On April 22nd, we had a carnival for the residents and their families at Vintage Gardens.  This is the first time we have had a big event open to the public, since the beginning of the Covid pandemic.  What a joy it was to see everyone having a great time!

A line of families at the carnival. A line of families at the carnival. Children posing at a picture cutout of a circus scene.

There were many games to play such as a ring toss, basketball hoops, ducks in a pond, darts and balloons, and a bean bag toss.

Balloon dart game.

The activities team, Sylvia, Lupita, and Gail were dressed for the party and made sure everything ran smoothly.

Workers at the carnival posing with balloons in the background.

There were snow cones, cotton candy, corn dogs, and more to eat. The Boy Scouts, Troop 199, helped set up, donated treats, ran the basketball booth, and were a tremendous help with clean up.

Boy Scouts of America posing with balloons in the background. Workers putting up a banner for the carnival.

Grace and Art Sasaki and Grace and Patricia Torres set up and ran the Cake Walk.  We had so many baked goodies to give away as prizes.  Maura Miller and Faith Torres worked in the face painting booth.  Check out this cool tiger Faith painted!

A child receiving a face painting at the face paint table. Child with face painting.

Eileen Rodrigues, from Ardent Home Health, and her daughter set up the photo backdrop and their friend brought a pony for picture time.

A pony being directed by the owner for pony rides.

Later, Reptile Ron’s group came and let us pet their rescued snakes, lizards, and a huge bunny.

A lizard being petted by children. A snake being touched by onlookers.

Debra Fenton, from Bristol Hospice, was the queen of the cotton candy machine.

Children waiting for cotton candy.

Nadine and Norman Takeuchi worked in the prize booth.  Korio Masumoto helped with set-up, clean-up, and the ticket booth.  Thanks to brothers, Juan and Diego Ortega, who built our carnival booths and Floyd Green and Raul Villagran who cooked and manned the food court.

Image of chef prepping the food at the carnival. Two pitchers of drinks. Strawberry lemonade and traditional lemonade.

We greatly appreciate the hard work the Vintage staff and our great volunteers put into organizing and running this event!  We are so glad we could share our carnival with residents, family members, and friends.  We cannot wait for our next Carnival in 2024!

~ Maura Miller, CCNF Community Outreach Coordinator