Queen of Heaven Carnival
LETTER FROM THE CARNIVAL CHAIRMAN
As the sun sets on another Carnival, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished as a parish community. The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather all weekend and the crowd showed up. God was certainly watching over us as we did not have any major EMS or security issues. A profound thanks to the men and women of Vigilant Fire Department and the West Seneca Police who were with us all weekend long. Given the world we live in today, our committee takes this matter very seriously and many hours are dedicated to making sure our event is safe and enjoyable for all. I would also like to thank the Town of West Seneca for their support and cooperation.
We are fortunate to have outstanding leadership here at Queen of Heaven and I would like to thank Fr. Greg and Fr. Denning for their guidance. And of course, Seminarian James who we can always count on to jump in the Food Booth. Going all the way to last year coming out of the pandemic I am very grateful for Fr. Greg’s willingness to allow us to push the envelope on growing the Carnival. This year was no different. New initiatives like our free shuttle from West Seneca West High School and the new pan game joined carnival mainstays like Nevada, the Theme Baskets in a new location, and the return of souvenir mugs to set the bar even higher.
The final tally will not be determined until the end of August but the initial gross is absolutely stunning and a new Carnival record. I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support from our entire Western New York Community and undoubtedly beyond. I can only imagine that our Carnival founders who began the event as an ethnic food festival back in 1982 could never have envisioned it growing into the giant it is today. Indeed, the Queen of Heaven Carnival has become not just an event, but a brand that is recognizable and synonymous as the best in our region.
I would like to thank our Carnival Committee. Words cannot express the love and gratitude I have for each of you. Your tireless and dedicated effort to continue to push forward is beyond reproach. I do not want to leave anyone out, but I would like to offer special recognition to Terry Goracke, our Buildings & Grounds chairman who handles the layout and electrical issues and Jacquelyn Boss, our Volunteer Coordinator. Jacki worked so hard behind the scenes to make sure we had all the help we needed to pull this off. Lastly to our volunteers themselves – YOU ARE QUEEN OF HEAVEN CARNIVAL. There is no way we could have something this big without your selfless gift of service. From the bottom of my heart – THANK YOU!
As we move forward, know that Carnival 2023 is in great hands as Emily Melski takes over as next year’s General Chairperson. Emily was this year’s Vice Chair and helped me with so many things. She will be the second youngest chair in Carnival history, and I know without a doubt that she will bring fresh ideas and do a fantastic job. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of Summer and that the Lord continues to watch over and bless Queen of Heaven Parish and school.
Neil Herman, Class of ‘92 General Chairman
As the sun sets on another Carnival, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what we have accomplished as a parish community. The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather all weekend and the crowd showed up. God was certainly watching over us as we did not have any major EMS or security issues. A profound thanks to the men and women of Vigilant Fire Department and the West Seneca Police who were with us all weekend long. Given the world we live in today, our committee takes this matter very seriously and many hours are dedicated to making sure our event is safe and enjoyable for all. I would also like to thank the Town of West Seneca for their support and cooperation.
We are fortunate to have outstanding leadership here at Queen of Heaven and I would like to thank Fr. Greg and Fr. Denning for their guidance. And of course, Seminarian James who we can always count on to jump in the Food Booth. Going all the way to last year coming out of the pandemic I am very grateful for Fr. Greg’s willingness to allow us to push the envelope on growing the Carnival. This year was no different. New initiatives like our free shuttle from West Seneca West High School and the new pan game joined carnival mainstays like Nevada, the Theme Baskets in a new location, and the return of souvenir mugs to set the bar even higher.
The final tally will not be determined until the end of August but the initial gross is absolutely stunning and a new Carnival record. I am truly humbled by the outpouring of support from our entire Western New York Community and undoubtedly beyond. I can only imagine that our Carnival founders who began the event as an ethnic food festival back in 1982 could never have envisioned it growing into the giant it is today. Indeed, the Queen of Heaven Carnival has become not just an event, but a brand that is recognizable and synonymous as the best in our region.
I would like to thank our Carnival Committee. Words cannot express the love and gratitude I have for each of you. Your tireless and dedicated effort to continue to push forward is beyond reproach. I do not want to leave anyone out, but I would like to offer special recognition to Terry Goracke, our Buildings & Grounds chairman who handles the layout and electrical issues and Jacquelyn Boss, our Volunteer Coordinator. Jacki worked so hard behind the scenes to make sure we had all the help we needed to pull this off. Lastly to our volunteers themselves – YOU ARE QUEEN OF HEAVEN CARNIVAL. There is no way we could have something this big without your selfless gift of service. From the bottom of my heart – THANK YOU!
As we move forward, know that Carnival 2023 is in great hands as Emily Melski takes over as next year’s General Chairperson. Emily was this year’s Vice Chair and helped me with so many things. She will be the second youngest chair in Carnival history, and I know without a doubt that she will bring fresh ideas and do a fantastic job. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of Summer and that the Lord continues to watch over and bless Queen of Heaven Parish and school.
Neil Herman, Class of ‘92 General Chairman
Dear Parishioners
God is good! We had almost perfect weather for our Carnival last week-end, and this allowed us to reap the benefit of all the work that everyone put in throughout the year preparing for and executing our largest annual event. Our 41st Annual Carnival is complete, and it was a record breaker for the largest gross amount taken in the history of the Queen of Heaven Carnival. Exact numbers are not totally in, and time will tell how much we actually will profit from it. Costs certainly have gone up and bills need to be paid, but it all looks very promising. While I cannot begin to name all the individuals who have contributed with heroic fervor, I do want to thank again Neil Herman, this year’s general chairperson, Emily Melski the vice-chair, the Carnival Committee, and the hundreds of others who worked at the Carnival serving people directly or behind the scenes! I would be remiss if I also did not thank all those who were praying for good weather and the success of the Carnival. Certainly, we can do nothing without God’s help, and we were blessed with great weather and a safe experience. It was truly a remarkable event. Congratulations to all who have been involved in putting together this premier event in the Southtowns!
God Bless!
Fr. Greg
God is good! We had almost perfect weather for our Carnival last week-end, and this allowed us to reap the benefit of all the work that everyone put in throughout the year preparing for and executing our largest annual event. Our 41st Annual Carnival is complete, and it was a record breaker for the largest gross amount taken in the history of the Queen of Heaven Carnival. Exact numbers are not totally in, and time will tell how much we actually will profit from it. Costs certainly have gone up and bills need to be paid, but it all looks very promising. While I cannot begin to name all the individuals who have contributed with heroic fervor, I do want to thank again Neil Herman, this year’s general chairperson, Emily Melski the vice-chair, the Carnival Committee, and the hundreds of others who worked at the Carnival serving people directly or behind the scenes! I would be remiss if I also did not thank all those who were praying for good weather and the success of the Carnival. Certainly, we can do nothing without God’s help, and we were blessed with great weather and a safe experience. It was truly a remarkable event. Congratulations to all who have been involved in putting together this premier event in the Southtowns!
God Bless!
Fr. Greg
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Sweepstakes Winners
Many thanks to all who purchased a ticket to support this year’s Carnival Cash Giveaway and a special congratulations to all of our winners! |
$100 Prize: Paula Hostler, Gregory Klima, & Patricia Nightengale
$200 Prize: Cecelia Rexford, Armand DeLucia
$400 Prize: Mary Ann Quinlivan, Mindy Jemigan
$1,000 Prize: Owen Williams
$1,500 Prize: Scott Wiles
$8,000 Prize: Daniel Horning
$200 Prize: Cecelia Rexford, Armand DeLucia
$400 Prize: Mary Ann Quinlivan, Mindy Jemigan
$1,000 Prize: Owen Williams
$1,500 Prize: Scott Wiles
$8,000 Prize: Daniel Horning
Carnival Map
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