More than 400 people showed up for the Florissant Library’s end-of-summer carnival. The library, in partnership with The Friends of the Florissant and Divide libraries, hosted its second annual carnival on Sept. 5.

“I didn’t know what to expect when our dad said we were going, but I loved everything about it,” Adalyn Freeman, 8, said. “My favorite games were knocking down cans at the bean bag toss and shooting the ducks with a squirt gun. I also got my face painted with a music note and a rose. It was really fun.”

The all-ages event also included a bounce house, a balloon twister, bubble zone, a tattoo station, dinosaur races, plush prizes and a concession stand serving “the best root beer floats in the known universe” as well as hot dogs, cotton candy and popcorn.

Residents of Teller County enjoy coming together as a community, and the Rampart Library District makes these community events a priority.

“The carnival was a huge success last year, and it was even better this year, Florissant Library branch manager Jennie Tesch said. “I’m sure it will be even better next year. The enthusiasm is there.”

Events like the library carnival require a lot of man-hours to execute and often require funding outside the existing library budget. A dozen volunteers with The Friends of the Florissant and Divide Libraries provided over 100 hours of work to make the carnival special and also contributed the dollars needed to take the wow factor to the next level.

“Our volunteers and donors love our libraries and are invaluable,” FoFDL President Rita Lepinskie said. “They make wonderful things happen for our community.”

The next partnership event happening at the Florissant Library will be its annual Trunk-or-Treat on Oct. 24. Those interested in attending, providing a trunk or volunteering can find details on the Rampart Library District’s website. Unopened bags of candy and new or gently used Halloween decorations are welcomed and can be dropped at either the Florissant or Divide libraries.