The carnival came to town on Saturday, Sept. 20. Brightly colored rides, food stands, information booths, and a music stage filled Boulevard East from 68th Street to 71st Street on a gorgeous day in late summer.
The occasion was Safe Kids Day, an annual event in Guttenberg.
“We do it every year,” said Mia Agurto, attending with her daughter Mayra, her mom Juana, and dog Gizmo.
“We’ve come four or five times,” said 9-year-old Mayra, eating pink cotton candy and barely able to contain her excitement.
“It’s good,” Mia said with a smile. “The people in the community get together.”
“The kids get to enjoy the day and the nice weather,” agreed Jarnells Laignelet, attending with his daughters Julissa (age 12) and Jazmin (8).
Galaxy Condominium resident Angela Esmilla has attended every year for about eight years. With her this year were her daughter Skye, brother Anthony, and friend Alex Holobinsky. “We love it,” said Esmilla. “We just got out here so Skye was about to do the wall but the line is too long. We’re going to go sit down and eat first.”
She was referring to the rock climbing tower, a popular hit with kids of all ages. Roped into a harness, eight-year-old Moksh Patel was making his way up the structure.
“We did a road trip around the whole country in summer and they did actual rock climbing,” said his father, Nitish Patel, another Galaxy resident. Down on the ground, Moksh’s five-year-old brother Shlok impatiently waited his turn, while sister Eshna, at 7 months old, looked around in wonder.
“We come every year,” said Patel. “They love it. They look forward to this, Safe Kids day.”
“This is an opportunity for [residents] to have a nice day out, the same type of activities they have down at the Shore. It brings the town together.” –Gerald Drasheff
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For the community, for the kids
“We’ve been doing this at least 12 years,” said Mayor Gerald Drasheff about the event. “And it’s gotten bigger and bigger. We get well over 2,000, 3,000 people. The idea was to have different booths – the police department, fire department, different services that could be available to families. And then to attract people, to attract kids, we do the rides. It’s the way we get people interested in the safety issues, by giving them something to do.”
The north end of the event was lined with tables manned by volunteers giving out flyers on fire safety, healthcare, and other useful information. Plastic fireman’s hats were distributed, and residents got a chance to meet Maximus, the therapy dog.
“Officially his title is American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen,” said Max’s owner, Marcello Gomez. Maximus is a 3-year-old, 100 pound American Akita, a breed initially raised to hunt bears. “But he’s very gentle. He visits with schools, he visits with seniors. He lives with a 94-year-old woman, my mom, and he’s with a lot of kids. He’ll go visit somebody that’s depressed, someone that is ill, and he’ll give them affection. Basically he likes making contact with people.”
Trained at Sit and Stay Dog Training and Behavioral Counseling in Hoboken, Maximus had to pass a test to receive his designation. “He had to be in a circle with a lot of dogs around him off the leash and have people go by him with wheelchairs, crutches, dropping things around him, have a dog barking at him and stay stationary, not show aggression,” said Gomez.
A big hit at the event, Max was approached and petted by countless kids – and more than a few adults. “He’s my pet and also my companion. I take him to different places. He’s a buddy,” said Gomez, who has worked as a counselor for 30 years and was manning a table filled with safety information about alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and violence.
Not far away, G.I. Johnny posed for photos with residents. At about 10 feet tall, G.I. Johnny couldn’t be missed in his camo fatigues and beret. “G.I. Johnny is a recruiting incentive we use,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Carlos Suarez about the giant inflatable suit worn by a fellow soldier. “He’s for community events, for kids. It’s about reaching out to the community and bridging the gap. That we are not just a fighting force, we’re your neighbors, your brothers and sisters, your fathers. That’s who we are as soldiers. This is about the community we live in and work in.”
Bringing the town together
“In this town you have an awful lot of residents who don’t get to go spend a week at the Shore,” said Mayor Drasheff. “So this is an opportunity for them to have a nice day out, the same type of activities they have down at the Shore. It brings the town together.”
The event is run by the recreation program and funded by the town. “It’s interesting that we’ve actually reduced the cost of this over the years,” said Drasheff. “At one time we used to provide the food. After a while that became very expensive so we went to having vendors.”
And the residents ate it up. Marisol Acosta was making her way through the crowd with her 9-year-old daughter Nyla. Nyla’s favorite food? “Shishkebab,” said Marisol. “She loves that. Out of everything else, she goes for the meat.”
Mom, however, could be found eyeing the cupcakes. “That’s why I’m here.”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.