Carnival Insider

Ever wonder what the CKS Carnival looks like from the inside? Lauren Swoboda joins us to share how it all comes together!

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

This is your Christ the King Catholic School podcast. Good morning and welcome back to the CKS podcast. I'm your host and I'm here today with Miss Lauren Swaboda. And we're here to talk a little bit about Carnival. So, first off, what is Carnival?

SPEAKER_00 0:25

What is Carnival? Um Carnival is an amazing community event that CKS has put on for decades and decades and decades. Um I think it's it's a way to bring the CKS community out into the South Tampa community and the greater Tampa Bay Area for those that do come uh come to visit that. So it's just a way for all of us to connect and uh connect with our our bigger community.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

So you say it's for everyone, not just CKS?

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Yeah, anybody can come. So there is a special day on Friday that only the students get to come. So that's a little perk of being a Christ the King student. Um that's from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. And you'll have free reign of the entire carnival. So you can ride whatever rides you want as many times as you want to, as long as you've got your wristband, and um we have pizza on that day, but any of the other times, then uh anybody that has or anybody that would like to come can come. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

You said as long as you have your wristband on. When are when will wristbands be available for buying and where will you get them?

SPEAKER_00 1:32

So wristbands right now are available for purchase if you buy the whole weekend wristband. So right now they're $100 for the whole weekend. Um, and once I think it's April 20th, is when they will go up to $120. So um, and that's you can buy that at the ticket booth once you get to Carnival. But um, if you buy it before right now online, then uh you'll actually, for the CKS students, you'll get banded on Thursday before Carnival starts. Um, and we're doing something a little bit different this year. So Wednesday night, anybody in religious education can get banded on Wednesday night. Um, if you're buying a four-day pass after April 20th, or if you're buying individual day wristbands or individual tickets for rides, then that will all be done at the ticket booth, the main ticket booth at Carnival. Um if you purchased your wristbands prior online for the weekend pass, um, and you are not a student, then you can actually go to Will Call and that's where you'll pick up your ticket, your wristband.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

So all right. For parents who have never had their child go to carnival before, what would you tell them to expect?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Um, I would expect I would well, we it's too far out to know the weather, but a couple things, like a couple tips. Um, always wear a hat, lots of sunscreen, lots of water, because typically it is a little warmer on the warmer side. Um, do not wear nice shoes because they will get completely black. Um, so just expect to, you know, throw those in the washing machine every night or expect to just buy a new pair on Monday. Um, what else to expect? I mean, it's just a great time for parents and kids to spend together. Um, there's great food, um, lots of fun rides, and everybody, the whole family really has a good time.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

What is there for people who don't like rides? Say maybe a mom doesn't like going on rides, and neither does the kid. What can they do?

SPEAKER_00 3:38

So there's lots of games in the midway. So um there are games where you shoot basketballs or roll like bowling pins or roll balls towards bowling pins. So there's lots of um games. There's also really great food. Um, we've got a lot of new vendors. Well, we got a couple new vendors this year. So um Casa Azul is our new coffee truck that will be there. Um, and then we've got some vendors from last year. Um, Soghog, which is barbecue, we've got Pacific Counter, um, which is bowls, like tuna bowls. Um, we've got sugar and ice, which is always a kid favorite. So lots of really good food options. And then honestly, just um we also have entertainment um at the under the pavilion. So we have entertainment all weekend. So different shows, dance studios, and singers and different kinds of performers will be there. Um, so there's a lot to do, even if you don't like to ride rides.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

All right. During the carnival days, what do you do? How do you spend those days?

SPEAKER_00 4:46

Um in my role or as a parent?

SPEAKER_01 4:49

In your role.

SPEAKER_00 4:50

In my role, okay. So we've been working on Carnival basically since the last carnival started or ended. Um, and what do my days look like? I am kind of a runner and I answer all questions and solve any problem that comes up. We have a really good team of people in administration that handle kind of some of the bigger, tougher stuff. Um, but I'm usually like a point person, so anything that's going on around Carnival, um, if there are any questions or any needs that the vendors um either in the pavilion or um the carnival staff, anything like that, um, they would come. I would be kind of the intermediary, and if I don't have the answer, then I know who to get in touch with that we can find that answer out.

SPEAKER_01 5:39

I know there's like sorry, I know there's a thing called like parent volunteers. What is that and why are they doing these things?

SPEAKER_00 5:49

So this carnival could not run with all without all of our parents. So um there are different volunteer shifts and every family has to do one. Um, and so every when you assign up for a shift time, then you're given a job once you get to carnival. So the parent might be serving churros in the churro stand, or they might be selling wristbands and putting wristbands on, you know, people that are coming up or different ride tickets. Um, some people are up in what's where we call the lion's den. So they're counting money, um, or they are you know running and getting food tickets from some of the vendors. Um, there's a lot of different ways that parents are helping out during the whole weekend. Um, but and security is another really important one that we like to highlight. So um, yeah, I mean there's they're they're really allowing the carnival to run um anything outside of the rides.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

And is there someone who helps with the raffle tickets and all that? Is that a volunteer position?

SPEAKER_00 6:54

So it is, but this year we are going completely digital, so it's all gonna be 50-50 the 50-50 um is gonna be digital this year, which means you scan a QR code, we're gonna have QR codes all over the carnival. Um, and you scan that QR code, you put your information in on your phone, and you can just pay easily on your phone. Um, and so I'm trying to think what would be something that the volunteers would do for that. Uh so we will have volunteers that are walking around the carnival that'll have the QR codes so that people recognize what they are and maybe, hey, have you bought your 50-50 ticket yet? It's you know, up to a certain amount, however, you know, much we're at at that point. Um, last year, I believe we got into the I think it was like $45,000. Um, so the winner won, I think like it was like $27,000 or $23,000 or something like that for the winner. So it was it was a really big deal last year. So hopefully we'll get another another uh record setting year this year.

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Sounds really fun. And since we're talking about the 50-50 raffle, how can CKS students help out with that?

SPEAKER_00 8:05

Um, I'm so glad you asked. Um, because really where we get our initial push for 50-50 is from you guys, from all the students. And so there's a QR code that you can send out to family and friends and walk around your neighborhood if you want to. Um, and really that's where we get our initial push. The most of our money comes from there, and it gets everybody really excited when we start selling at Carnival. So that's really important. Um, and this year I know Mr. Tannis and um Miss Welsh and the administration have some exciting gifts. Um, we've got or exciting prizes. So um we're gonna have some school-wide prizes, right? If you hit a certain number, and Mr. Tannis will announce that uh at assembly. Um, and then some individual class range. I think it's like pre-K to first grade, and then second to fifth, and sixth through eighth, uh, there will be some top prizes for top sellers too.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

So for the 50-50 raffle, where does the other 50 part of it go to? Where do the funds go?

SPEAKER_00 9:07

Yeah. So the funds for the 50-50 raffle, half of it goes to whoever wins, and then the other half is gonna go towards our carnival bottom line, right? So um between carnival and the CKS fund and auction as well, um, we get a bulk of our funds that actually run the school and are able to enhance the school. Um, so things like you know, this morning you guys um blessed the new putting green, right? Um, painting, you know, painting the buildings, new AC systems, new turf, um, and then continuing education for the teachers. Um, this we we put a lot of money the last few years into some of the security around the school. Um, and without money from Carnival, CKS fund, and the auction, we just wouldn't be able to do those kind of things. So it's it's a it's a really it benefits the whole community.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

So to all the CKS parents, is there any way they can help out with wrapping carnival up and putting it all together?

SPEAKER_00 10:10

Yeah, absolutely. So um, as we talked about earlier, there are uh volunteer shifts that every family must do. Um, we're always short on Fridays and Saturday nights. So if there's anybody that would like to do another shift, um, that would be great. And they can sign up on Bloomerang so they all have access to that. Um, and then we have other volunteer opportunities leading up to uh up to the carnival. So we have to hand out t-shirts and um organize wristbands and hang some ride banners. So um, yeah, if they have any time during the day, usually right after drop-off for a few hours, then we'll we'll put them to work. All right.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Okay, so we've talked a lot about what carnival is and all the things you can do, but we haven't talked much about you. Okay. So what really inspired you to do this? Like, how'd you get into this?

SPEAKER_00 11:01

Um, that's a funny story. So, do we want the real story?

SPEAKER_01 11:07

Whatever you feel comfortable doing.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Okay. Um, so it's a kind of a funny story. Um, last year I was sitting with a friend um at Carnival, and she mentioned, oh, you should do that next year. You know, you should help Emily out and you should do Emily's job, Emily Barber. And I was like, no, absolutely not, definitely not doing that. It's too much work. And then about six months later, my husband met the PTC president Eric Scott's wife at a conference in California, and she mentioned that they were looking for somebody to do um to run carnival with Emily. And he came home and he said, Hey, I told uh the PTC president's wife that you would run carnival. So I said, Okay, well, I guess I'll give Miss Welsh a call. And so that's kind of how the whole, you know, how the ball started rolling. Um, but I really enjoy doing this kind of thing, and um I enjoy hosting events and planning events and um working with the team. So it's been really, really fun to work with the whole committee team, which is some of the most amazing people. Um, you know, that we couldn't do any of this without them.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

So is all of this what you expected going into it or no?

SPEAKER_00 12:22

I think last year, so the way that it works is you are um you you're committed to it for three years, so you're incoming, so you learn all about it. Um, you learn kind of the ins and the outs and the um the way things run. And then your second year, then you're kind of the point person, which that's me this year, and then next year I'll be outgoing, so then I'll kind of just support the people that are coming in. Um, so we've got some great um Emily Barber is our outgoing this year, and um we've got Jen Fassini and uh Meg Traber, and they're coming in, so they'll take point next year. Um, so I was my eyes were definitely opened last year when I saw everything that it took to put this on. Um, so I think I was ready for it this year. Um, but it was definitely the first year was a surprise for sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:16

Were there any challenges going into planning this year? And were there like any major setbacks?

SPEAKER_00 13:22

Um, so no setbacks, I would say, but we have um changed a lot of our platforms. So I would say that you know, going, like I said, we're going digital with a 50-50 this year. So that was a whole new platform. Um, and we brought on a parent, Miss Jacqueline Leduca, and she really ran with doing the research and create and um figuring out what program we were gonna use for that. So that was really great. Um, and that actually changed our whole carnival platform, how we sell wristbands and sponsors and all that. So that was a really big change that we made this year. Um, and then Bloomerang is our new volunteer system, and so definitely, you know, figured working on the back end and figuring out the kinks with that. Um, you know, those were some of our our more of our challenges this year, but I think we have done really well with them so far, and next year it'll be even easier.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

So I heard you talk about sponsors, and I know there's a thing of a child sponsor. What is that and what does that help people do?

SPEAKER_00 14:25

Yeah. So there um we have a group of you know underserved children, right? People that maybe wouldn't be able to go to the carnival just due to lack of funds. Um, and on Saturday morning we have what's called Dominic Savio Day. Um, and so we have pizza and we um give wristbands to a large group of children so that they can come and experience the fun of Carnival. Um, and we have kids from Academy and Jesuit come in and they're um they're kind of their buddies for the day, uh, and they get to enjoy Carnival and um experience, you know, just the community that we have here at Christ the King, uh, that they might not have otherwise been able to do that. And you can sponsor a child for $20 per per kid.

SPEAKER_01 15:12

So that's really sweet. Mm-hmm. They have a great day. So at the end of Carnival, I know there's Carnival Cleanup Day for CKS students who get the day off, but what does it look like to clean up all of this and wrap all of Carnival up?

SPEAKER_00 15:27

So it's kind of funny because on Monday morning, which is Carnival Day or Carnival Cleanup Day, um the rides are already gone. They start taking those rides down at the end of Carnival, so 9 p.m. And really they kind of start taking down some of the other stuff uh before then on Sunday night. Um so by the time we wake up and we get here on Monday morning, all the rides are gone. So really it's just then um working with the vendors to break down um the booths in the pavilion, um, making sure that everything's clean up in the beer garden area, um basically reorganizing where all of our materials live for the rest of the year. It's called the cages. Uh it's in the Mary Martha Center. So that's where all of our, you know, our signage and our banners and you know, all of that, um everything that's you know in the pavilion, all that stuff stays in the cages. Um, so that all has to go back in an organized manner, so that can be a little tough sometimes. Um, but yeah, that's I mean, really, it's just making sure all the signs are down and all the trash is picked up and um and all the the vendors that are helping us break break down know exactly what to do and where to go. And yeah, it's a busy day.

SPEAKER_01 16:46

And at the end of the day, what's your favorite thing to do at the carnival? What would you recommend to most people?

SPEAKER_00 16:52

Okay. My favorite thing to do at the carnival, because as you said earlier, like people that don't love rides, I'm not a big ride person, but um my favorite thing to do at the carnival is to go on the Ferris Wheel with my girls. So I have um a pre-K daughter named Nora, and um Ava is in second grade. So that's you know, the three of us and and um their dad, uh my husband, we love to go on the Ferris Wheel together. So that's a fun time.

SPEAKER_01 17:19

That was really sweet. Well, thank you for joining me today. And I hope you have a great rest of the day. Thanks for having me. And good luck with the rest of Carnival. Thank you. Can't wait to see you there.

unknown 17:30

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