Annandale carnival brings family fun to bowling alley parking lot

Annandale’s annual spring carnival may be just a little
harder to find this year, but it’s still got all the rides, games, and junk
food as in past years. The carnival has been moved from the Kmart parking lot
to the lot in front of the AMF Annandale Lanes bowling alley on Markham Street.

Among the new rides this year is the Supercat, a kids’
roller coaster with cars shaped like caterpillars, and the Freak Out, a scarier
ride like a giant swing, says Craig Nelson, the manager of the Annandale carnival,
who’s been with Reithoffer Shows for 35 years. He says the most popular game is the water race and the
most popular prizes are the stuffed Smurfs and Sponge Bob.

The carnival in Annandale is just one small branch of the Reithoffer
operation, based in Tampa, Fla., which sends carnivals to shopping centers,
fair grounds, and festivals up and down the East Cost.

Randy Winter, a machine operator, will be setting up and
taking down the rides later this summer at the Virginia, Vermont, and New York
state fairs, and the peanut festival in Alabama. Winter is on the road 10
months a year, living in a trailer. He says it’s hard on carnival workers with
families, and most of them don’t have children or leave their kids at home,
although a few homeschool their children on the road.

Winter

There’s also a bigger Reihoffer carnival in Hyattsville going on now,
and the workers for both shows commute from Manassas where they rent a camping
ground for their 150 vehicles and mobile homes for some 80 workers during their
stay in the Washington area. Nelson acknowledges the high price of gasoline is taking a huge bite out of their profits.

The Annandale carnival is sponsored by the Annandale Chamber of Commerce and a portion of the proceeds benefits the Virginia Special Olympics.

It is open through May 20, Monday through Thursday
5-10 p.m., Friday 4-11 p.m., Saturday noon-11 p.m., and Sunday 4-11 p.m.