A Day at the Carnival

It was a warm, bright and musical weekend on the grounds of St. Gregory the Great's Parish. The annual carnival, now celebrating its 20th year, was held from Friday night to Sunday afternoon at 94 Broadway in Harrison.

A DJ turned up the 'oldies but goodies', including "Under the Boardwalk," a sure crowd-pleaser. Harrison residents milled about the carnival, from the fair staple old-fashioned popcorn vendor, to the classic games of chance. Most of the attendees were children, who reveled in the lazy Sunday afternoon atmosphere, pulling their parents by the hand onto rides like the "Salt & Pepper Shaker" and to games like the Basketball Toss.

St. Gregory the Great is honoring its centennial anniversary (1911-2011), with the carnival ringing in the start of the planned festivities for the year. Food vendors were packed with home-cooked food, sending the sweet aroma of Italian specialties wafting through the air. Of course, there were carnival staples as well, such as hamburgers and hotdogs, fries and popcorn.

Tom Giorgi has worked at the St. Gregory's carnival nearly every year for the past twenty years. He manages this year's only adult gambling game, the Color Wheel and Vegas Strips.

"Since I've been coming almost every year," said Giorgi, leaning comfortably on the counter of his vendor's stand. "I've really gotten to know the layout of the carnival; it's always been a huge thing for the kids. This year we had a bigger turnout last night, but as for today, well, it's still early yet."

Carnival veterans like Giorgi welcome newcomers like Mike Luiso, who moved to Harrison this past December.

"This is my first year coming here," said Luiso. "We're really having a lot of fun - my kids are ecstatic. Our two-year-old is over there, with my wife, on that ride; this is the first time he's been able to go on anything. At amusement parks he's obviously too small, so he's very happy today. We're having a ball."

It seemed that the same could be said for the majority of children at the carnival this weekend. Little ones with huge grins clambered onto rides like "King Neptune", yelling to their brothers, sisters and friends on the ground below.

Parents gathered together in groups, watching their kids carefully as they talked about the perfect carnival weather and took swigs from their soda cans and water bottles. A few danced in their seats to the music, holding their babies and toddlers on their laps, bouncing along to the beat.

As the sun slowly drifted lower in the sky, more families groups of local middle and high school students trickled in. Many had walked over from home, leaving the surrounding streets relatively unblocked. 

One of the youngest vendors at the carnival Saturday, Joey Lagani, manned the Basketball Toss, offering welcoming smiles to passers-by.

"I'm in middle school right now, but I'm working here for Communion, doing some community service," he said. "Plus I get to be outside, at the carnival, so it's a good time."