Following a long, harsh winter, the Junior Friends of the Uniondale Public Library welcomed in spring by hosting the library’s first-ever carnival on April 4, offering plenty of games and prizes to over a dozen community members.
The library's lawn was transformed into a festive environment for children to play games, earn tickets and exchange them for prizes. Prizes included lanyards, bubbles, foam gliders, bouncy balls, croc accessories known as Jibbitz, silicone bracelets, resin animals and mini figurines. The balloon animal creations added to the excitement as children were able to carry around fun balloons like dogs and flowers.
Planning for the carnival began in January during the Junior Friends’ regular meeting. Junior Friends is a group of tweens and teenagers in grades 6-12 that helps promote and sponsor the library’s programs with a total of 84 members at the library. Throughout the planning process, group members were able to work together to decide on the games and prizes and to determine how the ticket system would work.
“There was a lot of decision-making and agreeing with each other,” Amanda Borgia, the library’s head of teen services and adult programming coordinator, said. “There was also discussion about how much each prize would be worth, so there was a lot of compromise.”
In choosing the carnival activities, Junior Friends were able to balance their creativity with practicality.
“Some of it was what we could find and what we could create,” Borgia said. “There were some suggestions that weren’t feasible this year, but we’re going to figure them out for next year.”
For Junior Friend Cole Lawry, 15, the carnival was about creating a fun experience for the children within the community.
“The Junior Friends Carnival is a day where everyone comes outside to have fun, play some games and entertain the little kids,” Lawry said. “We have some nice weather out, so it’s a chance for everyone to get outside and do some activities that they might not usually find at the library.”
During the organization for the event, he said that he found the group’s teamwork extremely rewarding.
“My favorite part about organizing this event has probably been the fun of working together and setting this all up,” he said. “We definitely had some struggles with the wind but knowing that we’re about to put smiles on these kids’ faces, makes it worth it.”
Through the experience, he was also able to learn the value of creating something meaningful for others. He added that the joy is in creating programs and activities, a feeling that “you can’t find anywhere else.”
Young attendees shared their excitement as they collected tickets and decided on the prizes that they were about to select.
“My favorite part is that we get prizes, and it’s really fun,” Lucianna-Marie Singh, 12, said.
Her little brother, Prince-Dev Singh, 8, said he enjoyed being outside and playing games, adding that he hopes to trade his tickets in for a rubber duck. “I hope they do it again next year because it’s really fun,” he said.
The event also created an opportunity for community outreach as Lauren Muldowney, a social work intern at the library, was able to attend and connect with families and offer support services.
“I like coming to children’s programs because it’s a great way to meet a lot of people at once and see what the needs are in the community,” Muldowney said.
Muldowney, who was placed at the library through her school, Adelphi University, emphasized the importance of events like the carnival in bringing people together and strengthening community connections.
“I think it’s really great for overall community engagement,” Muldowney said. “It’s nice to see kids mentoring kids, and programs like this help families get involved in ways that are fun and meaningful.”
The carnival not only provided entertainment and a chance to get outside for local families, but also gave the Junior Friends an experience in leadership, collaboration and community engagement as they lay the groundwork for what could become a new annual tradition at the library.
