By Amanda Kraus
The distant thumping of music can be heard from the parking lot of beautiful Wampus Brook Park. As you approach, the constant beat gives way to the familiar melody of a popular song flowing from the fair’s DJ booth. As you make your way towards the lights, fun, and people, the comforting smell of buttery popcorn fills your nose, drawing you in even further. It is at the 43rd annual Armonk Lions Club Fol de Rol that I find myself walking through crowds of people: babies, children, adults, and grandparents, all enjoying the myriad of activities that you can find at the fair.
While parking, admission, and many activities are free, the Fol de Rol is the Armonk Lions Club sole fundraiser for community service projects and charitable causes; it’s motto is “we serve,” as Linda Trummer-Napolitano, the fair organizer, writes, “All Lions Clubs belong to the International Lions and all raise funds for various community organizations to meet the needs of others in times of hardship or disaster.” The fair features over nine carnival rides, which require tickets or rides bracelets that can be purchased at the ticket booth.
There are also different events, such as “the ‘Clydsedale’ type horses on Friday night, antique cars on view for Saturday morning; there are racing pings in the rides area that will be performing on Saturday and Sunday; on Saturday, the DYNAMO Dogs from Maryland are performing–these rescue dogs have been trained to do an amazing variety of tricks and have performed all over the country,” says Trummer-Napolitano. The fair has over 60 craft and food vendors, ranging from Greek cuisine to your typical carnival hot dogs; there is also a face painter, a henna tattoo artist, and a body glitter artist. Other than a DJ, the fair hosts many local artists performing in a wide variety of genres: jazz, 80s rock, pop, and acoustic folk–on Sunday the middle school band performed at noon.
I asked Trummer-Napolitano what her favorite activity at the fair is, to which she replied, “I love to go watch the crowds and shop at the various craft vendors booths; we have a lot of local food vendors from the Hudson Valley, such as an olive oil vendor and a maple syrup vendor, and there are some really creative jewelry vendors coming this year.”
There is something for everyone every year at the Fol de Rol. Regardless of age, you are guaranteed to have a good time. Admission was free too! Best of all, you can make a difference and support your community by enjoying the rides and local vendors. See you next year!
Inside Press summer intern Amanda Kraus is a rising junior at Tulane University studying English, Philosophy, and Psychology.
