Manchester resident Sarah Gilmore replaces light bulbs in a game stand in the main arena of the Ingham County Fairgrounds for the winter carnival being held today through Sunday.
When Mike Prelesnik and other members of the Ingham County Fair Board decided to host a winter carnival on the fairgrounds, they wanted proceeds from the event to go to charity.
The board settled on Capital Area Child & Family Services’ Angel House, an emergency shelter for children in Mason.
“We picked Angel House because it’s a newer charity,” said Prelesnik, the board’s president. “It’s a shelter for kids in Mason, but it services kids from all over the Greater Lansing area. The shelter is so important for the region, but it’s located in Mason so we thought it was a natural fit.”
The weekend-long event begins today at Ingham County Fairgrounds, 700 E. Ash St. in Mason, inside the heated indoor main arena.
Prelesnik said several board members initially met last August with the owners of Elliott’s Amusements, a local business specializing in carnivals, to begin planning but the group has met regularly for about the past three months.
The group wanted the event to be more than just a carnival, and after brainstorming for various activities that would appeal to a wide audience, Prelesnik said they decided to include arts and crafts tables for children, band and choir performances and an art show.
“It’s a large building, and the group just started brainstorming different activities to make the event fun,” Prelesnik said.
About three years ago, fairground event planners organized a carnival which wasn’t well-attended by community members, said Tom Edman, manager of the Ingham County Fair.
Despite planning, last year’s event was canceled.
“We tried to do this a couple of years ago, but it didn’t come off the ground as much as we would’ve liked it to,” Edman said. “I think we’ve got the right people involved this time, and we’re hoping for the opportunity to have some holiday spirit and get it going.”
Prelesnik said set up for the event began Monday and has continued throughout the week, with many of the artists arriving today to set up for the craft show.
Although graduate student Dave Gebben said the carnival sounds like a good idea, he didn’t anticipate going this weekend.
“Seeing as finals start next week, I probably won’t go. If it had been a different time of the year, I probably would have considered attending,” Gebben said.
Edman said the goal of the event is to have fun and support a worthy charity.
“The object of the event is to get in the holiday spirit, go on a ride, maybe see some crafts, and all benefits go to Angel House,” Edman said.
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