Carnival for Kids

February 22, 2016 at 12:00a.m.

Zion Lutheran church sponsors event for children

YOUNGSTOWN

If anyone wondered about Brooke Gerst’s gymnastics prowess and talents, all they had to do was watch her quickly and confidently dash through an elaborate obstacle course.

“I began gymnastics when I was 18 months old. I practice four times a week and for four hours a day,” the 11-year-old Canfield Middle School sixth-grader explained, adding that among the areas in which she competes are on vault, floor and the balance beam.

Brooke was among the youngsters who meandered

between rope patterns, went under and over sets of chairs, crawled through cardboard tents and navigated around colored cones – all of which were part of the festivities that made up Sunday’s fourth annual Zion Lutheran Kids’ Carnival at Zion Lutheran Church, 3300 Canfield Road, on the West Side.

The 90-minute family-friendly funfest was to raise money for God’s Global Barnyard, an effort that is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s World Hunger Program. GGB is dedicated to providing resources, livestock and farming supplies to people in Third World countries who are underprivileged, noted Janelle Nagy, one of the carnival’s co-chairwomen and the church’s Sunday school coordinator.

A goal for Sunday’s event was to raise $20,000 via food, games and a silent auction, said Nagy, who added that Dorothy Downie, another church member, also assisted.

For her part, Brooke improved her score each of the three times she attempted the obstacle course. Accompanying the sixth-grader to the gathering were her parents, Brian and Shawne Gerst; her brother, Evan, 5; and 9-year-old sister, Karley.

“She’s hard-working and athletic, and a well-rounded, good girl,” Shawne said about Brooke.

Having her share of fun, while receiving a bit of a workout monitoring the obstacle course was Cher Theisler, a 37-year church member.

Children at the indoor carnival, most of whom were between age 2 and 12, had little difficulty staying entertained, having also enjoyed an inflatable bounce castle, sack races, bowling, bean bags, face painting, a clown, golf and a pegboard game.

Among those who teed off several times on one of the two makeshift golf strips were Landon Bellin, 3, and his sister, Laina, 2, of Cortland. Giving the siblings a little assistance with their putts was their mother, Lisa Bellin.

“It’s our first time here,” Lisa said. “They can’t wait to move on to the next [activity].”

Another draw for many of the children was the “disco bowl” attraction, in which participants won tickets for successfully rolling small plastic balls through any of four colored tubes.

Also available were hot dogs, sloppy-joe sandwiches, pizza and other food, all for under $1.

The church’s Sunday school teachers oversaw most of the games and activities. They included Laura Volenik, who handled the sack races.

In addition, the carnival provided an opportunity for people to donate to a school-supply collection for children who are less fortunate.

The fest also ties into several themes that are in the Book of Acts, some of which talk about the importance of fellowship as a virtue to Christian living, noted the Rev. Duane Jesse, Zion Lutheran’s pastor.

Beyond that, the carnival was a good way to bring more people together and provide plenty of fun for youngsters, many of whom likely are yearning for spring and more time outdoors.

“This is a nice space to be used for a mid-winter activity,” the Rev. Mr. Jesse said. “It’s all good, clean fun for the entire family.”