Carnival returning to Swampscott after two decades

SWAMPSCOTT – The last time Swampscott held a carnival, Eugene Dean Jr. helped his father run the show. Now, over two decades later, it’s his turn.”I was more of an underling, a worker bee,” Dean Jr., President of Fiesta Shows, said of the last time he visited Swampscott. “Now I’m the mortgage holder.”The Swampscott Recreation Committee will be hosting the carnival at Phillips Park from June 16-19.”We haven’t had a carnival here in 20-something years,” explained Recreation Director Danielle Strauss. “We’re pretty excited to do something new in Swampscott.Strauss said that she remembered the last carnival as being held in Vinnin Square, where Borders Books is located today. When she called Fiesta Shows to inquire about doing a carnival in town, she said she asked Dean if he had ever heard of Swampscott. He told her he had visited there with his father’s show.But Dean said a lot has changed since the last time he was at a carnival in town.”Twenty years ago we were still gasoline-driven and everything now is electric and hydraulic,” he said. “Most of our rides now are coming in from Italy and Germany. Twenty years ago they would have been American manufacturers.Now the carnival also has a more specific audience for its most popular rides. “What are they called, 10-to-12 years old? kind of a mix between teenagers and teens? tweenies?” Dean asked.Regardless, he said, they love the Traffic Jam, which the Fiesta Shows website illustrates as different style vehicles driving around on a tilting platform. He also said, after last week’s weather events, he thinks the Tornado and its larger cousin, the Cyclone, are “appropriate for the weather around here.”Certain carnival treats do seem timeless. Strauss’ press release lists candy apples, fried dough and sausages as on the menu.And though it’s taken 20 years to get a carnival back in town, Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said that the event was something the town was willing to try.”Anytime we can bring community together for positive and upbeat events for kids and families, that’s a good thing,” Maylor said. “It helps people feel good about the community they live in.”Meanwhile, Dean said that he’ll be feeling different emotions when he brings the carnival to town. He said he’ll be remembering his father.If You Go?The Swampscott Carnival will be held at Phillips Park from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 19. Carnival hours will be from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday nights, from 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday and from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. There will be rides and games for all ages. Discount coupons can be picked up at Town Hall in the lobby or in the Recreation Office. For more information, contact Town of Swampscott Recreation Director Danielle Strauss at 781-596-8854.