The Jefferson Township Carnival Returns
The Carnival is returning for its sixth season after a year off due to Covid-19. The event is driven by volunteers in the Jefferson Township Education Foundation along with Campy’s Blue Star Amusements, with 300-500 attendees expected each night.
The five-day festival, a major fundraiser for the Education Foundation, provides more than 80% of the following year’s school budget for events, speakers, and support items for middle and high school teachers and students. In addition, grant opportunities are offered to every district school, benefiting all township students.
The fun will be extended this year to spread out the crowds with longer hours and an extra day: Wednesday, June 2 through Saturday, June 5 from 4-10 and Sunday, June 6 from 2-8, rain or shine, on the fields behind the middle school (1000 Weldon Road, Oak Ridge).
Campy’s Blue Star Amusements, family owned and operated since 1969, is one of New Jersey’s premier providers of rides and attractions. It is committed to providing a safe environment for all attendees within the state’s guidelines. Specific precautions will be implemented to help ease minds and allow Carnival participants to concentrate on good old-fashioned family fun.
Through a new contactless ticketing system, patrons can purchase ride and game credits via credit/debit card or exact change. Credits will be loaded onto a card for use on any of the five Carnival nights (and at any other Campy’s event throughout the season) by scanning at each ride and/or game. To help plan visits in advance, credit packages will be publicized over the next few weeks.
Safety for All
A one-direction midway will keep the flow steady. Posted signage will remind attendees of social distancing regulations and the mandatory wearing of masks during the Carnival, except when eating or drinking. Sanitizer stations (KOC-86 long-term treatments and BioSilk hand sanitizers) will be present at each ride for the use of patrons. Seats, lap bars, and seatbelts will be sanitized between rides, and seats will be limited to single riders or those in the same family or group. Additional portable toilets will be available along with a pedal-operated handwashing station. Plexiglass will separate volunteers and players at game stations, which will be sanitized regularly. Numerous trash cans and sanitizing stations will be provided throughout the midway.
Prior to the start of each day, workers will have their temperature checked. They will wear masks and have personal sanitizing areas to keep their hands clean at all times. Six-foot distancing markers will be placed at food serving windows, where plexiglass shields will separate patrons from food handlers wearing masks and gloves. A 20x30-foot dining tent will offer 12 high-top tables spaced six feet apart, providing a safe place to enjoy the wonderful Carnival food.
Something for Everyone!
Jefferson’s annual Carnival will have something for everyone. The midway will have a wide variety of delicious fair food, eight different games of chance, and a mix of thrill rides, family rides, and kiddie rides. All riders must be at least 36 inches tall. This year, in celebration of its 50th anniversary, Campy’s will add to the midway a 60-foot-tall gondola-style Ferris wheel; at night, the giant wheel will light up the sky with a spectacular LED light show. For a full listing of rides, rider requirements, and ride intensity, visit www.Campys.com.
In addition to a nightly 50/50, the Education Foundation will promote a new calendar raffle fundraiser at $20 per ticket. Prize drawings start on June 1 and continue every day through August 31. On each of the 92 days, a different dollar amount will be awarded for a total of $4,500 in prize money. A person whose name is pulled wins the dollar amount for that day, and the name goes back into the drawing, giving every participant 92 chances to win.
For up-to-date Carnival details, join the Facebook page @ The Carnival.
