Farmington Easter carnival is Saturday

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Amanda Pellicci has a pretty good idea how an Easter carnival should run. She’s been to just about every one held since she was born, after all.

Pellicci grew up searching for eggs at the Farmington egg hunt that used to be sponsored by the city of Farmington. As she got older, the egg hunt event shifted to an Easter carnival, hosted by CEEF, and she went from being a kid searching for eggs to a teen and young adult conducting games at the Pellicci Ace Hardware booth.

Now, at age 23, Pellicci is getting a new take on the Easter carnival. She’s one of the three co-chairs for this weekend’s event. Sponsored by the Farmington Business Association, the carnival will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Meadowview Elementary School.

Pellicci has been working with Heather Kantrud, owner of Heather’s Housekeeping and More, and Pam Rupnow from Family Vision Clinic. The three are part of the FBA, but have taken on the task of running this year’s Easter Carnival.

The FBA is trying something new — sort of — this year. Any FBA member business that wanted to participate could sponsor an Easter basket of goodies for the carnival. Those baskets have been on display at participating businesses for the past couple of weeks. On Saturday, those baskets — 22 in all — will be given away in drawings at the carnival.

“I remember they did it when I was younger, and I just remembered how cool that was,” Pellicci said. “If (the businesses) couldn’t be there at least they could be involved.”

The drawing will be held Saturday, but winners will be notified by phone call. They’ll have to go to the respective business to pick up the baskets next week. That way, the businesses can take pictures of the winners if they choose, Pellicci said.

The event itself will feature several different games in the MVES gymnasium. The carnival was moved downtown a couple of years ago, Pellicci said, but the space where it was held was too small for the number of families and kids who came to participate. The gym at Meadowview provides ample room for the various games, as well as plenty of parking outside the school.

In addition to the games, the Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures. Dakota Electric Association has donated two bicycles that will also be given away during the carnival.

Being on the organizing side of the event has been fun for Pellicci. For the most part, she and her co-chairs are “pretty organized” for this weekend’s event. Things might be a little crazy during the set-up phase Saturday, but that’s nothing to dampen her mood.

“I’m really excited,” she said. “I think it’s great for the kids and the town. Obviously, I like doing this because I’ve been doing it almost my whole life. But I’m really excited. I’m very ready.”

There is a $2 fee per child, with a $5 cap per family. Parents are admitted for free.

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