Grateful for the support shown by the community, Millersville-Manor VFW Post 7294 is excited to give back by providing a fun, family-friendly event.

Post 7294 will hold its second annual Summer Carnival on Wednesday, June 18, through Saturday, June 21, from 6 to 10 p.m. in the banquet hall parking lot, 219 Walnut Hill Road, Millersville. There will be a fireworks show Friday, June 20, at 9 p.m. The fireworks will be postponed until Saturday if the weather is bad on Friday. The carnival will be held rain or shine and will only be canceled if there is lightning.

Tickets are on sale at the VFW or by going to http://www.vfwpost7294.org. Anyone who purchases tickets prior to June 18 will receive a discounted price.

Tons of Funs Shows will provide rides such as a Ferris wheel, Vortex, and Zipper; games, including balloon bust, water race, and mini basketball shot; and carnival staples like cotton candy, funnel cake, french fries, and lemonade.

Food trucks will also be on hand throughout the carnival. TacoRV, Raggamuffin Kitchen, Ph'usion Mobile Cuisine, and Funcky Candy X-Press will sell food on June 18. Thursday, June 19, will be VFW Food Night, and all proceeds will support veterans and community events. On June 20, Tanks Taters, Ezzy Eats, and Rollin' Phatties BBQ Smokeshack will have food for sale. HotBox BBQ and Latin Touch will sell food on June 21.

There will also be a dunk tank from 6 to 9 p.m. each night. Post 7294 will provide live entertainment outdoors from 6 to 9 p.m. on June 20 and 21, with End of Days performing on Friday and The Attic Dwellers on Saturday.

The VFW's auxiliary will be offering chances to win prize baskets and will hold bingo in the banquet hall.

June 18 will also be First Responders Night. Fire trucks and police departments will be there with their own booths with games and activities for kids.

Military Appreciation Night will be held on June 19 with representatives of the military branches hosting small games and activities for kids.

The Summer Carnival is the brainchild of Post 7294 quartermaster Rick Brown. His daughter Jennie Prange helps organize the Solanco Football Boosters carnival in Quarryville. "They've been very successful, and I thought, 'Why can't we do that?'" Brown said.

When a Millersville church stopped holding a carnival after COVID, Brown saw an opening. "I thought we've got a lot of area out here, and we could probably do one," he said.

The inaugural Summer Carnival was held in mid-July last year and was met with rave reviews. "Everybody loved it," Brown said.

The post decided to move it closer to the time the school year ends. "We're really big on community here," said McKayla Herman, who is the banquet manager for Post 7294. "We do a lot of events for the community. We're really big on families, and we're really big on kids. We want to see them out here having fun."

Herman added that she enjoys seeing adults, including veterans, enjoying rides alongside children. "It's cool to see the entire community - from toddlers to 60- and 70-year-olds - out there having a great time," she said. "People are constantly thanking us for holding family-oriented activities, and we try to do things that everyone can come and enjoy."

The carnival is not designed to be a fundraiser. "Our community is good about supporting us," Herman said. "They see how much we do and give back to them, and they're pretty good about showing up for us."

Any organization or booster club that would like to set up a booth at the carnival can call Brown at 717-330-1649 or Herman at 717-693-3557.