Last week, we were copied on a tweet from a Southdown (Edgewater) resident upset that a carnival would be happening in Edgewater. Edgewater had hosted a carnival for many years, and the beneficiary was the Woodland Beach Volunteer Fire Department. Typically is was held on the London Towne Community Hall property along Mayo Road. It was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, and this year appeared to re-emerge at the former Giant grocery store along Route 2.
Licensing at @AACountyGovt: approved carnival for RT 2 and Southdown Road at the old Giant. Traffic and noise terrible for neighborhood @eyeonannapolis @AACoExec @capgaznews
— Sarah Little (@slittle77) July 9, 2021
However, the Woodland Beach Volunteer Fire Department has weighed in with their concerns as well. They are not associated with this carnival and will not be receiving any proceeds from it. And as a public safety entity, they have concerns for the safety of those who may attend the carnival. On their website they posted (in part):
We want to make it clear that we, Woodland Beach Volunteer Fire Department, did NOT arrange this carnival. It is NOT sponsored by our fire department and we will NOT be receiving the proceeds from this 12 day event set to run from July 13-25….
It has been suggested to us to hold our carnival at this location in the past but for many reasons, we will not. Some of these reasons include an already congested intersection, parking will overflow into the Southdown neighborhood and other local businesses causing a significant amount of foot traffic on a highly traveled road and finally we are very concerned about the safety of those who attend. With the increased vehicle and foot traffic there is a significant risk of accidents so we ask that you please be vigilant for pedestrians and significant traffic delays during this time.
According to the Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits Office (online), a permit has been applied for, yet has not received approvals; however, the permit says the carnival is scheduled to open tomorrow.
