The Big Glen Burnie Carnival, a community staple since 1908, will not light up summer nights this year, organizers said on Monday.
“The board was advised that it was no longer economically feasible for the [Glen Burnie Improvement Association] to conduct this event due to lack of volunteers, increased expenses, and the inability to establish an equitable agreement with the carnival company,” the association’s board of directors said in a Facebook post, adding that it made the decision in February.
“It is unlikely that we’ll have a traditional The Big Glen Burnie Carnival in the future,” GBIA secretary Candy Fontz said in an email message Wednesday. “Other types of carnivals are uncertain.”
The carnival was cancelled for the first time in 2020 amid coronavirus pandemic restrictions, according to the Capital Gazette. It returned in 2022.
The carnival was created to raise money to build sidewalks along Crain Highway, which was then an oyster shell roadway. Men who walked to the train station grew tired of the dusty conditions of the highway and the slippery surface when it rained. Women were frustrated by their dresses getting dirty.
Albert Hamlen suggested that a carnival could help raise money for the sidewalks. The first year’s proceeds of $220, along with matching funds from a local company, paid for the sidewalk project.
County Executive Steuart Pittman said in a statement that, “The Glen Burnie Carnival has been a long-standing community staple, bringing people together and fostering a sense of local pride and volunteerism. It will be sorely missed.”
