Rides, games and food are taking over part of the Nittany Mall parking lot this week.
Powers and Thomas Midway rolled into College Township on Sunday and began setting up its traveling carnival, which will be open Wednesday through Saturday in the lot outside the former Bon-Ton location. On Wednesday through Friday, the carnival will be open at 5 p.m. and will close at 11 p.m. at the latest, depending on crowd size and weather. On Saturday, it opens at 2 p.m.
Charlie Belknap, marketing and public relations manager for Powers and Thomas, said the visit is a ‘transition stop.’ The carnival was in southeastern Pennsylvania last week and State College is just about the midpoint on the way to its next stop in the northwestern part of the state. A booking agency, meanwhile, contacted Nittany Mall management about stopping on the way to operate the carnival for four days.
Wristbands good for all mechanical rides are $20, but Nittany Mall shoppers can get $5 off with a purchase at any mall retailer.
‘Hopefully it drives people to the mall, so the mall makes money, and then it drives people to us as well,’ Belknap said.
The carnival features some special thrill rides such as Speed, which stands 100 feet tall and accelerates riders to 3.6 g, Belknap said. There’s also the High Flyer, a flying loop that takes riders 50 feet above the ground, and the Pharaoh’s Fury swinging boat.
‘We brought some major rides in here,’ Belknap said. ‘Our rides are kind of unique. They’re not the normal rides you’ll see at a typical county fair. We’ve got some one-off rides here that are different.’
For kids, there is a 105-feet tall slide and a number of other kiddie rides like the tractor and motorcycle rides. And for the whole family, there’s a grand carousel and Ferris wheel, among others. Because of space and travel timing, Powers and Thomas couldn’t bring everything it would normally have at a full carnival.
The midway also has the carnival food you’d expect — such as pizza, ice cream, cotton candy and fried dough– and games.
For those who don’t want to buy a wristband, single tickets are available for $1.25 each or $20 for a sheet of 22.
‘Hopefully this is a win-win for the mall and the area,’ Belknap said.
It’s not the only big carnival in Centre County this week. The Snow Shoe Carnival is under way Tuesday through Saturday at Snow Shoe Park on Route 144, featuring entertainment, rides, games and food with a midway by Garbrick’s Amusements.
The Snow Shoe parade is at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday and fireworks are at 10:15 p.m. on Saturday.
