By Gary Hermann

Local kids got a chance to play festival games and be with UK students on campus Tuesday at Kitty Karnival, an event sponsored by the Student Activities Board.

Student organizations set up booths with activities for children and gave away candy and other prizes. Many Greek organizations, music organizations, Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow and other groups had booths. The event also had Halloween-themed music, cotton candy, a pie toss, face painting and a football toss.

Rosie’s Ponies had a petting zoo for the kids.

Many children arrived in costume since this year’s theme was “Where little ghosts and goblins come to play.”

Beth Goebel, SAB Traditions Committee Kitty Karnival chair, said she was hoping to have 150 children attend in part because of the great fall weather.

Jeb Jarrell, mechanical engineering junior, was with the Farmhouse booth that had a Halloween themed duck-pond and a student in a gorilla suit.

Kitty Karnival is “a good way to be involved on campus and do something good for children,” Jarrell said.

The students were excited to welcome the young people to our campus.

“I think little kids like to be around teenagers,” said Ariel Danek, nutrition sophomore with Kappa Kappa Gamma. “It makes them feel important.”

Kappa Kappa Gamma hosted the “Kappa Can Knockdown,” where kids had two chances to knock down cans and were given a prize.

Praveen Chenna, a Pulmonary and Critical Care Doctor with UK Healthcare, brought his 2 and a half -year-old son. He joked his son may have been “flirting with the sorority girls.”

Cheena was impressed by the location and atmosphere of the event.

“It’s a nice way for us as parents to be a part of UK in a way we wouldn’t normally be,” Chenna said.

This year’s event built on the success of Kitty Karnivals in previous years.

“It’s great to get all the organizations involved with Homecoming to put on an event to get the community together,” Goebel said.