The Wilton Kiwanis Club is looking forward to running the food tent at the Miller-Driscoll Spring Spectacular Carnival this weekend. “It will be a great beginning-of-spring event, the first major event of the season,” said Paul Hannah, Kiwanis president-elect.
The partnership between the PTA and the Kiwanis is a good one for both groups. According to Hannah, Kiwanis has a strong base of volunteers from which to draw, making them a good part of the team. “The people organizing the carnival came to us and asked if we’d be interested in doing the food service at the carnival. From our point of view we’re happier doing the fulfillment rather than the marketing and promotion. We’re organizing the food and the PTA will be getting the people there.”
It’s quite a big undertaking for the Kiwanis–over the three days the carnival will be running, there are more than 100 volunteer shifts to fill. The club will be serving a varied menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, Carnival Pizza, corn dogs, chicken tenders, soda, coffee, tea, hot chocolate–and a carnival favorite, fried dough.
The club looked on that key dessert as one of their most important tasks, knowing how many kids (of all ages) would be depending on them to make it well. They thought it would be wise to take a special lesson to brush up on their fried dough making skills, and called on an expert–Carol the Carnival Clown–to teach them the specialized culinary art at a recent meeting so that the historic carnival and boardwalk delicacy could be featured at the Kiwanis food tent.
“We think it will definitely be a hot item with the kids,” Hannah said.
A portion of the proceeds from the three days of food sales will benefit the PTA, but the bulk will actually support Kiwanis charitable efforts.
“Kiwanis is always looking for fundraising opportunities–we give away about $40,000 a year to charities,” explained Hannah, who said that included among the local groups supported by the club are Wilton Commons, Wilton Youth Council, Wilton Family YMCA, Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Mid-Fairfield County Guidance Center, Wilton Library, Wilton Food Pantry and Wilton Social Services, Fairfield Nursing & Hospice Care, Ambler Farm, Trackside Teen Center, Open Door — Norwalk Homeless Shelter, Person to Person, Homes With Hope — Women Veterans, Domestic Violence Crisis Center & Task Force, Comstock Computer Learning Center, and the Wilton Memorial Day Parade, among many others.
The club will have a membership information table at the carnival all weekend, but they also encourage anyone who wants more information about joining to visit their website, or call the president-elect Hannah.
Kiwanis is Wilton’s oldest service club, having been founded more than 50 years ago. Weekly luncheon meetings are held at the Episcopal Presbyterian Complex on New Canaan Avenue Wednesdays at noon. Its charitable contributions are funded through events such as the recently completed citrus drive, an annual golf tournament, the Memorial Day pancake breakfast, and, beginning this year, the Miller Driscoll Spring Spectacular.
(‘Carol,’ pictured above with the red nose and blue glasses, is seated with PTA Carnival committee members Kristen Luzzi, Susan Price, and Mandi Schmauch; standing are Kiwanis food operation managers Steve Reedy, Rudi Hoefling, Paul Hannah, Fred Wernig, Jeff Turner, Dan Mahoney and John Kalamarides. Sometimes Carol the Carnival Clown answers to the name of Carol Boehly.)
GOOD Morning Wilton is one of the silver level sponsors of the Carnival, which is being organized by the Miller-Driscoll PTA. The Carnival hours are Friday, April 4 from 5-9 p.m.; Saturday, April 5 from 12-9 p.m.; and Sunday, April 6 from 12-5 p.m.