VALE – The annual El Campo Carnival is scheduled to kick off Friday, June 9, at the Vale Rodeo grounds.
The event begins at 6 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. and will offer more than 20 games along with face painting, a silent auction and a treasure hunt for children and adults. Proceeds from the event support Vale youth baseball. Entry to the event is free but tickets to participate in the games and other activities are 50 cents.
“We want people to come and have fun,” said Sarah Rodriguez, one of the organizers.
More than 100 volunteers and groups including the Vale Community Coalition support El Campo.
The El Campo carnival began more than 30 years ago and was held in the upstairs meeting hall at the Golden Slipper and then the Vale Fire Hall.
The carnival, though, eventually faded but in 2019, Rodriguez and a group of local people revived the event. The carnival has been held annually since then, except for 2020 when the carnival was cancelled because of Covid.
More than 30 area organizations donated items for the event, said Rodriguez. U.S. Silica, for example, donated family swim passes while Malheur Drug contributed more than 200 prizes, said Rodriguez.
Tom Vialpando, Vale mayor, is one of the volunteers as part of the Vale Community Coalition and said the event is a “big deal.”
“One thing I hear as mayor is there is not a lot for kids to do around here. So, this brings in money for Little League baseball and since it began it’s been a big hit,” said Vialpando.
Rodriguez said there will be a lot of “amazing prizes” and several games geared toward Jurassic Park and dinosaurs.
“That’s really cool this year,” said Rodriguez.
News tip? Contact reporter Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
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