52nd annual Fun Frolic in full throttle

As summer officially begins, so does the 52nd annual Fun Frolic.

The carnival, in the northwest parking lot of Memorial Stadium, runs until Saturday. A portion of the proceeds benefit event sponsors Big Brothers and Big Sisters of South Central Indiana and IU Campus Child Care.

Since 1957, the Fun Frolic has been a Bloomington tradition, offering visitors family-friendly activities while also helping the youth of the community. The event staff said it encourages everyone to come out and share the fun.

The stadium lot was peppered with large crowds kicking off summer with traditional carnival favorites including rides, fried food and games.

“Crowd favorites include the Himalaya and Downdraft rides,” said event volunteer Jennifer Floyd. Along with those two rides, the Fun Frolic also offers more than 20 other rides including standards such as the scrambler, bumper cars and a carousel. Games are also available at the event, many with the guarantee that kids always win.

Food choices include Italian sausage, corn dogs and hamburgers. Patrons can snack on funnel cakes as well other sweet treats including caramel corn and candy apples, priced from $2 to $7. Gates open at 6 p.m. on weeknights and 5 p.m. on weekends and close at 11 p.m. every night.

“The best time to come is at night, since it will be cooler,” Floyd said.

Admission and parking are both free, and tickets are $1 each. Most rides cost two tickets. Specials occur all next week to help save money. Tuesday is Ladies’ Night, during which women can purchase an unlimited ride pass for $10. Regular passes are $15 throughout the week.

Thursday is two-for-one night, where patrons can ride two rides for the price of one.