 "Photo:")
 "Photo:")
Mya De La Rosa enjoyed crawling up an inflatable wall and racing other children through the Spider-Man obstacle course at the Children's Carnival on Sunday.
The 6-year-old said she liked the course because she beat a lot of children through it and could bounce around in it.
"I'm fast," she said, as she hurried to another inflatable game.
The social fraternity Nu Alpha Kappa organized the carnival to celebrate El Día de los Niños, a Latin American holiday that honors children, said Heriberto Coronel, a member of the organization. The fraternity had been planning the event for two years. The San Diego State chapter has celebrated the day for several years and inspired the Chico State men to bring the event to campus.
Fraternity members thought it was important to give children a day of their own because they will be the leaders of tomorrow, he said.
Parents are honored on Mother's Day and Father's Day, so it is important that children also have a special day, said sophomore Mike Talamantes, the fraternity's historian.
Talamantes invited his family to the carnival near Bidwell Mansion. He wanted his 10- and 11-year-old sisters to enjoy the day, he said.
"It's just good to make kids happy," Talamantes said.
The holiday began in Mexico in 1929 when the country's president wanted adults to celebrate their children and acknowledge that children have rights. El Día de los Niños is usually celebrated April 30, but the organization decided to celebrate it earlier so more children could attend, said Antonio Arreguin-Bermudez, the group's academic adviser.
"We have our calendars filled with holidays," Arreguin-Bermudez said. "So why not have a special day for children? They are our future."
Desia Fernandez River, Mya's mother, thought the carnival was a great idea because it brought the community together, she said.
"And it's free, so you can't complain," she said.
Dave McCann and his wife, Carrie, of Gridley brought their two children to the carnival. They heard about the carnival from Carrie McCann's father, who used to work with Nu Alpha Kappa, Dave McCann said.
Their children had fun bouncing down the inflatable slide and running from one attraction to the next, Dave McCann said.
"Being with your family in the sun is always fun," he said.
In addition to the event's free games and food, the fraternity gave away four new bicycles. The men wanted to give the children something they would really remember, Coronel said. He remembers how excited he got when his parents bought him a new bicycle.
The men just wanted the children to have fun and they did, said senior Ricky Maldonado, a member of the organization.
"They are running around smiling, and they say that a kid's smile is contagious, so I've just been smiling the whole time."
Olga Muñoz can be reached at omunoz@theorion.com
Be the first to comment on this article!