It's Happening: Once Upon a Carnival
By Julie Perine on October 13, 2014 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
I didn’t play sports as a kid. And back in the 1960s and early '70s, there certainly weren’t any video games, cell phones or other cool personal electronics. What did we do for fun back in the old hood? We played games like tag and kick the can. We also held variety shows and backyard carnivals.
Looking back, the latter was definitely a highlight. Carnival time came at the end of summer – Labor Day weekend, in fact. The carnivals which our neighborhood organized were for 
“Jerry’s Kids,” victims of muscular dystrophy. Raising money for MD was a cause near and dear to our hearts because it had affected our friend Matt Hurley. Although Matt was in a wheelchair and couldn’t run and play, he had ambitions and dreams just like the other kids on the block. Most of us girls were just a few years younger than Matt and we wanted to raise some money toward a cure for his disease. Some of these carnivals – which at the time seemed to be a huge deal to us – were held in our front yard.
“Jerry’s Kids,” victims of muscular dystrophy. Raising money for MD was a cause near and dear to our hearts because it had affected our friend Matt Hurley. Although Matt was in a wheelchair and couldn’t run and play, he had ambitions and dreams just like the other kids on the block. Most of us girls were just a few years younger than Matt and we wanted to raise some money toward a cure for his disease. Some of these carnivals – which at the time seemed to be a huge deal to us – were held in our front yard.
These fun fairs were old school. We gathered glassware for nickel pitch and constructed the cardboard “fish pond,” complete with string for line and clothespins for hooks. We would blow up balloons for a dart throw and set up the blow-up wading pool and fill it with water and rubber ducks. There was also ring toss, face painting and, of course, clowns. Festivities were accented with bright colors, pinwheels and baked goods. Needless to say, this was a lot of work for our parents, yet they let us play hosts. It was all a bit magical and we managed to raise a couple hundred dollars a pop.
A generation later, it was carnival time again. This time, it was at Simpson Elementary School – where we had once gone to school and now our kids were students there. Many 
of the old games showed up, yet there was a bit of a trendy spin. We brought in real toilets and gave kids rolls of TP to throw in the bowl. The ‘80s and ‘90s came to colorful life with attractions like spin art and classroom aerobics. Major prizes were awarded via drawings. We’re talking bicycles, boomboxes – and Walkmans. Outside, there would sometimes be a dunk tank set up where teachers and city officials would take the plunge for the cause.
of the old games showed up, yet there was a bit of a trendy spin. We brought in real toilets and gave kids rolls of TP to throw in the bowl. The ‘80s and ‘90s came to colorful life with attractions like spin art and classroom aerobics. Major prizes were awarded via drawings. We’re talking bicycles, boomboxes – and Walkmans. Outside, there would sometimes be a dunk tank set up where teachers and city officials would take the plunge for the cause.
Here we are in 2014 and Bridgeport carnival fundraisers are alive and well. But they’ve come a long way. Held Saturday, this year’s Simpson Elementary Fall Festival featured a land of enchantment where characters from the Disney movie sensation “Frozen” came to life. The school hallways were transformed with sky blue draping, miniature white lights and foil icicles. Other areas received makeovers with glow in the dark, astronomy, pirate and Candy Land themes. It was all pretty amazing and plans are that a least part of the money raised will be used for upgrades to the school playground – where kids can run and play, promoting healthy lifestyles.
Following in the creative footsteps of former Fall Festival Chair Melinda Petroff is second-year organizer, Jenny Starkey Reed – who just happens to live in the very same house where my friend Matt Hurley lived some 40 plus years ago. I’m happy – and touched – that the old neighborhood still has the carnival spirit.
See scenes from Saturday’s spectacular fall festival at the link below.
Julie Perine can be reached at 304-848-7200 or julie@connect-bridgeport.com. Follow @JuliePerine on Twitter. More "It's" Happening HERE.
