PHOTOS BY JONATHON CUONG

Students took to the streets of Isla Vista Saturday afternoon for carnival games and other fun at this year’s Pardall Carnival, which featured 45 student organizations and local businesses.

The event featured a live performance by DJ T-Fresh and offered attendees T-shirts, free food and a miniature Ferris wheel, amongst other festive items and entertainment. Hosted by the Isla Vista Community Relations Committee (IVCRC), the carnival took place along Pardall Road from noon to 4 p.m.

Casey Hebebrand, third-year chemical engineering major and IVCRC member, said the goal of the event was to provide a way for students to have fun, connect with other I.V. residents and learn about all the different organizations on campus.

“We really want people to respect I.V. more and see it as their home, not just as this place where they come out and party,” Hebebrand said. “We hope that by getting local groups and restaurants involved, everyone will take the time and enjoy where they live.”

According to Kaitlyn Havlena, fourth-year environmental studies major and IVCRC member, the event was also intended to encourage newer students, who may not yet live in I.V., to learn more about their neighboring community.

“We want freshmen that are new here or even sophomores to realize that it’s not just students here, it’s also families,” Havlena said. “As soon as you move in, you’re like, ‘Okay yeah, it’s a college town.’ But it’s also a community, and you need to respect it as well and not just trash it.”

At the carnival, the A.S. Food Bank distributed bags of free produce and A.S. Recycling educated students on how to grow their own produce. UCSB Health and Wellness brought its blender bike to make strawberry, mango, spinach and coconut milk smoothies, the Community Relations Board offered face-painting and Environmental Affairs Board set up a plastic water bottle toss, where students who successfully made the bottle into a recycling bin got a free orange.

Other participating organizations include A.S. Commission on Student Well-Being, S.B. Alumni, Take Back the Night, Human Rights Board, Queer Student Union, Teach for America, Dance Marathon, I.V. Co-op, Woodstock’s, Silvergreens and South Coast Deli, all of which provided students with an assortment of goodies and information on different campus and community groups.

Erin Johnson, third-year environmental studies major, said although the event was small, there was plenty to do.

“There’s a lot going on. It’s very lively [and] there’s a lot to win,” Johnson said.

A version of this article appeared on page 1 of October 7, 2013’s print edition of The Daily Nexus.