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Hamlin carnival offers many changes
Everyone is invited and each person will find something to do at this year's Hamlin Carnival. "We try to think of everyone," Mike Ross, Fire Department president said. This year's carnival will be bumped back a day to run Thursday, August 11 to Sunday, August 14. "Wednesday has always been a slow day," Ross said. "We're hoping everyone will join us for lunch after church on Sunday." The carnival will run: Thursday from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.; Friday from 6 p.m. to midnight; Saturday from noon to midnight; and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. This year's carnival is packed with events for all ages. The Kiddie Parade is Thursday at 6:30 p.m. and the Grand Parade kicks off Friday at 7 p.m. Almost 20 fire departments from all over Monroe, Orleans and Genesee Counties will participate. In addition to the parades, Saturday will feature a horseshoe tournament starting at 11 a.m., a chicken barbecue, and fireworks at 11 p.m. Sunday will feature a car show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $5 per car and DJ Ed Evans will be providing music. "If the weather holds I can almost guarantee 200 cars," Ross said. Friday and Saturday night there will be live bands in the refreshment tent. "Second Nature," and "7th Heaven" both start at 9 p.m. Hamlin's carnival also has a unique feature called the event tent. It is located in the midway and provides free entertainment and a place to sit all day long. It was designed to provide the senior community with an alternative to the beer tent. For the first time the carnival will offer the opportunity to pay one price for rides. The cost is $15 and there is a coupon available for $2 off. There is also an advanced sale rate available in the Town Clerk's office or on the web site at www.hamlinfire.com. The Hamlin Carnival is the last firemen's carnival of the year in this area and Ross said he is hoping that everyone will find it to be the best. The carnival should be the biggest show in Hamlin. Ross said the fire department has tried to better publicize the carnival the past few years. One way has been to advertise with Entercom Radio. "It pays to advertise," Ross said. The Hamlin Carnival's attendance has grown by 40 percent over the last two years. Ross said he is hoping that by shifting the days back, attendance will climb even further. In the past, Ross estimates the carnival has welcomed between 6,000 and 10,000 guests annually. The carnival is clearly the most significant fundraiser that the department does. Revenues from the carnival make up 70 percent of the department's budget. If he didn't know a lot about carnivals before, Ross surely does now. While deciding on a new company to work with for this year's event, Ross drove 3,000 miles to visit nine firemen's carnivals and five county fairs. This year the fire department will partner with Midways of Utica. Ross said he was impressed with the recommendations they received and with the company's attention to detail. Big festival equals big traffic |