By 5:00 on Halloween Night, the Tennis Center was all abuzz with anticipation for the start of the Annual April Sound Civic Association’s Halloween Carnival. ASCA Board members and other volunteers had worked most of the day on Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the Carnival. First, the walkway into the tennis courts was covered on both sides with black plastic, then all kinds of colored lights, spiderwebs, and hanging figures were added.
Then, Steve Barricklow ran all the electric cords and the action figures owned by the ASCA were assembled and put into place. All day on Tuesday, Sandy Caldera and her team of volunteers set up all the 14 games around the left side of the tennis center. As Events Co-Chair Michelle Martin says, “Sandy’s creativity is just off the charts!” From noon on, folks were dropping off donations of cakes, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, and other treats to be prizes in the ever-popular Cake Walk game. There is always a worry that there might not be enough treats to last for the entire evening, but there always are, due to the generosity of so many April Sounders!
As folks arrived and walked through the entrance into the tunnel, stopping at the sign-in table, the children received treats compliments of Johnny and Donna Kopecky. Jack and Mary McClanahan donated 200 five-dollar Chiller Bee bucks for the children, and Chiller Bee also graciously gave them a 20% discount. The Club’s Social Committee, chaired by Donna Kopecky, hosted a very popular fishing booth. Announcer Richard Gilchrist did a great job keeping everything going at the Cake Walk with other volunteers helping, including wife Shirley. Throughout the evening DJ extraordinaire Dino Caldera played appropriate music including all the Halloween favorites. The Club served food and drinks. By 7 p.m. the room was filled with happy families, many in fantastic costumes, playing games together, enjoying their prizes, and just having fun. Over 1000 people entered the Carnival, including 400 children and the almost 100 volunteers!
At the witching hour of 8 p.m. as the last revelers left the Tennis Center, the big clean-up began. The understanding with Russ Angell, Director of Tennis for April Sound, is that the courts will be cleared and ready for morning play the day after the Carnival. Many folks either stayed or came just to help. Then, the tunnel had to be taken down on Wednesday and everything returned to storage. So, you see, this is a major event that the Civic Association sponsors for April Sound residents and families. It can only happen through your support. If you haven’t joined ASCA yet, please do! aprilsoundcivicassociation@gmail.com. It’s only $25 for families and $15 for singles. ASCA needs YOU!
Next up on the ASCA agenda is the Veterans Parade on Saturday, November 11th. All veterans are invited to ride in the parade starting at 10 a.m. Be sure to plan to come out and cheer along the route. Veterans or convertible drivers please contact Ann Marie at 936-447-1336 to register.
Ann Marie Ricci may be reached at jamricci@consolidated.net.
