Carnival in the Park is about ‘community unity’

Terry Sallis doesn’t want people to have reservations about coming to Carnival in the Park, which is why organizers continue to offer everything for free.

The entertainment? Free. The activities? Also free. The food? C’mon. It’s all free.

“We do it for a couple reasons: It’s for the kids and it’s also for community unity,” Sallis said. “In this climate that we got right now, it’s important that we do anything and everything that we can to bring people together. We’re getting to be so polarized … We don’t talk to each other. We don’t know each other anymore.”

The eighth annual Carnival in the Park will be held 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Aurora Park in Newton.

Presented by Integrated Treatment Services and Montana Mike’s Steakhouse, the carnival is a way for the community to get to know each other in a fun, family-friendly environment. Sallis, executive director of ITS, is excited for guests to enjoy snow cones, burgers and hot dogs, face painting, live music and more.

Performing this year is The Flavah Band from Waterloo and The Sears Band from Newton. Face masks won’t be mandatory, but Sallis hopes people choose to wear them; regardless, he said organizers won’t throw anybody out for not wearing a mask to the carnival.

Carnival in the Park also celebrates diversity, which is something Sallis said is hard to accept these days because of polarizing attitudes. At the carnival, Sallis encourages people to enjoy themselves and embrace their community. Brooklyn Henderson, office manager of ITS, said there are plenty of things for folks to do.

Other celebratory summer events like the Iowa State Fair, Henderson said, can be cost-prohibitive to some families. Emphasis on free entertainment allows anybody to join in on the fun, which Henderson indicated is a strong selling point. Henderson, a racecar driver, will also get to show off her slick automobile.

“We also have a lot more games and bounce houses this year,” Henderson said. “I’ve been there that past couple of years. And it’s fun every time I’ve been there.”

It may be called a carnival, but Sallis hopes attendees feel like they’re at a neighborhood block party — a place where people living in the same community come together and recognizing everybody as people. We’re more alike than we are unalike, Sallis said, and the atmosphere of the carnival is proof of that.

“We need to start talking to each other and interacting with each other,” Sallis said. “We talk at each other but we don’t talk to each other … We try to bring people together. The community is becoming more and more diverse, and that’s our reality. The fact that’s happening is something we need to accept.”

Supporters of this year’s carnival include:

Hawkeye Mutual Insurance Association, Marion County Bank, Great Western Bank, Des Moines Valley Golf Club, The Parent Partner Program, Cappy’s Tire & Auto Service, NAMI, Discover Hope, Newton YMCA, Newton Police Department, Newton Fire Department and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com