Word of Life Church hosts FREE Community Carnival Memorial Day Weekend
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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
This Saturday marks the fourth annual Free Community Carnival at Word of Life Church. The event has previously taken place at the end of summer, but was bumped up to Memorial Day weekend after the church changed to a new carnival company.
The event will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2016 from 11:00 am through 2:00 pm.
Why the change? The ride company that the church was previously using is going through a transition and was unable to ensure their availability. Instead of putting the beloved community event on hiatus for a year, the church managed to locate an Oklahoma City based company that only had the one day available. Instead of looking at the change as an inconvenience, the church is counting it as a blessing and an opportunity to improve the experience for everyone.
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"We feel Memorial Day weekend is a great time to do it since it's the first holiday of summer. Many families are looking for something to do, so why not a free carnival!" said Senior Pastor Chad Stewart. The temperature difference will also be a big improvement. The carnival volunteers have often had to work in 90+ degree temperatures in August, so the move to May will make it far more enjoyable both for the workers and the guests.
The current forecast shows a 50% chance of rain Saturday morning that should taper off by the time the carnival begins. The potential rain should keep the temperature below 80 till after the event is over.
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This year the carnival will have seven rides: 3-4 large rides and 3-4 smaller rides for the little kids, in addition to games, inflatables, and other activities. As always, the church will be offering free hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones, and lemonade. There will also be food and game trucks associated with the ride company, Sam's Amusements & Carnivals. These additional options won't be free, but will provide an even more authentic carnival feel than in previous years. Sandlot Sno-Balls will be providing free shaved ice during the event.
Like last year, parking will be located at the old K-Mart building on Charles Page Boulevard, as well as Northwoods Fine Arts Academy, and free shuttling will be provided.
On Sunday morning the church will be giving away $5,000 to bless guests at their 9:00 and 11:00 AM services. Each service will have five winners of $500 each.
