Ortonville- The show will go on.
After some juggling of locations, plans are now concrete for the village’s first carnival in many years. The Ortonville Lions Club will welcome Schmidt Amusements to town from June 1 to June 3 at the new Lane Car Company location, 110 Ortonville Road.
‘This should be a win-win for everyone,? said Wayne Wills, Lions Club spokesman. ‘There is high exposure with Lane’s location next to M-15 and there will be parking on-site for 200 to 300 vehicles.?
Carnival goers can also walk to the event from downtown, where the CreekFest will be taking place on Saturday, June 2, using the sidewalk along Mill Street, and crossing M-15 at the traffic light. A sidewalk on the west side of M-15 will take pedestrians south past Rite-Aid, the Little Narrin Plaza and to Lane Car Company.
Narrin Street from Mill Street to M-15 will be closed to vehicle traffic as well as pedestrians in order to alleviate safety concerns. In addition, the Brandon School District will provide shuttle service in a continuous loop from downtown as well as the Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School, 300 South Street (where additional parking can be found) to the carnival.
Brandon Fletcher Intermediate School was the Lions Club’s initial suggestion for the location of the carnival; however, concerns by school officials over disruptions to the school day caused the Lions to seek an alternate location.
‘I am absolutely elated to have the carnival here for the Lions Club,? said Jim Lane, owner of Lane Car Company. ‘We have ample parking and expect to have at least 200, possibly up to 300, spaces available. I’m looking forward to everyone coming in and having a great time for the weekend. I think it will be a smash, just awesome.?
Lane plans to keep his showroom open for business that weekend and will be offering various promotions.
Schmidt Amusements, a Standish-based company, is providing the carnival, and will use space roughly the size of a football field on the Lane lot for about 11 rides total, including ‘Gravitron,? ‘Tilt-a-Whirl,? a 45-foot high Ferris wheel, carousel, slide, and several children’s rides in addition to a midway featuring games and concessions.
Wills said the Lions hope the carnival draws attention to CreekFest, the event that celebrates Kearsley Creek, with educational and interactive exhibits, a Birds of Prey show, live music and more downtown.