A bright new spin on the St. Ann’s Carnival

The St. Ann’s Community Carnival was in full swing last weekend and the smell of fried foods and sugary carnival treats wafted down Sandy Lake Road, attracting excited citizens to the 24th annual carnival the church has hosted.

Although the carnival is no longer a new tradition, carnival volunteer Annalynne McGuire said that “every year the people organizing [the St. Ann Community Carnival] make it a point to come up with something new.”

This year, there were many remarks from high school students and others who have been attending the carnival for years about the absence of the classic ferris wheel and the clown tilt-a-whirl. However, despite the loss of these beloved attractions, the carnival was still filled with activities and rides- including a new ferris wheel that was much larger than the original.

“I like hanging out, talking with my friends, and riding all the rides,” Coppell High School junior Nicole Johnson said.

McGuire has been volunteering at the carnival for nine years and says has seen the carnival grow in popularity every year. This year McGuire volunteered on Friday and went to experience the event firsthand with her family on Saturday.

Even though the carnival has been around for over two decades, new Coppell citizens continue to discover the event for the first time.

“My favorite part was the atmosphere the carnival gave off. It felt homey and original and was an all round fun time,” CHS senior Christian Thorp said.

Thorpe had never been to the carnival before Saturday and described it as a “mini state fair”.

“Going to the carnival throughout the years I can always feel it’s different than when you go to any other carnival,” carnival committee member Denise Torres said.

Torres has been a parishioner at the church for three and a half years. She sees now that this atmosphere is reliant on how concerned the committee is with making sure everyone has a good time.

“My overall impression of the carnival was, ‘I wanna go again’ I had fun seeing my friends and riding the rides,” said Throp, who only had one change he would add to the experience. “I wish I would’ve started going earlier.”

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