SMOKEY POINT — The Arlington Smokey Point Carnival could be double the fun this year.
Event organizers decided to extend the carnival to two back-to-back weekends. It’s been one weekend since it started in 2013.
This year’s festivities kicked off at the corner of 172nd Street and 51st Avenue, next to the Arlington Municipal Airport, on Thursday and went through Sunday. The rides, games and fair food are scheduled to resume Friday and continue through Monday.
Part of the reason for adding a second weekend to the carnival was so that it would stretch until July 4, said Julie Morse, treasurer and past president of the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce.
The Fourth of July is a big deal in Arlington, she said. Downtown, there’s a parade, kids carnival and the annual Great Stilly Duck Dash at Haller Park. That night, a 20-minute fireworks show is scheduled at Quake Field, not far from the airport.
“The nice thing about where the carnival is situated is you can see the fireworks from there if you’re there on the Fourth of July,” Morse said. “We have a lot of activities in (downtown) Arlington on the Fourth of July, but we thought it would be fun to have something in Smokey Point.”
The rides are the highlight of the carnival and are especially popular with older kids and teens, she said.
The carnival is scheduled to open noon to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday.
There’s no cost to park or get in. It’s $20 for an all-day wristband to get on rides. Individual ride tickets also are available, Morse said. There are 13 rides this year, including some for little kids.
“It’s just been a lot of fun,” Morse said. “We’re very excited to see how this year is going to go, especially having two weekends.”
The chamber of commerce hopes to keep the carnival as an annual event. It may stay at two weekends, depending on how this year goes. About 30 people are involved in the planning, set-up and running of the carnival, Morse said.
The first weekend of July brings a lot of visitors to the area and the carnival is a good local event for families, she said.
“We invite everyone to come out and celebrate with us,” she said.
Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.
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