Two community carnivals were in Niles over the weekend, coming as the summer season culminated and fall was ushered in. Despite some rain Sunday, the four-day annual carnival and Oktoberfest hosted by St. John Brebeuf School and Parish kicked off with a big night Thursday. Crowds estimated in the thousands, which included families and friends of the Catholic school and church, as well as other area fun-seekers, turned out to get on rides, grab cotton candy and a corndog, and have a beer at the fundraiser. St. John Brebeuf has been hosting the fall event since 2019, and it has only grown since its inauguration, becoming something of a tradition for the community, according to organizers. “We come every year,” said Cody Streff, who was waiting for his kid on the midway, next to one of the rides. They live blocks away from where the carnival was held, and for them the late summer carnival is a place to make memories on their favorite ride. Staija Castillo, from left, of the Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago, and Lea De Jesus, of Des Plaines, ride the pendulum OMG 360 attraction at Family Fun Fest on Sept. 21, 2024 at Golf Mill Park in Niles. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press) Mr. Alani J, a popular caricature artist who bills himself as the world’s fastest caricature artists, speeds through a family drawing Sept. 20, 2024 at the carnival and Oktoberfest event held at St. John Brebeuf parish in Niles. (Jesse Wright/for Pioneer Press) “The Ferris wheel,” he said. “We can see our house from up there.” For Kenny Straman, this year marked his first attending the carnival. He said he lives nearby, too, and was drawn by the lights and the sounds of people having fun. “I love carnival food. Look at that menu,” he said, laughing. The St. John Brebeuf Carnival and Oktoberfest ran from Thursday to Sunday. Not too far away, the Notre Dame Wrestling Club took part in Family Fun Fest, held just south of Golf Mill Shopping Center at Golf Mill Park. Like the church’s carnival, Family Fun Fest was also a four-day event. It was promoted as being presented by Fantasy Amusement Co. and the Notre Dame Wrestling Club, and included rides, games and food for purchase. Carnival rides and more were featured at “Family Fun Fest” Sept. 19-22, 2024 at Golf Mill Park in Niles. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press) St. John Brebeuf parish held its annual carnival and Oktoberfest event Sept. 19-22, 2024 in Niles. (Jesse Wright/for Pioneer Press) Cousins Maryanne Iskander, 8, of Glenview, left, and Nathan Shiba, 5, of Morton Grove, go down the Fun Slide attraction Sept. 21, 2024 during “Family Fun Fest” at Golf Mill Park in Niles. (Karie Angell Luc/for Pioneer Press) The wrestling club is not part of the high school of the same name in Niles, but is a nonprofit organization based in the Edison Park neighborhood of Chicago, according to the organization’s website. It offers yearround wrestling programs for youngsters through high school age. Despite the 90-degree air temperature on Saturday – the last day of summer – Morton Grove village Trustee Ashur Shiba and his wife, Nina, attended Family Fun Fest with their immediate and extended family members. The carnival “was great, it was the last thing they (the children) could do before summer ends,” said Nina Shiba. “I think today’s the last hot day … they had a lot of fun.” Staija Castillo, of the Garfield Park neighborhood in Chicago, and Lea De Jesus, of Des Plaines, rode the pendulum OMG 360 attraction. De Jesus went on the OMG 360 ride at least once and was “just screaming the whole time,” she said. Castillo expressed gratitude for the carnival: “We’re having so much fun.” Jesse Wright and Karie Angell Luc are freelancers.