Carnation Festival

We went to the Carnation Festival one last year, and twice this year (Friday and Saturday). Last year, we got there a little too late, so the extent of our visit included walking up and down the street, visiting with the firefighters, getting something to eat, and watching the fireworks. The fireworks show was amazing last year.
On Friday this year, we went early enough to do more things. The firefighters were there again, and they had an old (antique?) engine out. It’s fun for kids to sit up there and ‘drive it’ after getting a sticker and plastic hat from the nice firefighters. The police officers offered stickers about bikes/​cars sharing the road. They’re a lot more laid back and not as interactive (unless you approach them first).
The beer garden is located by the stage. They serve beer rather quickly. You have to stay in the stage area, as they don’t allow one to wander around with a beer. Now onto the food. They have the typical carnie fare, but they also had a lot of food trucks this year. There were places selling tacos, burritos, and other similar stuff. There was a BBQ place (Tommy’s Bodacious BBQ) with friendly employees and good prices. I got a chocolate rice crispy treat from Granny’s Goodies. It was dried out and hard to chew. The flavor was nearly nonexistent. And although it was large, it was definitely not worth $ 5.
The lone place which sold turkey legs (Monster Grill) needs to get it’s act together, though. We came by around 7 on Friday, looking for a turkey leg. When we asked for one, the young woman said «as you can see, they’re not ready yet» and gave us an estimate of 45 minutes to an hour to come back to see if they’re ready. They way she said it just rubbed us the wrong way. We went back on Saturday, and there was still a wait for turkey legs. When we came back later to get a second delicious strawberry lemonade, they had yet another wait. The two guys seemed to be competent, but the two girls (on Saturday) were inefficient. One stared off in space while I was waiting to pay and the other was doing something (getting buns? waiting for my lemonade?). She wasn’t paying attention when I told her my order and I could have gotten half of it for free.
On Friday, it was rainy off and on. We managed to get a burro ride and petting zoo visit in. For $ 5 you get both, and the burro ride is actually goes a decent distance. It was long enough for my 3 year old to enjoy, but not get sick of. They started the fireworks early, which was a good thing. The show went faster than it would have normally, but the crowd didn’t mind. I think we were all glad it wasn’t rained out. The Saturday night show was anticlimactic. They had a few straggling fireworks go off after everyone thought the show was over, like they forget and needed to get them off. We knew the show was over when the lights finally came on.
Now to the thing that brings the rating down for this event. The rides section. Last year, my son was too young to go on the rides, so we don’t have any comparison. The company they brought in, Fun Zone Amusements, is ridiculously expensive. You can get a punch card for 24 «tickets» for $ 20. The roller coaster ride takes you around 3 times for $ 5 a person. If your kid is too small to ride by them self, then it’s $ 10 for you to take your kid around. Another ride is also $ 5 a person. The only somewhat decently priced rides are the kiddie swings and the barrel ride. I’m sure they have a choice in who they bring in, and I plan on letting them know that this company should definitely be tossed out.
Parking in the nearby neighborhood is a pain, and I feel bad for those who live there. If at all possible, don’t try to go out to 44^th when you leave. Get to the I-​70 service road and you’ll avoid most traffic, bikes, and pedestrians. In all, I would recommend going to the Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival. It’s laid back and an enjoyable time.