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OUT & ABOUT
BY LINDA K. Ballard lballard@kilgorenewsherald.com
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The Kilgore Lions Club Halloween Carnival started in 1948 and is the longest-running family event in Kilgore, according to Randy Renshaw, club treasurer and past president.
“At one time the carnival was so large it was held at the R.E. St. John football stadium’s parking lot and across the street at the little league baseball park,” he said. “Martin Street was closed off. Everything was wired and set up in one day. It was removed and packed away by the next day. There were 15 booths plus rides. As a kid, I never could figure out how it could disappear so quickly. That was before I realized the amount of volunteers and members it took to put it together.”
In the early 90s, the house used for storage was torched and organizers had to rebuild all of the booths. The booths were originally made from 1x4s and were rebuilt out of metal. In 1995, the carnival moved to the present location of the club building at 307 N. Rusk St. in Kilgore.
COVID decreased the carnival in size again last year, but it was still held. This year, the carnival will include the most popular Ham and Turkey Bingo, the cake walk, food and drink booths, and the prize raffle.
The carnival starts at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30. Raffle tickets remain the same at $5 each or five for $20.
COURTESY PHOTO
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