A Day of Fun at Family Carnival
About 4,000 people visited the Family Carnival Day organized by a church, Glory Christian Centre (GCC), in Kota Kinabalu on November 7 as 63 people bled for a good cause.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Blood Bank collected blood from donors as crowds thronged the numerous game stalls, food stalls, service counters and children’s fun corner set up within the church’s premises at Damai in conjunction with the piblic holiday marking Hari Raya Haji. The six-hour carnival which started at 10am, was aimed at strengthening members’ relations, meeting new friends as well as giving opportunities for caring Malaysians to give free-will donations to the needy in the city.
“The variety, the carnival atmosphere and the enthusiastic participation of members and their friends were refreshing and rewarding,” said Pastor Susan Pang who headed the organizing committee. GCC members, some joined by friends, displayed their culinary skills serving a wide variety of home-made food and beverages. From promoting personal care products, food supplements to financial management and education consultancy services, members’ entrepreneurial skills were also amply on display.
While families had fun in the children’s fun corner offering outdoor activities such as Mickey Land, paintballs shoothing and a petting zoo, the health conscious visitors made a beeline for the counters that did bone scans, screened body mass and blood pressure. Free hugs, recipes and a local pharmacy membership were well received.
Hamster ball for humans was one of the most popular indoor fun games besides gladiator ring and a dozen more games stalls. Two children of almost equal size would climb inside the ball and roll towards one end of the hall.
In the Studio Photo stall, girls dressed up in their favourite princess costume or families had the opportunity to have their portrait picture taken. Photos were almost immediately printed with different frames and sized to choose from.
Foodies were spoilts for choices. From delectable traditional Sabah dishes to kimchi and lasagna, young and old enjoyed the variety of food on display. Durians from afar (Davao) and local species such as Musang were big draws. Even used goods were too good to be missed by bargain hunters.
Education counselors at hand gave free advice to parents and students. Personality profiling available helped teens in career options.