Fairfield Rotary Club plans May carnival

FAIRFIELD – The Rotary Club of Fairfield will host a carnival this May that it hopes will draw 700 people.

The carnival will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 in Central Park. John Hanks, one of the Rotarians organizing the event, said that date was chosen because it doesn’t conflict with any other festivals in the area, and it’s late enough in the spring that the weather should be nice. He hopes the carnival can raise $8,000-$10,000, with money going to a designated project through the Fairfield Parks & Recreation Foundation.

The event will be a major undertaking, and Hanks said the club will need about 60 volunteers to pull it off. Rotary will be in charge of all the food and games. Patrons can fill their bellies with walking tacos, corn dogs, funnel cakes, popcorn and cotton candy. Adults and kids alike can enjoy activities such as a cake walk, bingo, raffle, 50-50 drawing and games such as cornhole, duck pond, ring toss, and balloon pop-and-drop courtesy of Soarin’ Soiree. There will be basketball hoops inside a wagon, face-painting, temporary tattoos, and a kiddie train courtesy of Community 1st Credit Union. One of the highlights to look forward to is a heated dunk tank featuring “local celebrities.”

To play these games and eat these tasty treats, Rotary will sell punch cards, where each punch costs $1, and a full punch card of 30 punches can be purchased for a discounted rate of $25.

“That’s like getting a free walking taco,” Hanks said about the discount.

Rotarian Beth Alonso, who is on the carnival planning committee, said the club wanted to revamp its spring fundraising drive. It has traditionally hosted a silent auction in April, but COVID put an end to that. Hanks said the club also wanted to do something that involved the whole family.

“We want to put the ‘fun’ into ‘fundraising’” he said.

Alonso said the silent auction was not an ideal event for children, and she wanted to do something both family-friendly and inexpensive that everyone could be a part of. Hanks was the one who suggested doing a carnival, and the committee proposed holding it in the spring so it would not compete with Kiwanis Kids’ Day in September. If all goes well, the club plans to make this an annual event.

The Rotarians hope that other service clubs will step up to volunteer, and they will reach out to high school students who need community service hours, too. Tony Baker of Sweet ‘n Saucy has agreed to be the carnival’s food service manager.

Rotary International has agreed to match the funds raised from the carnival, allowing the club to double its contribution to the Fairfield Parks & Recreation Foundation.

Members of the carnival planning committee are Beth Alonso, John Hanks, John Loin, Club President Dave Reiff, and Kent and Kathy Rice.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com