JOSHUA TREE, CA – This weekend the Morongo Basin Orchid Festival’s gates open an hour early to treat the area’s children to free carnival rides from 9 am – 11 am.  “During these unusually difficult economic times, the Yucca Valley Sunset Rotary club wanted to give our area’s families the opportunity to take their children to enjoy the carnival rides at no cost, and we were thrilled that with the generosity of the festival’s major sponsors and Schoeppner Shows, we are able to do just that,” explained Chris Gubler, the Festival’s chairman and President-Elect of the Yucca Valley Sunset Rotary Club.

Vouchers for the “Free Rides 4 Kids” morning are being distributed across the Morongo Basin and are also available from the Festival’s sponsors and the participating non-profits.  During the “Free Rides 4 Kids” event, children must be accompanied by an adult..  Carnival rides will run all weekend, October 6-7, from 9 am – 5 pm, and all residents are encouraged to take advantage of half-price ride coupons (CLICK HERE to buy half-price Ride Coupons – Courtesy Hi-Desert Cultural Center) can be purchased throughout the Morongo Basin until October 5, the day before the festival.  There will be tremendous rides for all ages, from the wild Rock-O-Plane and Heart-Flip, to the family-friendly Sky Swings, to gentler rides for younger children such as the Moat Monster (a children’s roller coaster), Antique Car Merry-Go-Round, and Motorcycle Mania.

Locations to purchase the half-price ride tickets and get the vouchers for the children’s free morning event are at the offices of the California Welcome Center, the Twentynine Palms Chamber of Commerce, Tease Shirts in Yucca, The Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Desert, the Thrift Store for the Morongo Basin Hospice in Joshua Tree, Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency in Landers, and Yucca Valley Sunset Rotary members.  The event vouchers are also available on Friday from the charities who are participating as festival beneficiaries and from festival sponsors Hi-Desert Publishing and Copper Mountain Broadcasting.  A complete listing of distribution locations for vouchers and for half-price ride tickets and a list of festival beneficiaries is available at www.TheOrchidFestival.org.

The carnival rides are a new addition to the Orchid Festival and will be hosted on the South end of the revamped Festival grounds.  The wonderful live jazz, orchid tours, art and jewelry vendors, wine & cheese tasting, and scrumptious food that Orchid Festival goers have come to love will be separately situated so that while parents can keep an eye on their children, the festival’s traditional sounds, smells, and sights will remain untouched. Proceeds from the rides will be included in the proceeds that are distributed to the festival’s beneficiary charities.

For directions call (800) GUBLERS or visit www.TheOrchidFestival.org for all the information on the Orchid Festival.

The Orchid Festival Sponsors: