Cousins (from left) Louis Maria, 6, and Lillyonna Myers, 9, throw their hands in the air for summer fun at the Cresson Community Fireman’s Carnival on Monday. Mirror photo by Colette Costlow

CRESSON – For more than 50 years, the Cresson Community Fireman’s Carnival has been a summer staple filled with family, friends, food and fun.

It’s also the Keystone Regional Fire & Rescue Department’s largest fundraiser of the year and is being held this week, 7 to 11 p.m. each night, outside of the Cresson Volunteer Fire Company station. The carnival wraps up Saturday, Aug. 2.

Carnival Chairman Dylan Broad said the carnival attracts loyal patrons, many who, like 87-year-old Helen Claar, have been coming for years.

Local traditions

She and a friend would “come every day,” Claar said with a laugh, remembering years past and how the love of the carnival was something they shared.

On Monday, Claar was found sitting inside the fire hall watching the band Open Ends, the headliner for the day.

Claar said kids at the carnival today enjoy the things she used to when she was young, especially the carnival rides. Now, she likes to be at the event to “watch everybody with their new babies.”

Cresson native Kassie Kreutzberger, who brought little ones along with her Monday night, said she tries to attend the carnival every year.

As Kreutzberger grew up, she said it was the “cool place to hang out for a week straight,” noting that from a kid’s point of view, the event “seems so surreal.”

Having fun is what drew Kassie Chulick and her 5-year-old son, Hudson, to the carnival Monday night while they waited in line for fried food and cool drinks.

The funnel cake and the chocolate-covered strawberries are her favorite carnival treats, Chulick said, while Hudson said he was a cotton candy fan.

Chulick said the community is what brings her to the carnival, because “everyone knows everyone.”

That community spirit is what keeps the traditional summer carnival alive, bringing in people who will one day bring their children and grandchildren.

It’s also why the fire department continues to choose a carnival as their main yearly fundraiser, Broad said. “There has been so much success and community support since (the carnival) started.”

All hands on deck

The volunteer-based fire department covers the Cresson and Lilly areas. Those same volunteer firefighters, along with family, friends and others, all pitch in to make the carnival a success.

Some, including Ted Westin, have been helping out with the event ever since they were old enough to lend a hand.

Westin said he “enjoys the people” at the carnival, especially since he is from the Cresson area.

Not only does Westin help out with the carnival, but he has been a volunteer firefighter for the Keystone Regional Fire & Rescue Department since 1990.

“Neighbors asking me if I slept at night” was what Westin said pushed him into becoming a volunteer firefighter. Since Cresson is a small town, he was also influenced by other volunteers in the neighborhood.

“There are guys who have been here longer than me,” Westin said.

Teri Statham said she has worked the candy apple stand at the Cresson Carnival “since I was a little kid.”

Statham is a part of Garbrick Amusements Inc., a family business that provides the candy apple stand as well as the Ferris wheel and other carnival rides.

Statham said she recognizes many people at the carnival “because we’ve been coming here for so long.” Her parents worked the carnival before she and her brother took over, she said.

It was Penn State student Lily Boeckel’s first time working the carnival, helping Statham make cotton candy.

Penn State Altoona student Kayla Galovich, also a first-timer, said she was roped into volunteering at the dime toss by volunteer firefighter Ben Detrick.

Detrick said “it’s nice to be able to come out and do something for people,” noting that giving back gives a “nice feeling.”

His family has also been involved with fire companies in the area, saying “it’s just something our family does.”

It’s also a family affair for dime toss volunteer and Mount Aloysius student Baylee Proudfit, who said she grew up in Cresson and volunteered at the carnival for at least four years.

“It’s fun seeing everyone have a good laugh, having fun,” Proudfit said.

Broad said that about 15 to 20 people volunteered for the carnival this year.

“I honestly think there’s a lot of people who enjoy working it and seeing everybody,” he said.

Summer standby

A group of teenagers – Zoey Acker, Liv Acker, Bellah Musselman, Mackynzi Musselman and Morgan Marks – said they can’t imagine their summer without the carnival.

While sharing their love for the Merry Mixer, they agreed that spending time here gets them more involved with the community.

Mackynzi Musselman said her friends came to the carnival Monday in hopes of “making memories.”

Memories are a common reason why many local community members continue to return to the carnival, citing nostalgia as a huge factor.

“It’s the same as I remember it from when I was little,” said Kreutzberger, who added that she has been coming to the carnival for her “whole entire life.”

It is the “absolute same every year,” which is something she said sets it apart from others.

Kreutzberger plans on bringing her family for years to come, especially since the carnival holds fond memories of her childhood as well.

“I want this to be the place where my kids want to hang out whenever they’re teenagers,” she said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.