Catherine LaVarre
Blessed with balmy autumn weather, the Isla Vista Community Relations Council (IVCRC) hosted the annual Pardall Carnival on Saturday, Oct. 14 from 12-4 p.m. University of California, Santa Barbara students, families, and visitors from out of town crowded the streets to play games, earn prizes, and ride the Ferris wheel.
Although the carnival occupied a small space in an already small town, the sheer number of booths and the turnout from the community created a cheerful carnival atmosphere. Many games were set up, particularly trivia games and wheels to spin, with prizes that advertised the organizations that provided them.
Both the UCSB Police Department and the Life of the Party representatives challenged visitors to throw ping pong balls into the red plastic cups familiar to the residents of I.V. The Swing and Ballroom Dance Club offered a miniature claw game and an upright disk drop game.
The range of interests was broad, from philanthropic groups like MEDLIFE, the United Nations Foundation Girl Up, the Community Affairs Board, and informative school organizations like UCSB Community Housing Office, Isla Vista Tenants Union, and Santa Barbara Hillel.
“What we really want to do is just bring in UCSB students and also I.V. families,” said Christina Shum, fourth year biology major and IVCRC Internal Chair. “We really want I.V. to be a community.”
Shum later stated, “We want to give back to the I.V. community and also for UCSB students to enjoy [the carnival].” The free promotional items were one of the perks offered to attendees. Every booth provided its own form of “swag” by giving away pens, stickers, t-shirts, and tote bags.
Steve Carlan, President of the Swing and Ballroom Club at UCSB, said that his organization gave away 50 t-shirts. Halfway through the event, the Pardall Center ran out of Pardall Carnival tank tops.
Second year computer engineering major Joanne Li and second year psychology major Barbara Lin seemed satisfied with this year’s carnival. Li and Lin said that they liked learning about the different types of organizations and that they planned to go on the Ferris wheel.
College students weren’t the only attendees who said that they had fun. “I saw a lot of kids, and it was super cute. Everyone brought their dogs,” said Nicole Shimizu, a first year undeclared major who worked at the Ferris wheel table.
For the groups who gave out prizes, the carnival was a chance to tell a fresh audience about the goals and passions of their organization.
“We had a lot of conversations with people,” said Rochelle Mooney, a fourth year communications major who worked at the Life of the Party booth. “[We] changed a lot of mindsets about different myths about partying,” Mooney said later.
The carnival was a success, according to Skyler Silverio who is the IVCRC Events Coordinator and Katrina Nicdao, the IVCRC Recruitment Chair.
Filled with exuberant Ferris wheel riders, dancers, and community members alike, Pardall Carnival served as a firm reminder of how intertwined UCSB’s student body is with Isla Vista.