If you’ve got a little one whose been saving their pennies it’s more than they’ll need at Friday’s City of Santa Paula 41st Annual Penny Carnival where small change will buy a lot.
The carnival remains one of the best bargains in town and is the traditional way for the Community Services Department to wind up its seven-week Summer Camp program. The Penny Carnival will be held Friday, August 10 from noon to 3 p.m. at the Community Center, located at the corner of West Main an Steckel streets (just west and across the street from Glen City School).
Carnival games cost 5 to 10 cents each; the prizes are tickets that the kids can later redeem for prizes. Of course with school just around the corner, prizes include school supplies for the kids that also help parents with back-to-school needs.
The seven-week City of Santa Paula Summer Camp program provides the children with a full day of activities, including sports, arts, crafts and special activities such as field trips. Hundred of Santa Paula children attend the camp - there are two locations - every summer.
The Penny Carnival is fun for camp staff as well as the kids: the former start setting up early to provide games such as bowling, bean bag toss, soft darts, a dunking booth, lollipop tree, and more, as well as plan the games that will be played during the three-hour event.
Past events have included a High Jolly Slide and fingernail-painting booth where the little girls can go all grown up with some shiny polish to show off to their friends. There will be clowns, snow cones and food; all proceeds from the Penny Carnival - the best bargain in town - will benefit the Summer Camp program.
Nicole Sliger of the Recreation Department said, “Our Summer Camp had over 120 participants this year,” with field trips taking the excited kids to Skating Plus, Arroyo Verde, Sky High, Pump it up, and Magic Mountain. “Our Wednesday consisted of special events and Thursdays we had sports competitions held at Ebell Park,” where city camp kids competed against members of the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley.
Acting Recreation Director Ed Mount said the annual Penny Carnival is “a tradition, and it’s always enjoyable to see how the kids bring all their savings, their pennies, nickels and quarters,” knowing “they’re going to have fun every year.“ Up to 500 kids attend the Penny Carnival: “We have kids 3 all the way up to adults that even come” without children of their own.
Mount said, “I saw a couple last year - they came as a date, they were about 20 years old - it was fun to watch! Plus, they had fun when they were kids and came to the Penny Carnival.”
