GLEN BURNIE WEST: Big prizes open Big Glen Burnie Carnival | Maryland Gazette (HometownGlenBurnie.com)

The Glen Burnie Improvement Association will open its annual carnival for the 101st year at 7 p.m. Friday. The carnival grounds are located behind the GBIA hall, 19 Crain Highway, S.E.

The carnival will be open from 7 to 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 6 to 11 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 2. It will be closed Sunday.

Admission is free.

The carnival offers more than 20 amusement rides for children and adults, games of chance and skill, bingo games in the pavilion, a car raffle and food.

New this year will be a Gas and Go raffle. Chances will cost $2 each to first, second and third prize being Exxon gas cards worth $750, $500 and $250 respectively. The winning ticket will be drawn on the last night of the carnival.

The annual car raffle features a silver, four-door 2008 Ford Focus sedan from Bob Bell Ford. The vehicle is fully equipped with an automatic transmission, front and side air bags, and it gets 33 miles per gallon. Tickets cost $2 each, or $5 for three. The drawing will be held at around 11 p.m. Aug. 2.

The association will sell food from the hall kitchen. The menu includes a hot dog with a soda for $1.50, a 2-ounce crab cake for $2.50 and a 4-ounce crab cake for $5. There also will be hamburgers, cheeseburgers, meatball subs, barbecue, chicken tenders, nachos and chips, soft drinks, iced tea and bottled water.

Homemade ice cream sandwiches, sno-balls, cotton candy and funnel cakes also will be sold on the grounds. New this year will be fried dough, and deep-fried Oreos and Twinkies.

No alcoholic beverages will be permitted on the carnival grounds.

Patrons can purchase a "ride all night long" wristband for $16 until 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The wristbands are sold weather permitting; rain checks or refunds will not be given once they are purchased. Individual ride tickets are sold each night for $1 each. Children's rides use one ticket and most major rides use three tickets.

Patrons will not be allowed to ride skateboards or bicycles through the carnival grounds. Guide dogs will be the only domestic animals permitted.

The Glen Burnie Volunteer Fire Department will staff the first aid station at the carnival once again this year. Volunteers also will man a carnival booth to sell chances on a raffle with several different prizes, including two season tickets for Ravens home games, a 15-horsepowerriding lawn mower, a 32-inch LCD high definition television, a 60,000-BTU five-burner propane gas grill, a Nintendo Wii and a fire chief pedal car. The raffle tickets cost $2 each, $5 for three or $10 for seven. The winning ticket will drawn on Aug. 2.

Free parking is available in the Glen Burnie parking garages on Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard adjacent to the carnival grounds.

The carnival is staffed by more than 1,000 volunteers from the GBIA, their families and friends and other local organizations. All of the stands are operated by volunteers.

The carnival, which first opened in 1908, is the association's only fundraiser. Proceeds from the carnival are used for the association's operating costs and donations to projects sponsored by the association.

For more information, call the association at 410-766-6760.

Ravens Roost 18

Ravens Roost 18 will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Ferndale Volunteer Fire Company hall, 4 S. Broadview Blvd.

The club recently elected new officers. The new officers include: Eric Fisher, president; Glenn Taylor, vice president; Bernie White, treasurer; Dan Granofsky, recording secretary; Gayeann Day, corresponding secretary; Sally Lung, assistant treasurer; and Garry Mueller, sergeant-at-arms.

Members of the board of directors include Denis Barns, Elaine Happel, Don Lang, Terry Marcus, Barbara Mueller and Denise Taylor.

For more information, call Elaine Happel at 410-761-7790 or visit www.ravensroost18.org.

Installation of officers

The American Legion Post 40, its Ladies Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion will hold their annual installation of officers from 5 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the post hall, 500 Fifth Ave.

The event is open to Post 40 members and their guests only.

The evening will begin with a social hour from 5 to 6 p.m. that will include hors d'oeuvres and an open bar. The installation of officers will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a dinner from 7 to 8 p.m.

Music for dancing will be played from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Proper attire is required. No T-shirts, jeans, muscle shirts or shorts will be allowed.

For more information, call the post at 410-761-9869.

Bingo

The Ferndale Community Club, 15 N. Fifth Ave., offers bingo games on Tuesday afternoons and Thursday evenings.

The doors will open at noon for the Tuesday Sunshine bingo. The first games will begin at 1 p.m. Twenty-three bingo games will be offered. Cash prizes of $15 for regular games and $25 for special games will be offered.

The doors open at 6 p.m. for the Thursday evening bingo. Early bird games will begin at 7 p.m. Thirty-six games will be played. Cash prizes of $30 for regular games and $60 for special games will be offered. In addition, there is also a $500 jackpot game.

Food and refreshments will be sold.

For more information, call the club at 410-766-9727.

Marine Corps League

The Anne Arundel County Detachment 1049 of the Marine Corps League will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 160, 2597 Dorsey Road.

New members are welcome. Membership is open to all former Marines.

For more information, call Peter Pervi at 410-987-3811, e-mail papervi@verizon.net or visit www.mclaacdet1049.org.

Clubs and organizations in the 21061 ZIP code area can call Maryland Gazette correspondent Kathleen Shatt at 410-766-8547 for publication of their news. They can also fax information to her at 410-766-1520 or send e-mail to kasmgfern@hotmail.com.