ORANGE, Conn. (WTNH) – The Orange Volunteer Firefighters Carnival begins today. It is one of the oldest carnivals in the country and one of the largest of its kind in the area. This morning, crews were putting the finishing touches on the lap.
There is a lot to put together. For more than 90 years, the Carnival has grown and grown.
“It started as a small event in the town of Green many years ago, and has grown into one of the largest carnivals in the state,” said Chief Vaughn Dumas of the Orange Volunteer Fire Department.
Don Foyer has been the carnival chairman for the past 13 years.
“It takes a lot to make it happen everywhere, from parking the cars to cooking the food to doing the raffle all the way,” said Foyer.
They want it to continue growing because the carnival covers a third of the department’s annual budget.
“We have to generate our own revenue to operate and this is one of the events we have every year,” Dumas said. “So not only do they respond to fires, but they’re responsible for doing the fundraising for the department as well so we can continue to be successful.”
They had to drop 2020 because of the pandemic. It was only the third time in the history of the department that the carnival did not happen. Foyer says the others were due to World War II and a polio outbreak. This year, the big health concern is the heat.
“We are making sure all our staff are hydrated. We have a lot of water here for people,” Dumas explained. “We’re actually going to put in some misting fans for people to walk through to cool off.”
The carnival takes place on Thursday and Friday evenings, then on Saturday all day with fireworks and ends on Sunday. Entry is free. Travel and food cost money. Generations of good times are priceless.
“You know, one of the good things is seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces when they get off those rides and know they had such a good time,” Foyer said.
They say more people attended the carnival than ever before last year, and this year, they’ve already had more advance sales of travel wristbands than last year. So if you come, make sure you come early.
