CURWENSVILLE – The second-ever Isaiah Pentz Memorial Carnival will be happening this Saturday, Aug. 14, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Irvin Park in Curwensville.
Irvin Park is where the Pentz family believes Isaiah would have truly enjoyed swinging while also spending time with his friends and family.
“Being on a swing was something he really seemed to enjoy,” shared Isaiah’s older sister, Cheyenne. “All kids deserve to play and be together, regardless of whether they have disabilities and challenges or not.”
As an infant, Isaiah suffered a brain injury, which caused both limited responsiveness and mobility.
But this did not stop the Pentz family from officially making him one of their own in 2016. He first joined the family in 2013.
For around six years, he was with them until Isaiah unfortunately passed away in June of 2019, just a couple of months shy of his eighth birthday.
The inaugural carnival was held on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019 on what would have been his eighth birthday. In 2020, the event was unable to occur because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, it did not stop the family from raising funds and making strides towards completing the second phase of their plan.
“It is pretty exciting to be back this year,” said Cheyenne. “We used the year off to get organized, and make this year’s carnival bigger than the first one.
“Having that extra year to let people know about it and finding more people to help has been great, but I am looking forward to getting the community together again.”
The Pentz family, along with other local families of children with disabilities, crafted an overall vision to honor Isaiah by helping with an adaptive playground project at Irvin Park.
Their vision includes a three-phase plan to raise funds for the playground, with the first phase having been completed in 2019.
It included supports for a wheelchair swing, two Americans with Disabilities Act compatible swings, two belt swings and geofabric and wood fiber covering for the premises around the new swings.
Phase two construction recently wrapped up, and included a spinning cozy cocoon, a spin cup and an accessible whirl-along.
Phase three progress continues as funds have already been raised for the final part of the project. This includes an aero-glider paired with a wheelchair ramp for accessibility.
Funds raised Saturday will help fulfill the overall vision that the Pentz family set out to accomplish in summer of 2019.
And when the playground project is complete, they plan to continue the carnival in Isaiah’s honor with proceeds to benefit children’s hospitals and other children in need.
This year’s carnival will include a variety of games generously donated by a local Lions Club, a bouncy slide donated by Tri-County Church, basket raffles, craft/food vendors and more.
The Doug and Maureen Pentz family is working alongside the Zion Baptist Church and its members to make the event the best it can be. The event will be held rain or shine.
For those interested in donating to the project, offerings are being accepted by the Curwensville Borough office. Checks are to be mailed to 900 Susquehanna Ave., Curwensville, PA 16833.