Carnival

In a quaint backyard near Chandler Boulevard, a helmet-clad executioner clutched a bloody ax as he loomed over a guillotine. Inside the house, the scenes were just as grizzly: a man strapped to an execution chair, a large coffin, scattered body parts on the ground and a dismembered head floating in a fish tank. But the blood and gore was all in good fun, part of a haunted house that Burbank residents Todd Ryan and Kevin Mulligan, aka The Executioner, built to give a sightseers a Halloween scare free of charge.

Maya Kukes NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- The playground at Thomas Edison Elementary School will be transformed into a carnival today. The theme of the carnival is "An American Adventure." Participants are invited to take a virtual trip around the country, playing games, winning prizes and making crafts. Food and drinks will be available, in addition to a bake sale and cake walk. There will also be music and a variety of entertainment. The carnival will from from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Edison Elementary School, 2110 W. Chestnut St. The playground is on Keystone Street.

Burbank students spent a day experiencing the different cultures they have been studying in social sciences and heightening their awareness of diversity. More than 500 students at John Muir Middle School participated in “Around the World,” Friday’s event promoting cultural awareness. “We’re trying to give the kids an authentic educational experience,” said Barry Sarna, a social sciences teacher at Muir. “Around the World” is a seventh-grade event that started almost 10 years ago, Sarna added.

Carnival kicks off Vacation Bible School DOWNTOWN -- The Salvation Army, Burbank Corps will kick off its Vacation Bible School with a "Carnival Celebration" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at 300 E. Angeleno Ave. in Burbank. There will be ice cream, cotton candy, nachos, snow cones, popcorn, face painting, jumping castles and a petting zoo. Hot dogs and sodas will be 50 cents. Vacation Bible School for children 3 to 12 will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday to Aug. 22. There will be Bible lessons, songs, games and crafts.

Irma Lemus VERDUGO PARK -- A formula of carnival rides, food and entertainment resulted in a whole lot of fun Thursday for the first day of the 53rd Annual Days of Verdugo festival. The four-day festival, the oldest event in Glendale, will run through Sunday, said festival chair Raymond Cooke. The festival is sponsored by the Glendale Junior Chamber of Commerce and celebrates the city's Spanish heritage. The Verdugos were the first Spanish family to settle in Glendale in the late 18th century.

--Lolita Harper MEDIA DISTRICT WEST -- The folks at Warner Bros. are going looney over the holidays. "The Looney Toons Costume Characters" invited children and their families from community organizations to join them Sunday for a holiday fair at the Warner Bros. Ranch. Kids from the Burbank Boys and Girls Club, Burbank Outreach Center and Burbank YMCA will play carnival games, go on rides, eat lots of food and have an opportunity to meet their favorite Looney Toons characters, This is the second year that the families from the Burbank Outreach Center has participated, said director Marissa Rosoff.

Tiny tots and their families got soaked Wednesday evening in the pirate-infested waters at McCambridge Park. Nearly 500 people attended the annual Pirate Adventure Water Carnival at the park's swimming pool. Games and activities with a pirate theme were set up around the pool at McCambridge Park and lifeguards dressed as pirates, with the guys wearing faux-tattered vests and the girls in black skirts tied with rope. Children of all ages participated, with activities going on every 15 minutes specifically tailored to ages 5 and up. "A lot of these kids are from our learn-to-swim program, and it's great because they learned to swim in these waters," Aquatics Program Coordinator Mary Nelson said.

More than 100 people from the community came out to celebrate Burbank Temple Emanu El's Purim Carnival on Sunday. Purim is a day in which the Jewish community celebrates the story of Esther, with a theme of unity and courage in the face of anti-Semitism, according to temple volunteer Laura Snow. The annual event drew adults and children with a variety of entertainment, including music, magic, games, prizes and hamantaschen cookies, which are named after Haman, the Jewish enemy in the story.

JAMES AND PATRICIA FRYMAN James and Patricia Fryman celebrated their 50th anniversary on Jan. 8 at the Pickwick Gardens in Burbank. The couple were married at St. Finbar Church in 1955. A total of 137 guests were present, including their children, Cherie Armstorff and her husband, Roland; Will Fryman and his wife, Ronni; Michael Fryman and his wife, Rose; and Nancy Cammarata and her husband, Jim; and their families and six grandchildren. The Esquires Orchestra performed big band music.

Irma Lemus HILLSIDE DISTRICT -- St. Francis Xavier Church and School is hosting its annual Old Tyme Country Faire. The fair began Friday and continues today from 3 p.m. to midnight and 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Carnival rides and midway games --including Burbank Mayor Bill Wiggins serving time in the dunk tank -- will thrill fair attendees. An arts and crafts sale, live entertainment, food and a prize drawing will also be part of the fun, organizers said.