Celebrating 100 years known collectively as Carle Place, the community turned out to show off their close-knit pride as the Carle Place Carnival kicked off its festivities on Memorial Day Weekend.
Presented by the Carle Place Civic Association and held on the grounds of the high school from Friday, May 22 to Sunday, May 24, the event combined food, rides and good old-fashioned family fun for people of all ages for Carle Place residents, or even just those with a little Carle Place spirit in their hearts, according to local Anne Munchen, who was present with her husband and two children.
“It gives me a really warm feeling to see all these people turning out to ring in our 100th anniversary as a community,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where they’re from, either locals or just people looking to have a good time. Having all these people coming to the carnival that’s celebrating such a special occasion is a great thing.”
The Carle Place Civic Association and a 100-year anniversary celebration committee spent the last two years organizing the anniversary festivities, which kicked off in March with a party at Mannings Pub and Grill, an event that drew almost 3,000 attendees.
“Carle Place has a rich tradition and it’s a close knit community. Given that its the 100th year of Carle Place being known as Carle Place, we felt it was suitable to throw a grand celebration,” said Carle Place Civic Association president John Hommel prior to the festivities.
Dreamland Amusements, a traveling family-owned and operated company that puts on carnivals up and down the East Coast of the United States throughout the year, provided the heart-stopping rides and games of skill and chance for attendees to enjoy during the festival. Jaclyn Destefano, manager of the carnival and the daughter of Dreamland Amusements’ owner, said that this particular occasion was an especially big deal to the company. After all, it’s not every day that you help a community mark the occasion of a full century of existence.
“We’re celebrating the 100th anniversary of Carle Place,” she said. “The civic association reached out to us, and they wanted rides and games…they wanted it to be very festive for people of Carle Place and to make sure that they had a good kick off to their anniversary and Memorial Day Weekend.”
The Carle Place Carnival was indeed a grandiose affair. It boasted about 20 different rides ranging from small rides for toddlers, family rides where parents and children can ride together, and more spectacular rides for those thrill-seeking types seeking a real adrenaline rush. In addition, about 15 game and food booths ensured that there was pretty much something for everyone, and when attendees needed a breather, live musical performances gave them a chance to sit down and enjoy the warm days of early summer before heading back into the noise and bright lights of the carnival once again.
Each of the four nights of the carnival was themed. On Friday, it was a “Go Frogs Night” that featured the live musical and dance performances of Carle Place students; on Saturday was a lavish fireworks spectacle; Sunday was “Alumni Night.” Monday celebrated veterans of the community with the annual Memorial Day parade.
Happily wandering among the crowds at the carnival was Thomas Hodges, along with his wife and daughter, who were just celebrating a big win at the basketball free-throw game. After having won a large cuddly plush toy, they planned to celebrate with a few fried Oreo cookies before taking on the Ferris Wheel, he said.
“We don’t normally allow our daughter to eat batter-dipped, fried cookies, but it’s not every day that the town you live in turns 100, so why not splurge?” he said. “We always love a good carnival. There’s no better way to kick off the summer season. It takes me back to my childhood, and I love that I get to share that feeling with my daughter now, especially on such an occasion as Carle Place’s 100th birthday.”
