Small Carnival Comes to Danbury

Eclipse N. Dutcher, Staff Writer

During the week of April break, from April 20-24, there was a carnival that came to Danbury, and was located at the parking lot of Floor and Decor, which is next to the Home Depot off exit 7. Hundreds of people attended each day, which was made clear by the traffic on the highway during these days, usually in the afternoon and evening, which was when most of the people attended the carnival. 

On April 22, from 6 to 9:30 pm, the carnival was especially busy. The lines to get the tickets were long and it took up to 30 minutes for people standing in line to buy a ticket. This may have been due to the ticket sales being extremely misleading, saying that one ticket was $1.50, but a wristband was $25.00. Multiple people in line complained that they thought the tickets were admission tickets, but in reality it took up to five tickets to go on a single ride only once. Although the carnival was aimed mostly at families with young children, lots of teenagers came, sometimes bringing their younger siblings with them, too. 

The rides included a ferris wheel, multiple rides that included swinging the riders in a circle, as well as a centrifuge ride called Scat, which spun people so fast it was possible to climb up the walls while it was moving. The rides had extremely long lines, so it was difficult to go on the same ride twice. There were also rides meant specifically for young children, such as spinning teacups which you could sit in, but the lines for these rides were much shorter. 

Besides rides, the carnival offered games, such as ring toss and throwing objects at a target to win prizes. The prizes included stuffed animals and dolls, as well as gigantic bouncy balls with designs on them such as the eyes and mouth of a cartoon alien.

Finally, the carnival had multiple food stands to offer, including fried dough, popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones, and two types of lemonade: strawberry and regular. According to multiple sources – several teeangers who would like to remain anonymous – the food was “overpriced and mediocre”, but at the same time “a good reason to spend money.” Some kids noted that there were different types of toppings for the fried dough, including tomato sauce,  grated cheese and powdered sugar which were self-serve, and some people mixed the last two up, which was a comedic sight to witness. 

All in all, the carnival offered a fun addition to April break and was a source of cheer for both adults and children alike.