Fundraising Fun

It's as synonymous with summer as beaches and barbecues.

For many, no summer would be complete without the magic and fun of a local carnival.

For three decades, St. Rose of Lima Church has filled the bill with their annual street fair, which wrapped up this past weekend. Once again families flocked to the church parking lot to experience the games, rides, and excitement.

A huge variety of breath-taking rides were available to quicken the pulse, many of them well-known staples of the carnival scene: the Ferris Wheel, Merry-Go-Round, and spinning Gravitron were all present and accounted for, along with more unconventional attractions such as a rock-climbing wall, the pendulum-like Pharaoh’s Fury, and a contraption known as The Zipper, which seemed to be sending its screaming occupants in almost every direction at once.

"I can't get Tom off the Gravitron," said Jane Marchisota of North Massapequa, of her son's favorite attraction. "It's the only ride he wants to go on, and he's doing it over and over. I just know I'm going to end up having to carry him home."

"My favorite ride, hands-down, is the The Zipper," said Mark Sands of Connecticut, who was in the area visiting local friends. "If a ride almost makes me throw up, it's okay in my book."

For the younger crowd or the less adventurous, there were many lower-key rides to choose from as well, such as a miniature figure-eight roller-coaster.

No carnival would be complete without the opportunity to win stuffed animals playing games of skill, and among the activities present were dart throwing, cork gun shooting, ring tossing, whack-a-mole, basketball shots, and water gun competitions. You could even step up to the pitching rubber like Nolan Ryan and have your fastball professionally clocked.

"I was here with the kids most of last weekend, and we're back tonight," said John Rohloff, who lives within walking distance of the Fair. "I promised my daughter I'd win that giant stuffed banana there, and I'm not going to let her down."

The carnival, which has been held for the last 30 years, is a fundraiser for St. Rose of Lima's school. St. Rose's school board president Barbara Hillin, who was running the hospitality tent, thought the event was a huge success.

"All the money we make from the carnival goes to the school's operating budget, which is a quarter of a million dollars," she said. "The carnival brings in about $125,000, and that goes directly to our budget. That's huge. Without it, we couldn't get by."

A three piece band, "Local 12," provided a musical backdrop for the evening's festivities, playing classic rock selections for carnival-goers. 

Margy Kircher who was in charge of the fair, credited volunteers for making it work. 

"Almost the entire event is staffed by school parents or parishioners who generously volunteer their time," she said. "That's why it's so successful- we don't have to pay to staff it."

Kircher said the event is important, not only to St. Rose of Lima, but to the people of Massapequa as well.

"We feel that its a community event. It's the major fundraiser for the school, sure, but we also feel that it pulls the families of the community together."