Though pre-K student Delilah Parnell was a little shy, she was eager to participate in Saturday’s spring Family Carnival games, despite the cloudy weather.

Her favorite part of the carnival was the “jumpy things.”

Delilah’s parents both went to Wichita State about 10 years ago, and now their children come to enjoy the festivities put on by their alma mater, including the 22nd annual Family Carnival hosted by the Student Activities Council on Saturday.

“We wanted to bring the community closer to Wichita State to enhance the Shocker experience,” said Brandon Massingill, weekenders chair for SAC.

Massingill said he wasn’t concerned when the rain started Friday night. That changed around 10 a.m. Saturday when the skies hadn’t cleared yet.

“It kind of worried me,” Massingill said during the carnival Saturday. “We were keeping our eyes on the radar.

“But the sun is out, blue skies,” he said. “We’re happy we were able to put this on.”

A few activities were provided free of charge, such as a petting zoo (which included baby goats), a station for face painting, a clown making balloon animals and free ice cream. For 25 cents per ticket, children could also participate in games such as the matching game, noodle soccer and a beanbag toss.  

Perhaps the favorite among the younger participants were the three bouncy castles. Each one was a little different, providing variety for the different age groups.

Gauging from the empty ice cream boxes, nearly 200 children had come through by 2 p.m., which was only an hour into the three-hour event.

“[My favorite part is] playing on the slides,” kindergartener James Coleman said. “The great big one.”

James said his parents did not go to school at WSU, but when asked if he wanted to attend to school here (with an interest in flying airplanes), his answer was simple: “Mm-hmm.”