ATHENS — The best, small town carnival is about to open in Athens for six weekends only.
The Athens Lions Club Kiddie Carnival kicks off June 23 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. This little carnival is a perfect slice of everything wonderful about North Alabama.
Hosted by the Athens Lions Club for more than 55 years, the carnival features rides best suited for children ages 2-10.
Think adorably tiny – tiny cars, train, Ferris wheel, carousel and the cutest tiny roller coaster that I may or may not have put my one-year-old on.
They also have a couple of rides for the non-toddlers; a scrambler and a bigger version of their spinning swings that frequently feature a volunteer with a super soaker spraying the passing, squealing riders.
There is no admission fee and the rides only cost 50 cents as do the snow cones. These are the 1980s style, chunky-ice snow cones served in paper funnels that only come in two flavors, grape and red. They are delicious in that perfect summer, hurt your teeth kind of way.
They also offer other concession stand favorites such as hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, chicken sandwiches, popcorn, cotton candy and funnel cakes for more than fifty cents but still very affordable.
If you need a break from standing in line and taking hundreds of photos of your child toot-tooting around on the train, head over to bingo. It’s a slow-call, low pressure, absolute blast. The cards are old-school, red tab slides and the hold-your-breath excitement as about 40th number gets called is hard to beat.
The best is when a little voice calls out, “Bingo!” and everyone cheers. Prizes include an assortment of toys that serve as a trophy of summer or you can hold onto your winner’s card in the hopes of winning more games and working your way up the shelf of prizes.
The Kiddie Carnival is at 309 E. Forrest Street. Free parking surrounds the site and it’s cash or check only, no credit/debit cards accepted.
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