By Allison Perrine
MONMOUTH COUNTY – It’s no surprise that beloved Two River area summer fairs have been canceled this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But it’s not just the carnival rides and games that will be missed.
Days-long fairs and festivals are major sources of revenue for some local fire companies and churches. Without them, organizations may face large deficits in their revenue streams this year. That includes the Church of Saint Leo the Great, which traditionally hosts a six-day popular carnival in June.
The absence of the carnival and additional interactive Parent Teacher Association fundraisers has made a “significant impact” on the revenue the church typically receives, said Joe Manzi, the general manager for the fair. Without these fundraisers, the church is predicting a $150,000 loss which otherwise would have supported capital improvements both at the school and church.
But “the real disheartening” part of not having the carnival, aside from the revenue loss, is the lost fun family atmosphere the carnival typically creates, said Manzi. The event draws anywhere between 15,000 to 17,000 attendees each year and it takes nearly 1,100 volunteers to put everything together, including games and food tents.
“Many people have joined Saint Leo’s because they’ve seen the family atmosphere at the carnival as well as the general loving, caring nature. We lose that ability of outreach,” said Manzi.
That stands especially true for residents of Luftman Towers, an affordable senior housing apartment building across the street from the church. According to Manzi, the residents are very supportive of the carnival and they enjoy the fun of the evening while having low-price, high-quality meals and drinks for an average of $5 per person. Historically, when the fair kicks off at 6 p.m. each night, 40 to 50 of the Luftman Towers residents are lined up waiting for food.
However, the pandemic hasn’t completely shuttered the fun. In June and July, the church hosted zeppole nights for anyone interested in feasting on Italian pastries while supporting St. Leo’s. On those nights, volunteers cooked in the school kitchen, put the pastries in bags and runners brought the treats from the kitchen to the parking lot. Visitors were able to drive up and purchase a bag for $5 while remaining in their car and practicing social distancing.
“The first night we did over 400 bags of zeppoles. We had to turn people away. We opened at 6 and by 6:30 we had to basically close the parking lot because there were so many people,” said Manzi. About two weeks later, they had another zeppole night and sold over 800 bags. “Who would think people would be so hungry for zeppoles?” Manzi joked.
He also shared his excitement that not only did people show up for zeppole nights from the local area, others came from Toms River and New Brunswick to support the cause. “To have people who would sit in their car for a half hour for a $5 bag of zeppoles just to interact was so heartwarming,” said Manzi.
St. Leo’s carnival wasn’t the only annual event canceled this summer; St. Mary’s in Middletown did not hold its summer fair this year, an event that normally brings large crowds to the church’s expansive parking lot every summer. Without it, the church is looking at a nearly $180,000 deficit that would otherwise cover mortgage payments. However, Henry Pekarsky, business manager and fair chairperson said the church has enough in savings to pay the mortgage for 10 months.
To raise additional funds in the meantime the church held a super 50/50 raffle in June and raised $75,240, which was split with the winner for $37,620. According to Pekarsky, that’s about the same amount that is raised at the fair.
“People came through on it because they knew we didn’t have a fair so they might have bought extra tickets,” he said. “Normally before the fair starts…we get about $10,000 up front and most of the money for the super 50/50 is raised through the six days of the fair. It was just unbelievable how people came to our rescue on that.”
The Fair Haven Fireman’s Fair is another popular tradition that Two River area residents will miss this year. But the fire department has been looking for alternative ways to gather donations. Anyone interested can also send monetary donations to: Fair Haven Vol. Fire Co. No.1 645 River Rd., Fair Haven, NJ 07704.
Fair Haven Councilwoman Susan Sorensen posted on Facebook that she was sorry to hear that the fair had been canceled, but she is “looking forward” to it in 2021. “I know this had to be such a hard decision,” she said.
The article originally appeared in the August 13 – 19, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
