Each year, in early June the carnival comes to town and brings with it the sights, sounds and smells of a fun filled week. The Spencerport Volunteer Firemen’s Association relies heavily on this event as one of our largest and most important fundraisers. As town and village residents ourselves, we are very aware of the parking difficulties, the noise associated with the carnival and the increase in traffic that occurs over the four days we are up and running. We could not be more appreciative of our community’s continued generous support and understanding. We spend months preparing for the carnival and the funds raised during this event are used to help us maintain our 100 percent volunteer department. Thank you for your continued support.
We must also acknowledge some difficulties that occurred on Saturday, our busiest day of the carnival. Three times during the day, the generator used to power many of the attractions failed, due to mechanical problems. The ride vendor, Hammerl Amusements, worked feverishly to correct the issue, but each time it was a short-lived fix. Ultimately, in the early evening hours on Saturday, the rides came to a halt and the generator could not be restarted. As a result, our guests were not able to enjoy the experience that they had paid for. We would like to emphasize that all the rides undergo rigorous inspection from the state and all rides had been deemed safe. Safety is our first priority, and we are pleased to report that no patrons were hurt during the power loss. Although the Firemen’s Association has no control over the rides and support equipment used by the amusement company, we felt it was necessary and appropriate to work with Hammerl Amusements and offer refunds to guests that purchased tickets and wristbands, but could not use them due to the shutdown.
We are announcing that both Hammerl Amusements and the Firemen’s Association were able to refund over $8,000 to guests. Additionally, Hammerl Amusements reimbursed the Firemen’s Association, in full, for refunds that were distributed by the Association to guests on the day after the carnival.
No amount of money can replace the reputation that we have built in this community and we appreciate Hammerl’s partnership in rectifying this difficult situation. The volunteers, directors and members of the Firemen’s Association appreciate very much your kind understanding and we certainly regret the inconvenience and disappointment that was created. We are looking forward to hosting a carnival next year, and we hope that you come back and join us.
We are here for you, 24 hours a day, every day. And we appreciate you being here for us. Thank you.
Jason Rampello
President, Spencerport Firemen’s Association
