Rides Turn Community On for Simi Valley Days : Festivals: Carnival is the centerpiece of annual celebration and fund-raiser that supports local charities.

Greased and ready to roll, the Mega Loop hurtled screaming patrons upside down and around a looping track for its first run at the start of the Simi Valley Days carnival.

Carnies rushed to put together the Mega Loop along with the 23 other rides and dozens of other attractions before the five-day carnival opened Wednesday at 5 p.m.

With bolts all tightened and rides checked by a state inspector, everything was ready to go when the fun-hungry dashed to be first on the rides.

Organizers are predicting that, because students in Simi Valley are off for the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur today, the turnout at the carnival will be greater than normal.

“At least that’s what we’re hoping,” said organizer JoAnne Macek, who spent much of Wednesday doing last-minute carnival preparations.

The carnival has become the centerpiece of the annual Simi Valley Days celebration, which has been held in different forms since 1962. It is the largest public event in the city, bringing in as much as $70,000 for local charities, Macek said.

Last year more than 25,000 people came to the carnival over five days, she said. This year she expects at least as many.

“I don’t know what would keep them away,” she said. “We’ve got lovely weather and something special going on every night.”

Along with a reduced entrance fee of $3 tonight, carnival organizers are offering patrons a chance to “let a friend fly free,” allowing one customer to ride an attraction free when a partner pays for the ride.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday admissions will be $5.

“For five bucks they’ll also get into the rodeo dance on Friday,” she said. “And on Saturday and Sunday for the price of admission, you’ll get to see the rodeo as well.”

Live performances are scheduled for every night of the carnival, and a stage and temporary dance floor have been set up.

Wes Miller, the Simi Valley Days committee’s chairman, worked for several hours on Wednesday, putting the finishing touches on the plywood floor.

“It used to be that we had’em dancing in the dirt,” Miller said,while applying a thin layer of waterproof coating. “Now they’ve got a floor and room to rumba.”

“It’s the biggest fund-raising event we have all year,” said Cindy Shuman of Telephone Pioneers, a charity group made up of Pacific Bell workers.

While setting up the telephone group’s concession stand, Shuman said her organization has raised several thousand dollars each year at the carnival. The money is used for programs to feed the homeless, help handicapped students and support local anti-crime organizations.

The Telephone Pioneers sell tri-tip sandwiches and sodas along a row of a dozen other food booths for charities.

The event has almost as much importance for the carnies, said Tony Tafton, who manages crews that run the carnival rides and non-charity concessions. Tafton said that over the last five years, Simi Valley Days has become the carnival company’s second-biggest stop. The top-grossing carnival is Conejo Valley Days in Thousand Oaks.

Tafton said the events are similar but each has its own character.

“Every event people seem to enjoy a different ride,” Tafton said. “One place it’s the Mega Loop, the next it might be the Tilt O’ Whirl.”