MARQUETTE - Pies were flying Saturday afternoon in Marquette's Mattson Lower Harbor Park, where a bidding war that started between Marquette police Chief Mike Angeli and Mayor John Kivela ended with both men covered in whipped cream during the Second Annual Family Fun Carnival.
The event was sponsored by Child and Family Services of the Upper Peninsula.
The Pie in the Face fundraiser allowed carnival visitors to pay $2 to cast a vote as to which local figure they would like to see hit with a pie, with the top three vote-getters getting hit.
After a flurry of last-minute votes by Kivela, Angeli and friends, the two were pied, as were Chocolay Township police Chief Greg Zyburt and attorney George Hyde.
In total, more than 800 votes were cast and the fundraiser pulled in more than $1,600.
In addition to the pie-throwing show, carnival guests were treated to a dunk tank, a bean bag toss, an inflatable slide and bounce house, a face-painting booth, a fortune teller and a live concert by Ishpeming singer Adam Whittington.
The event raised $4,200 that will go toward programming and assistance provided by CFSUP.
"It's really not about bringing funds in," CFSUP Executive Director Norma Semashko said. "We want families to enjoy each other and to have fun with each other. Kids love the bounce house and love having their face painted and things like that. And a lot of times, parents don't have the funds to do that."
The carnival is an alternative, family-friendly event unlike many large fundraising galas, according to CFSUP development and communications coordinator Bobbi Nease.
"We wanted something families can actually do together, because that's pretty much what we stand for," she said.
Part of that planning included holding the event on Father's Day weekend.
"Mother's Day is such a huge thing and it seems to overshadow, so we try to do Father's Day because we want fathers to be recognized, whether they are single-parent fathers or two-parent families," Semashko said.
In the past, the organization has held fishing derbies and has sponsored local plays, but the carnival is the largest event by far, Nease said.
"This is the largest. This is the biggest and this is pretty much going to be our focus in the future, because we know it works," she said. "Now we can just focus on making it better."
As Semashko motioned to the temporary fence boundary that had been erected in the park, she described how the border had expanded considerably just since last year. She hopes the turnout continues to increase in coming years.
"It's just so wonderful to see families come out and enjoy it and have fun together," Semashko said. "It cooled off this afternoon, but that didn't stop people.
"I think the biggest thing is to see families enjoying each other and playing with each other and having a great time."
Kyle Whitney can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. His email address is kwhitney@miningjournal.net.
