Celebrate the end of summer at the Eastern York Recreation Authority Carnival. The event will be held from Wednesday, Aug. 19, through Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Hellam Men's Baseball Field, 20 Franklin St. The hours on Wednesday and Thursday will be 6 to 9 p.m., and the carnival will run from 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The community is invited to come out and enjoy a dozen rides, games, food vendors, booths from community groups and more. A car show will be held on Friday, and fireworks will take place on Saturday. Each evening will also offer live entertainment. On Wednesday, various church groups will perform. On Thursday, Corina Rose will entertain. Friday's band will be the Misfit Boys, and Hot Rod Mule will wrap up the entertainment on Saturday.

This year will mark the first time the Eastern York Recreation Authority is running the carnival, which was launched by Hellam Area Recreation 22 years ago, said Jessica Cirilo, director of Eastern York Recreation Authority.

"In 2018, the Eastern York Recreation Authority took over the Hellam Area Recreation's existing sports programs, and last year they asked us if we would be willing to take the carnival over as they dissolved," Cirilo explained. "We are lucky enough to have experienced volunteers from the former Hellam Rec board assisting in this transition."

While the recreation authority plans to make some changes to the carnival, that won't happen this year, she noted, explaining that people can expect the same fun and festivities they've come to know at the event.

Along with providing entertainment, the carnival is a fundraiser for community programs.

"This allows us to continue to improve our parks and recreation programs," Cirilo said. "This is also a great opportunity for other nonprofit organizations in our community to showcase themselves and raise funds."

She's looking forward to introducing more people to the Eastern York Recreation Authority at the carnival as well.

"We aren't just sports, although that is a lot of what we do," she stated. "We offer programming for all ages and want Eastern York to be a place where people can live, play and work. Our goal is to offer programs and services that appeal to a wide audience and benefit all ages."

She encourages people to come out for one - or all - of the carnival days.

"Typically, the carnival has always been around the first day of school, but not this year," she said. "Come enjoy the last days of summer with great food, music, rides and ending with an amazing fireworks display."

There is no cost for admission to the carnival, and street parking is free. For more information, follow "Eastern York Recreation Authority Carnival" on Facebook.