The scent of cotton candy wafted through the air and sounds of children squealing with delight could be heard all across the Cabrillo Middle School campus when school hosted its annual Cabrillo Carnival April 25-27.
ldquo;The carnival is the school’s biggest fundraiser, bringing in between $3,000 and $6,000 each year, depending on the weather’s effect on the attendance,” said Principal Stan Garber. “Most of the money is used to buy each Cabrillo student a Time Tracker, an academic calendar/school planner. The remainder of the money is used to pay for the school’s Multi-Cultural Day, field trips and other student activities.”
Carnival goers were able to sail down a giant 35 foot high “super” slide, twirl themselves on spinning teacups, enjoy a relaxing ride on the carousel or Ferris wheel, and find themselves head-over-heels on two rides geared toward adventure seekers.
There were also plenty of games and activities to keep kids and adults entertained for hours on end. A father tried to win a stuffed toy for his child by tossing a ring around a rubber duck, a boyfriend tried to win his best girl a prize by knocking down milk bottles, and two friends giggled their way through the maze of people to find themselves in front of the fun house.
“I wanted to come [to the carnival] with my friend,” said Anjelyna Chacon, a sixth grader at Cabrillo. “We played games and we got food. We played this one where you have to hit it and get it in these baskets to win prizes … I won a monkey and [my friend] won an elephant … People should go next year if they have time because it’s actually pretty fun.”
Over 1,200 all-day wristbands were sold in addition to individual tickets that were purchased at the event. It is estimated that over 2,000 people attended the carnival, which has been put on by Butler Amusements since 1992.
“The neon lights flashing from the Tornado, the Freak-Out and the Ring-Of-Fire draw motorists from the San Tomas Expressway into Cabrillo’s Carnival, but it’s the neighborhood kids who love it most,” said Garber.