Easton Fireman’s Carnival Returns

The Easton Fireman’s Carnival kicked off on Tuesday and will run through Saturday, Aug. 5 from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. at 1 Center Road. The much-anticipated event of the year features rides for the kids, and games, food and the ever-popular Bingo.

All the proceeds from the carnival support the firehouse. “We get hammered all year from people asking if we’re doing the carnival again and when it’s starting,” said Fire Chief Robert Klem.

Every year the volunteers raffle off a vehicle. This year it is a 2023 Jeep Rubicon. “They have about a $69,000 sticker prize on them. Online tickets are sold out, but there are still about 500 tickets left,” said Klem.

Ellen Waugh works the dessert stand and said she volunteers every year because it is a community tradition.

“We bake the pies upstairs in the morning for the dessert stand,” said Waugh, a preschool teacher in Easton. “We also help husk the corn, slice the tomatoes for the burgers and all that. There’s a lot of behind the scenes that goes on.”

Waugh said people in town really look forward to carnival. Some plan their vacations around it.

Last year, the fire department cleared a two-acre field to expand its training fields and to make more room for rides during the annual carnival, which will hopefully shorten the wait time for ride admissions.

Trumbull residents and brother and sister, Dante and Maya Manela, love the rides. “Zero Gravity is my favorite ride because it’s the most thrilling,” said Dante Manela. “I love all the food, and the rides are so fun,” said Maya Manela.

Jennifer Berg and her son Jonathan love playing Bingo. “It’s the best part of the carnival,” said Berg.