Letter from Dr. Rich Roberts [UPDATED]

rich roberts tls[Submitted by Dr. Rich Roberts] Thank you to everyone for your supportive comments.

It was a surprise to me that we only had about 5600 children in attendance. Typically, for Succos, we get around 7000 to 10,000 children and we had nosh ready for 9000 children. We know the numbers since each child only gets one of each nosh. The weather was great. We cancelled the rides and prize but added one more show and an additional large nosh.

If anyone can tell me why they did not attend the carnival this time with their children, but did attend previous carnivals, then it would be helpful for me to know and consider.

Thanks and Good Moed,
Kasriel (Rich) Roberts

————————————————–

UPDATE 3:15 PM.

I can’t fully express my sincere gratitude to everyone who left comments. I appreciate your supportive remarks and constructive input.

Here is where my thinking is after reading the comments thus far:
1. Crowding in the Cheder Building
We recognized this as a problem after the last carnival, which was the first one at the Cheder, and we took the following measures to rectify it:
a. Strollers clogged both hallways in the first Cheder carnival. We created massive signage to direct strollers to one hallway and leave the other hallway only for people without strollers. This resulted in much faster flow.
b. We moved the Nosh outside for this carnival, instead of in the center play area surrounded by the building for the first Cheder carnival, which decreased the number of people using the hallways.
c. We staggered the shows so that only one show would end at a time allowing 15 minutes before the next show ended. This was done to approximately halve the number of people in the hallways.

The result was that the hallways had mostly clear flow with no people-traffic issues. One of my mistakes was to not tell people, in the advertisement, that we had made these changes to prevent any hallway flow issues.

2. Difficulty seeing the stage
This was an issue with the first carnival. Multiple people had suggested using raised stages. We researched this then rented raised stages (four feet high) for this carnival and everyone was able to see well. It was a mistake for me to not mention in the advertisement that we had corrected this problem for the second carnival.

3. Only one full day of Chol Homoed
This is a legitimate issue which we couldn’t address. With Shabbos starting around 5:40 PM, we would have had to cut the carnival short by at least two hours if we did it on Friday.

4. Rides
The problem with rides is that they don’t have enough throughput to accommodate our crowds. They are also labor intensive to set up, run, and monitor. We were trying to eliminate lines. I need to think further about this.

5. Prize versus nosh
I am not convinced that having two noshes, instead of one nosh and a prize, made a significant difference in the attendance. It is difficult to find a good prize, at $1 to $1.25 each (5,000 to 10,000 prizes needed), that appeals to both boys and girls, does not have projectiles or something else that could hurt others in a crowd, and is appealing to children. On the other hand, we learned from this carnival that noshes should not have lose sugar which can spill.

6. Big name concert versus shows
This carnival is definitely geared towards the 2 year old to 15 year old crowd and not for older teenagers who can drive to something of their choice. I want to relieve the financial stress on families with lots of young children and provide a Kosher environment for them. Older teenagers have more specific tastes and interests which they will likely pursue on their own.

I probably missed some of the factors mentioned in the comments. I will review them again but this comment is too long already. Again, thank you for your help.

Good Shabbos,
Kasriel (Rich) Roberts

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72 COMMENTS

  1. Maybe because there were only 2 full days of chol hamoed and thursday was best day to go on a full day nice trip, since first day chol hamoed (wednesday) pple are recupperating from first days and dont get out that early.

  2. Dr Roberts i dont think it had anything to do with what you did wrong. the reason we didnt go is simply it was such beautiful weather the like we never get on sukkos we spent the day in point pleasant beach. The 5k people who were missing from the carnival were also there the beach was very crowded. rest assured we love your carnival but hashem gave us beautiful weather and how often does a frum person get to enjoy the beach when the weather is nice

  3. I think people are getting bored of the shows. If I may recommend that in the future instead of so many shows maybe put up a free concert by a high-quality singer.

  4. My kids had an amazing time . The carnival was extremely well organized and the shows were all enjoyed.Thank you so much for providing the community with free kosher entertainment.May you always be able to give

  5. Dr. Roberts, thank you again for all that you do for the Tzibbur. My personal opinion is that when it was in Pine Park, it was a large open area with grass and a park setting. I understand that the Cheder may have some benefits; however, it is not as large, the parking isn’t good, and it is a blacktop playground. I would humbly suggest moving to another park setting that can accommodate the crowds, even if it is a short drive.

    Thank you again for everything. A true person doesn’t look for compliments, only suggestions how to improve.

    Hatzlocha in all your endeavors.

    You truly have great zchusim.

  6. That is so nice that you are even taking the time to ask! Thousands of kids enjoyed and you really went all out …. Everyone appreciates what you do!

    I think that rides are a big attraction for kids. I remember that when I was a kid, I was disappointed when my parents would take us to the zoo or aquarium instead of the rides. I see that my kids are on a high after they went on rides. That would probably be why some did not attend this year.

  7. The main problem was that Lmaaseh the additional Big Nosh was not able to replace going home with a Festa Prize. Nosh is geshmak but Lmaaseh kids love prizes. Plus, the shows were good but you still lmaaseh need rides. Efsher next year just take out the whole Six Flags and upgrade to 3 noshes. That will surely bring in the masses!

  8. I have never been by any of your carnival in the past because I know that my kids would want to go on rides… but me & my kids would not have patience to wait on long lines for rides…..this year when I saw that you are not having rides at all and only shows I decided its a good time to go…..& we had A GREAT TIME!!!
    THANKS U SO MUCH!!!!
    P.S we had no issues with location whats so ever…..we got great parking & had no traffic at all!!

  9. My grandkids went and had the time of their life. Thank you Dr Rich. May you be able to do it in Yerushalayim next year with Hashem’s help. Have a joyous Yom Tov with your beautiful family. You are the best.

  10. R’ Kasriel – You ask a valid question and I don’t know the full answer. However, the question was posed incorrectly: you can’t use the word “only” in the same sentence as “5600 children”. Gevald !! You brought Simchos Yom Tov, a d’oiraysuh mitzva, to 5600 kids and their parents & grandparents, a number definitely exceeding six THOUSAND, how can u say “only” – it’s huge. Not Trump huge, but really HUGE. What a zchus. Now we can discuss how to get back to 9,000. Have a great Yom Tov !!

  11. I will tell you what i heard from people who did not go this year & have gone in the past….I think they were nervous to go because they thought that their kids would not be able to see the shows properly(which it seems has been an issue in past years…)but this year it was totally NOT an issue as u had it set up very organized with extremely tall stages and lots of seating area……I think every member of the audience was able to see clearly. Thanks so much!!!

  12. When word gets out how amazing it was this Sukkos, there will be 12,000 at the next one. Be prepared!!

    – I agree though that when there is a large crowd in the – beautiful – Cheder building, it can get tough moving around to see the shows. I almost did not go for that reason however I was pleasantly surprised that it was emptiert than last time.

    I also agree that the fine weather played a big roll as the beach the day before was absolutely packed with frum yidden.

  13. Thank you Dr roberts!!!
    We had such a good time yesterday!! The whole thing from parking to shows and nosh distribution was so well organized!! I can’t tell you why some people didn’t come but my children definitely missed the rides!!
    Gut moed!

  14. 1) more rides rides rides
    2) pine park was better setting. Cheder is not the right venue for this
    3) same day as other options. Make it on Friday when nobody goes away and when mothers are cooking
    4) thanks for asking and trying to improve

  15. weather was gorgeous to run around to other close by entertaining areas that aren’t always possible to do on a regular weekday. On nice weather days after 2 days yomtov everyone needs change of scenery and people….nothing to do with anything wrong u didn’t do.

  16. Dr Roberts ,
    Thk u very much your mitzva isn’t measured by how many attend in shomayim your reward for this mitzva is the same as your intentions were pure
    As far as why the attendance was lower
    Their could be many reasons
    A few of which I can list
    A)kids want change not the same over and over
    B)kids grow up and get older and are looking for more teen based activities and trips,your basically catering to a kids say from 2-10 or 11 yrs of age
    C)when theirs a few days chol hamoed people will go overnight somewhere which will cover all the chol hamoed days as opposed to when it’s only 1 day as the 1st Days is fri,Shabbos
    But kudos to you 5K yiddishe kids that you made happy is nothing to sneeze at and I would continue this mitzva don’t get discouraged
    May hashem bless you and your family with a good sweet healthy year and everything you need to continue serving hashem and being mekadesh hashem
    A Lkwd family

  17. Dr. Roberts,
    The letter that you posted shows how genuine your chessed is! My family has enjoyed the carnival for years and I would never have complained or given negative feedback, because there is so much good that the carnivals have brought our family. However, since you are asking for the feedback – I will be honest about it.

    I did not come to the carnival yesterday, even though my children were begging to go “get the nosh and prizes”, because in past years it’s been too crowded. It has been hard to see the shows well, hard to wait on very long lines at the rides, having many children “cutting” in line in front of us, adults and children standing and blocking at the shows etc.

    I do agree with one of the comments above – perhaps a much larger outdoor venue (ex: Ocean County Park?) would be able to handle a large crowd more pleasantly…

    Thank you, Thank you again, Dr. Roberts. The entire town thanks you for your most generous chassodim!! A Gut Moed to you and your family.

  18. Dr Rich Roberts, Thank you so much for all that you alwas do for the tzibbur. Especially the chol hamoed carnival, our kids look fwd to it every yo”t. We didn’t come this time just be cause it was such beautiful weather & we just went to the park. However (just because you are asking, not chalila a complaint,) we where not attracted by the fact that it was moved to the cheder, also I think a professional singer & band would add a lot to the aura & excitement.
    Thanks, may you continue in your avodas hakodesh, in health, for many years to come.

  19. Thank you for asking. I think that the Cheder location is not good. Children eapecially that learn in the Cheder want a break from the cheder and need a change og scenary. May I suggest a larger park or maybe the Blue Claws site with huge shows for all? You will get 20k people! The tax payers of lakewood have paid enough for that stadium and maybe we can enjoy it on Chol Hamoed?
    Have a great yom tov!

  20. Thank you Dr Roberts for the amazing chesed you go for the families of Lakewood. I specifically did not attend the carnival yesterday since the rides were discontinued. My children look forward to them every chol hamoed and enjoy running around from ride to ride. Sitting in one place to watch show after show while they are very entertaining was not interesting to them. We gave them the option of going. (Ages 14-1). Thank you again for all you do!!

  21. Dr. Roberts, It was a great idea that you eliminated the rides!!! The long lines were not worth it. This year even the cotton candy line was very short so I’m happy that less kids showed up. The fact that the shows were on a high stage helped that EVERYONE can see even those in the back. The jump rope show was amazing!!! Keep up the great work My kids had a BLAST!!!!! B’hatzlacha!!!!

  22. May hashem give Dr.and Mrs. Robert long life,health,and success .(for how many live they have touch and changed with there simcha of doing chessed)The most amazing yidden.Avrohom Kahn

  23. Dear Dr. Roberts,
    The people of Lakewood are tremendously thankful for the carnival that you sponsor every chol Hamoed. We can only imagine the amount of work, and time that you invest into creating the best, and most meaningful experience, for the children(and adults). In this merit may you and your family be blessed with all good. A gut moed!!!
    Thank you!sincerely,
    Toshvei ireinu

  24. For me it was the long lines every year for the rides and not being able to see the shows properly. But we do appreciate how much time and effort you put into the event anyway. I think if you upgrade the maturity of some shows it would help ,being that older siblings don’t want to go , so the parents have to find something that works for all their children

  25. I actually was not planning on going because to me the rides cause alot of stress. They r fun but it’s very hard too wait on line for so long. We ended up going and I am so happy we did. My boys watched the animal show twice and some of the other shows. We all came home happy and stress free compares to the years with the rides. Thank you again

  26. I can’t fully express my sincere gratitude to everyone who left comments. I appreciate your supportive remarks and constructive input.

    Here is where my thinking is after reading the comments thus far:
    1. Crowding in the Cheder Building
    We recognized this as a problem after the last carnival, which was the first one at the Cheder, and we took the following measures to rectify it:
    a. Strollers clogged both hallways in the first Cheder carnival. We created massive signage to direct strollers to one hallway and leave the other hallway only for people without strollers. This resulted in much faster flow.
    b. We moved the Nosh outside for this carnival, instead of in the center play area surrounded by the building for the first Cheder carnival, which decreased the number of people using the hallways.
    c. We staggered the shows so that only one show would end at a time allowing 15 minutes before the next show ended. This was done to approximately halve the number of people in the hallways.

    The result was that the hallways had mostly clear flow with no people-traffic issues. One of my mistakes was to not tell people, in the advertisement, that we had made these changes to prevent any hallway flow issues.

    2. Difficulty seeing the stage
    This was an issue with the first carnival. Multiple people had suggested using raised stages. We researched this then rented raised stages (four feet high) for this carnival and everyone was able to see well. It was a mistake for me to not mention in the advertisement that we had corrected this problem for the second carnival.

    3. Only one full day of Chol Homoed
    This is a legitimate issue which we couldn’t address. With Shabbos starting around 5:40 PM, we would have had to cut the carnival short by at least two hours if we did it on Friday.

    4. Rides
    The problem with rides is that they don’t have enough throughput to accommodate our crowds. They are also labor intensive to set up, run, and monitor. We were trying to eliminate lines. I need to think further about this.

    5. Prize versus nosh
    I am not convinced that having two noshes, instead of one nosh and a prize, made a significant difference in the attendance. It is difficult to find a good prize, at $1 to $1.25 each (5,000 to 10,000 prizes needed), that appeals to both boys and girls, does not have projectiles or something else that could hurt others in a crowd, and is appealing to children. On the other hand, we learned from this carnival that noshes should not have lose sugar which can spill.

    6. Big name concert versus shows
    This carnival is definitely geared towards the 2 year old to 15 year old crowd and not for older teenagers who can drive to something of their choice. I want to relieve the financial stress on families with lots of young children and provide a Kosher environment for them. Older teenagers have more specific tastes and interests which they will likely pursue on their own.

    I probably missed some of the factors mentioned in the comments. I will review them again but this comment is too long already. Again, thank you for your help.

    Good Shabbos,
    Kasriel (Rich) Roberts

  27. Dr. Roberts you are one of a kind! We love the carnival. Personally, when I askes my kids how many rides they actually went on, it was very few for the amount of time waited, so they didn’t miss that. But, definitely the kids are getting older and my high schoolers complained that we went. All in all, I still think this is a fun entertaining event, wirh no cost to us. We cannot thank you enough for that! We are staunch roberts carnival supporters!

  28. Dr Roberts
    Thank you soo much for your beautiful carnival.
    My family chose to go meet up with all their cousins from new york, Baltimore and Philly at a central location. This couldn’t be done on any other day. So we missed your amazing carnival and the amazing Rabbi Kaisman. Keep up the amazing work you do for the Klal.

  29. Dr. Roberts, may you be gebentched and have tons of nachos from your mishpacha and from all of Lakewood! !
    I read all the previous comments and a few relate to my family: my children have outgrown the carnival – all teens plus. The weather was a great factor for my grandchildren not attending- the beach was a greater draw than the cheder. I believe a longer chol hamoed and rainy or cold weather for some of those would result in a larger crowd. Working out logistics such as lines flow and viewing ability are important, but as far as preferences for rides versus shows or other features, they vary by the individual or family, as you can see from the comments. Once again, you owe us nothing and we owe you manybthanks and blessings. A gmar tov.

  30. The reason we did not attend is because on Pesach it was hot, crowded and we couldn’t see the show because older kids were blocking my child’s view.
    But I see you addressed some of these issues, so maybe we will come next year!
    You are a special person 1)for offering this to the klal 2) for trying to accommodate us to this extent, by taking into account all our suggestions. May you be blessed many times over for your tremendous efforts for klal Yisroel.

  31. Thank you Dr. Roberts for your continued chasadim to our town!
    We had not gone because of the points posted mainly about the lines and stage issue, however after reading the response we truly regret not going. It sounds like it was extremely organized and the previous problems where corrected and we missed out.

  32. Thanknyou Thank you much dr roberts! We actually never attended when it was in pine park because it was hot and my kids hate using the portajohns. We were thrilled when u switched to an indoor venue. We went last pesach and this sikkos. I love that you got rid of the rides becuase we didnt enjoy waiting forever on the lines. We really enjoyed rabbi yitzi erps and the jump rope guys. Thank you for a great chol hamoed activity. The jawbreaker lollies kept them busy the whole time

  33. I’m brought to tears by your sincerity to relieve the financial burden on families while providing a good time. May you and your family be blessed with long, healthy, prosperous lives!

  34. There is something about families doing things together out where there is grass and open area. Lakewood in general is becoming soooo congested that I think just the thought of being cooped up in a building with blacktop may have subconsciously turned people away. It might be time to get a real large outdoor area with lots of parking. I hope I don’t sound greedy! We appreciate everything that you do Dr. Roberts. Just trying to be constructive here. Taking it a bit outside Lakewood might help too. Give people the impression that they are going somewhere too…Thank you! Gut Shabbos!

  35. I was out of town for succos that’s why I didn’t attend, but,
    1. I did prefer being outdoors in Pine Park than being indoors in a building
    2. It was hard to see the shows,so I didn’t enjoy them last time, but, if they’re on a stage I’m sure it’s much better
    3. You can’t please everyone all the time. Some kids like rides, some like shows, but, everything you do is amazing!!! Tizku l’mitzvos. I can’t afford all those expensive concerts and amusements that are out there – so Yasher Koach for all you do.

  36. I think it should be switched back to pine park and the kids really enjoy the police car rides and maybe bring in a full band with a star singer thet might exite the croud alot more then the same typical things over&over again

  37. Thank u Dr. Roberts! My children really enjoyed the jump rope show. We actually didn’t plan on going because Pesach it was so overcrowded and we couldn’t see any shows, so we left without doing anything and my kids were really disappointed. This year when I saw it said there would be outdoor shows I convinced my kids that we should be able to see better which was definitely true. However a few things: people weren’t aware that u changed the shows to raised stages, that u changed the setup and that it would be so calm and organized. It was really organized and we were impressed!! About older kids is true because they weren’t interested in going again to the same thing….but if it would be a concert I think the older kids would love that too! We missed the rides but we barely got to go on any the last few years because of the long lines. Overall, it was definitely a great day and we appreciate tremendously what u do for the community!! Hashem yeshalem scharam!!

  38. Oh and also the indoor venue was a lot better since there were normal bathrooms, the porta John’s were a real big issue in pine park! Thanks so much for everything you do for the Lakewood community!

  39. Dr. Roberts, Mrs Roberts and family, thank you so much for the wonderful carnival. We started our day at Point Pleasant which was beautiful. However the kids did not want to miss the shows and nosh (jawbreaker) a major attraction. I on the others nd stayed home since I was nervous about maneuvering a double Carriage.

    Thank you so much for all you do for the klal.

  40. A big reason is because ut was the same day as ncsy six flags great adventure. Witch this year was totally rented out only for Yidden. I think the few thousand strollers that we’re missing by your event were at the entrance to the line for the safari!

  41. Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Roberts – My kids had a fantastic time. We greatly appreciate this wonderful, fun, free, entertaining day. I think the smaller crowd was mostly due to the short chol hamoed.

  42. There were no rides. My kids looked foward to them.Amazing shows. Great weather. Bad venue.
    Concerned for next year and appreciative for this year parent of 3 tayereh heiligeh lakewood kinder

  43. We all have to take a step back and look at this for a moment. The fact that Dr Roberts is worried and sits down to writes this letter. All while he’s running a huge business, a beautiful family, tom tov and ran the carnival. This just shows how special Dr. Roberts is, how genuine he is and how much he cares for each and every yid! I wish I would be like Dr. Roberts. Not (only) to have his money but to have HEART!!!!
    Dr. Roberts, you’re a role model for each and everyone of us. Thank you for all that you do! May Hashem pay you back for all that you do for us! Gut yom tov!

  44. First of all thank you Dr. Roberts, Iwant to wish ah gutt yohr and ah gutt kvittel.

    I’ve been thinking about the long lines for a while and probably my solution is anything but effective, however my thought is if you doubled the same rides side by side with each other with one line for the both of them then the wait time would be halved. However I did see your #4 response so only you can make that calculation and henceforth the call.

    All in all Hatzlacha Rabba Dr. Roberts!

  45. Thank you so much Dr Roberts for all the effort you invest into your carnivals. Just a few thoughts: maybe you can have it at the Blue Claws stadium in the parking lot have rides and give out nosh. as well as small shows for little kids. if you increase the number of rides then the lines will be shorter, and have a big concert in Blue Claws Stadium like Schwekey. and a circus in Blue Claws. The other idea is to rent out Great Adventure and give out nosh there. A nosh idea is semi big colorful lollies and bag of sour sticks. prizes maybe flashlight keychain, silly putty, bouncing balls, etc.

  46. Dr. Roberts,
    First of all, THANK YOU for the wonderful time my children had at the carnival! In addition, replacing the prize with a huge jawbreaker on a stick was fantastic, my kids were busy and excited with it for hours! My kids said that this was their best day of chol hamoed because they were so enchanted by the jawbreaker!
    I wouldn’t have commented with suggestions, because I always considered it bordering “Kofoi Tov” to do so. However after seeing your request, I realize that I had vastly underestimated you ( that I would NOT appreciate “constructive criticism” if it was me is a MAJOR understatement ) and so I will share my thoughts as well.
    Honestly after going with my kids this chol hamoed, I thought to myself (and told my wife) that you were starting to gradually scale down the event so that it can be stopped after a few more times without causing waves. Upon seeing your letter I see I was obviously mistaken, nevertheless there were reasons for my conclusion.
    Past events (at Pine Park) where you had a petting zoo, pony rides, army truck rides, regular carnival rides, and a few shows on a stage (stage was corrected this time) were more exciting. I understand that Pine Park had its issues, however once you got there the amount of options for all the kids was more varied. I think that with the change of location, leaving some of the past venues out of question, there are some other types of venues you may want to consider. How about a airshow? With the Lakewood Airport right there it shouldn’t be too complicated for a bi-plane to take off and land between shows. Or maybe with the army bases nearby, have a army helicopter with some soldiers practice rappelling onto the roof of the cheder. I saw some people mentioned a concert, I think that would be a great idea and I’d like add something to that as well. My children being younger, the age you gear toward, do not get to go to the Simchas Bais Hashoavos at nights because they are sleeping. Maybe if you have a concert, alot an area for the boys and men to dance and turn it into an exciting Simchas Bais Hashoava!!
    Thank you again for pioneering this concept in the first place and giving my entire mishpacha such wonderful times again and again!! May Hashem bentch you!!

  47. Dr. Roberts, my Children and other Family’s were very surprised that you hired a Reform Jew To Entertain. My kids have seen the real Simon Sez entertainer in their camps. Sholom(Simon) Hyman. They all enjoy his humor and fun. Just very shocking that You would take Away Parnasa from a frum Entertainer who Lakewood kids already relate with, to hire a Non Religious Yid. I had no answer for my children, many people were Disappointed. Yes I have met Simon Hyman in the past and the Kids love him! We(Parents) fill disappointed that this was your choice instead of someone Frum. Otherwise the day was fun and crowded!! Thanks, Lakewood Mom

  48. Dr Robert’s, what you do for the community is amazing .who ever was not at the carnival was at the beach enjoying the unbelievable weather for October. thank you for your amazing efforts to provide good kosher entertainment for the children of lakewood to enjoy. may you have much bracha and hatzlacha in all your endeavors

  49. Dr Roberts, Wow!I came for the first time with my almost 2 year old and was amazed!i kept on saying that even though there were so many people I didn’t feel crowded or squished just calm,relaxing and enjoyable!every part of it!Thank you so much!i liked that it was close by at the cheder and everything was so smooth and organized!tizkeh lemisvos!plus the fact that it was free was so special

  50. Just observing as a non Lakewood outsider who likes to read the scoop daily…I was always shocked after yt when ppl had the audacity to voice any negative feedback to what seemd to me to be an all positive attempt for the tZibur that is free…how dare they? I guess now that it was solicited, it’s more okay. I think what’s most shocking to me is the fact that ppl are complaining about things repeating themselves each year and it’s boring. Are your kids so spoiled that twice a year they can’t enjoy similar kosher free entertaining, nosh , and prizes??? Is all this coming to you??? Have you lost sight of the whole concept of how lucky you are and how gracious you should be in your comments ? Granted not everyone has a blast every time..but the nerve to voice it publicly over the last few years always struck me as soon ingrateful. Personally in my hometown of Monsey I avoid all the stores free stuff at Grand openings etc Cuz I get so claustrophobic and am concerned for my children’s safety as we are a fearless boys family and im.nervous to know where they are at all times..but I’d never ever have the chutzpah to publicly or even privately kvetch about why it didn’t work for me! We pay plenty for rides set up locally and deal with the same issues..yours is free but I think the attitude of “es kumt mir” is sickening..and maybe proof of a wider issue when people are being given their needs regularly on a silver platter. Anyways I see this year that the choshuv askan not only requested your feedback but amazingly responded and wants to act upon it. The crowd this year seemed more grateful than in the past and that was nice to note Cuz it always irked me to read the comments. I am no anti lakewooder and have resided there myself in the past. Well just to finish off, let me say Dr. Roberts kol hakavod to you, and Lakewood residents, remember this is a bonus , a gift, not something coming to you and even when solicited, not everything that comes to your mind has to be aired. A gutten kvitel

  51. Dr Roberts
    Thank you so much for the carnivals . Our family really enjoys them all & don’t think we missed one yet . As for feed back , we enjoyed it more in open area like pine park . Kids were able to play in different activities rides , show etc
    & us Parents were able to rest by the benches & watch their kids been happy & enjoying carnival as well
    In Cheder building this is not so practical as some kids want to be inside for shows & some outside , & no place for parents to base themselves .. You are on your feet whole day basically
    Just our personal feeling
    Thank you again so very much !!!!!
    Hope to have next carnival in yerushalaim

  52. Thank you Dr. Roberts for going all out for the community. We have gone to your carnivals in the past and my kids always came back so happy enjoying every minute! We didnt go this year because one at the chEder it was much too claustrophobic, liked it much better at pine park and two there were no rides which my kids absolutely loved! ThanKS again!

  53. A serious point. We personally do not want spectator activities. When children are personally involved in something, they come home sated and sufficiently stimulated to relax afterwards. Watching someone else do something exciting is all dressed up with nowhere to go.

    And the self righteous nagger from monsey is invited to stay there and hang tznius signs or whatever else they do in monsey for entertainment.

  54. Thank you so much! We attended the carnival and had a great time. What you do for the community is unbelievable! We were unable to afford a “bigger” trip like “everyone else does” and this was the highlight of our chol hamoed. Thank you! Hashem should repay you 100x!

  55. Dr. Roberts – just to add an idea that I thought may be worth a mention as it seems a lot of people are mentioning the fact that there long lines when there were rides and it’s very crowded … and people can’t see etc.
    How about breaking up the carnival into a morning and an afternoon one. In other words there would be an opportunity to attend either the morning one or the afternoon one. Obviously there would be people who would prefer one over the other the other. I think if this would be workable it would really address a lot of the issues brought up on these posts.
    A break between the two carnivals would to a big degree help people decide to attend one rather then having to sit around for the other.
    In conclusion I just want to say that may the RSO always look out for you and your beautiful family in the way you look out for so many families of klal yisroel. Your degree of hatova (doing good for others) is second to none.

  56. We had an amazing time!!!! I love that it is in the Cheder, the parking is much easier and I like that if the weather is not up to par, we can go inside. It’s way more predictable. The stages were very smart, but maybe an extra few feet higher would be even better.
    Once again, my children loved it and it was a tremendous help for us!

    May you be zoche to always give in health and happiness!

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