approaching the bandstand said, “We used to come to the Old Fireman’s Carnival back in the day. We are here tonight to hear our friend play in the band.”
Tuesday night Donnie Ortner and Kevin Schlegel kicked off the week’s live entertainment, followed Wednesday with the live band Forgiven.
On Thursday, they showcased the Twin Valley Youth Football league for an amazing season. Jeff Krick (award winning Elvis Tribute Artist) preformed Country and 50s music during the first set and then Elvis arrived. Friday night Nashville recording artist Chad Reinert wooed the crowd.
Saturday night wrapped up the week with A1 Entertainment’s Duke Fries presenting Morgantown Idol Karaoke, BMT Amherst (Live Band) followed by Johnny “Cash” Barnett performing live with the “Ring of Fire Band” and the grand finale fireworks.
Each night the crowds left humming and singing.
“The Committee would like to thank the vendors that came out and worked hard every night at their stands. This year’s non-profit organizations were Morgantown Athletic Association (MAA), Wounded Warrior Project, Twin Valley Girl Scouts, Twin Valley Midget Football, PA Strikers, Twin Valley Fire Department and Raffle, High Point Baptist Church, St. Benedict’s Knights of Columbus, Centershot Ministries, and Honey Brook Angels. Also, Bath Fitters, Tracie Giljam with LaLaRou, also Soggy Bottom Bar-B-Q, Cuz’s Soup, Jessica Steiner with Origami Owl, Brooke Guddat with Wildflower Artistry -Face Painting and Grace Siino for a food offering,” said Shannon Long and Terri Payne.”
Find them on Facebook – Morgantown Carnival or email morgantowncarnival@gmail.com.
