Seventeen years in, Eddie Van Vlack still considers the PYAC Community Carnival a rare find — a fundraiser that advances the club’s mission at the same time it pays for it.
“Anytime you’re in the nonprofit world, you’re trying to find ways to raise money for your programs,” Van Vlack, PYAC’s executive director, said. “But then when you stumble on something like this that allows us to raise money for our programs, but also becomes an evening that is so aligned with our mission of making sure that youth have positive activities to do, it’s just a home run.”
The payoff, for Van Vlack, comes at the opening rush onto Clemens Field.
“To see the kids, when they hit that field running … to think that they’re having that much fun, and it’s that cool of an event, and that we’re making money off of it to be able to make sure that all of our programs throughout the course of the year are successful,” he said. “It’s just cool to me to have events that the community looks forward to, and that are so, so successful.”
The 17th annual carnival returns Friday evening to Philomath High School with inflatables, games, food, prizes and a silent auction packed onto the football field for three hours. The May 29 event runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Admission is free, but the inflatables and games require a wristband, which costs $25 for ages 6 and older and $20 for ages 5 and younger. Wristbands are available at the gate or in advance at PYAC. Children of all ages are welcome.
This year’s wristband marks a milestone of sorts — it is the first price increase since the carnival debuted in 2008.
“The rate increase, it’s the only one we’ve ever had,” Van Vlack said. “We didn’t want to do it, we put it off as long as we could but inevitably it was just time to make a small increase.”
The carnival has run every year since 2008 except 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic forced its cancellation.
The money raised Friday goes into the organization’s general fund.
“It all goes to making sure that we can accomplish our mission, which is ensuring that every kid and family can participate in any and all PYAC programs, regardless of their ability to pay the fees, whether that’s sports or childcare, clubhouse, and even the carnival,” Van Vlack said.
That principle applies to the carnival gate, too. No family should stay home over the cost, Van Vlack said.
“I know that there’s some families that look at your $25 wristband and can’t do it,” he said. “If the cost is prohibitive, don’t hesitate to reach out to PYAC and we’ll make it happen, we’ll get wristbands that will get kids there.”
The club leans on teachers and sponsors to reach those families. Every teacher in the district receives a couple of wristbands to pass along, and many sponsors redirect theirs the same way.
“Well over half of the sponsors, rather than utilizing their wristbands, they email back and say please donate them to families that otherwise would not be able to go,” Van Vlack said. “So we certainly want to make sure anybody who wants to attend can.”
PYAC is still looking for help. The club needs teenagers and adults to staff stations, plus crews for setup and teardown on Friday. High school and eighth-grade students can sign up at the high school office.
Recruiting has grown tougher since the carnival shifted in 2022 from the fall to the spring, a busy stretch on the youth calendar.
“It seems like it’s been harder and more challenging to get volunteers, and I think part of that is the busiest time of year, there’s so many things going on activities wise for those kids,” Van Vlack said.
The trade-off has been worth it. Attendance and the money it brings in have surged since the move.
“It worked out great because since we switched it, attendance and profit margin have been through the roof,” he said. “They’ve been way better than it was in the fall. … We just understand that getting the youth volunteers is more and more tricky. The biggest plea would be just trying to get any and all volunteers that we can to help.”
The shortfall has a visible cost on carnival night.
“Inevitably what will happen if we don’t have enough people, is we just won’t have as many attractions,” he said. “If we can’t man all the stations, then we just have to shut down certain stations, but we certainly hope that that’s not the case.”
S&K Wacky Indoor Bounce returns as PYAC’s longtime partner on the inflatables.
“He does have a lot of new carnival games, which is great,” Van Vlack said of the S&K operator. “Typically there’s somewhere between 10 and 15 large inflatables, and at least 10 to 15 carnival games.”
Food and treats round out the evening, with Gary and Kathy White returning to barbecue on their Beaver grill — a fixture of the event.
“I think they’ve been there every single year,” Van Vlack said. “I can’t say enough about them.”
The concessions are less about revenue than service, he said, offering families a convenient supper option while they are already on site.
“We don’t make a ton of money on the concessions portion of things, we do it more as a service for the volunteers, and then as a convenience for the family since they’re there right at supper time,” Van Vlack said. “But with that said, the last two years we’ve sold out with just about everything.”
The event’s popularity has created long lines at the gate. PYAC is adding multiple lines this year to ease the wait, but Van Vlack encouraged attendees to skip it altogether by buying wristbands ahead of time.
“It’s gotten so popular the last few years that the line to get in and get your wristbands can be a little challenging,” he said. “Anybody who wants to avoid that, they can literally go to PYAC any day this weekend and pre-purchase their wristbands, so they can just walk right in and avoid the lines completely.”
Adults interested in volunteering can call PYAC at 541-929-4040.
