It was a toasty afternoon for those in attendance at the annual carnival June 5 at Solvang Elementary School. However, the heat didn’t seem to wither the enthusiasm of the throngs of carnival revelers.
Both parents and kids alike munched on tacos, a multitude of baked goods, and tried their luck at a series of games set up at various booths around the schoolyard.
“Looking around, seeing all the families, all the kids just having a great time, the teachers, it’s a real sense of community,” describes Kay Richmond in charge of publicity, of the event that is put on by the Solvang School Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). All the proceeds go to the PTO to help promote the improvement of education in the school in the form of better resources and more technologically advanced equipment that become a possibility as a result of the carnival.
“It’s enabled us to support and build a computer lab,” confirms Richmond. A substantial breeze and the presence of Santa Barbara County firemen supplying water hoses for kids to spray each other, was a big help in keeping the crowd comfortable. There was also a dunk tank, where they were given the opportunity to take a welcome plunge into the water as another source of relief.
The local folks were also entertained by a talented student band, and later in the afternoon by performers from the Santa Barbara Dance Institute showing off their latest moves from the recent opening of their show titled “Miguel and His Cell.” Kids also took advantage of a giant inflatable slide, careening downhill on their way to a thrilling ride.
Although the event’s major sponsors– Rob Rosenberry Physical Therapy, Nielsen’s Market and New Day Marketing – played a big role in the success of the event, it was the students, teachers and parents who made it go. Grades Kindergarten-6th each created their own booths where carnival goers could participate in events such as face-painting, tossing the baseball, and even going on a cakewalk. Parents and teachers helped run the booths and sell souvenir shirts, and one teacher even dressed up as Amy the Clown (teacher Amy Lovelace).
“It’s kind of more of a community outreach than a fundraiser,” explains Cindy Fredette, who has run the carnival the past two years with the support of parent volunteers. Many of the businesses in the area donate gifts for the booths, and for a silent auction, where prizes such as breakfast for two or an hour massage go to the highest hand-written bid on paper.
So, anybody who wants to become involved in the community and enjoy food, fun, and the possibility of bringing home a prize of two, should mark the Solvang School Carnival on the calendar as a start to a warm, entertaining summer.