POUGHKEEPSIE – A carnival at Poughkeepsie’s southern waterfront, known as the DeLaval property begins today (Wednesday) and operates through Sunday, June 23. The little-publicized event has drawn the ire of residents of the Hudson Pointe complex, which sits on the Pine Street Spur, just above the DeLaval parcel on Rinaldi Boulevard.
“Nobody told us we were going to have a noisy carnival and fireworks in our backyard in the middle of the week,” one resident complained. The community member, speaking on condition of anonymity, added, “For years the city has wanted to have someone build a waterfront park here and instead we’ve got a carnival that began raising dust the minute setup began this week,” he said.
The carnival is slated to have fireworks tonight (Wednesday). City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department officials have had multiple meetings with the organizers and the fireworks company to determine the launch location and maximum size of mortars that can be used due to the proximity of the surrounding neighborhood. “The fireworks display is limited in scope and size to minimize the risks associated with a fireworks display,” Deputy Fire Chief Vincent Parise told Mid Hudson News. “It’s our job to keep everyone safe,” Parise said as he prepared to inspect the pyrotechnics area again on Wednesday afternoon.
The show is being called the Riverside Rides Festival by well-known Gillette Shows.
The website lists the carnival hours as follows:
Wednesday: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday and Friday: 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday: 1:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
