Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Jonathan Morales, left, and his brother, Carmelo Morales, co-own and operate the Red Rican food truck, one of the vendors that have set up shop at the annual Campbell Summer Fest, which continues Saturday and Sunday in Roosevelt Park.

CAMPBELL — Jackson LeBaron, 4, stood at the front of a festival game in which he tried to toss balls into floating glasses shaped like lily pads from about 6 feet away – 1 foot for each generation his family has been in the carnival business.

“He’s been doing this for 72 years. Me, I’ve been in it 32 years and (Jackson’s) dad for 50 years. (Jackson’s) 4 years in this business,” the boy’s mother, Marlin LeBaron, said Friday.

She was referring to the number of years her father-in-law, Jimmy LeBaron Sr., and Jackson’s father have been with LeBaron Concessions, a business that runs several attractions that are set up as part of the annual Campbell Summer Festival in Roosevelt Park.

The funfest that kicked off Friday afternoon continues noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The festivities will include a parade that begins at noon Saturday at Tenney Avenue and 12th Street, near city hall, along with a fireworks display between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Sunday evening.

The LeBaron family travels throughout the U.S. on the carnival circuit. When Jackson grows up, the business will one day be in his hands to carry forward, Marlin LeBaron said.

The welfare of dogs and cats is the primary goal for Renee Habart and Anita Thomas, who started an organization in February called Campbell Cruelty and Humane Rescue, a foster-based business for rescue animals.

Part of the impetus behind the need for such an organization was the uptick in animal-cruelty cases in the city of nearly 8,000, Habart said, adding that she works with Jim Conroy of the Campbell Police Department, who also is in charge of code enforcement and responding to violations of the city’s anti-tethering ordinance.

Habart has taken in about 15 dogs, perhaps the most well-known of which is Buster, who was rescued March 1, 2023, after having been locked in a garage filled with junk, feces and urine, and was deprived of food and fresh water.

The Berea Animal Rescue Foundation’s efforts led to Buster being placed in his forever home while the Rescue Inn and Fido’s Companion took care of the dog’s medical costs, Habart recalled.

Pavlo Santiago, 62, of Whipple Avenue, served jail time in the case in which police found 91 animals on his property.

For her part, Thomas has rescued an estimated 40 cats, most of which had been roaming the streets. Many of them are getting ready to be adopted, she said.

The organization is looking for volunteers. Those interested are asked to call Habart at 440-334-8992.

“We do private parties, graduations, and do events a few times a month at Penguin City Brewing Co. and Birdfish (Brewing Co.) in Columbiana,” Carmelo Morales said Friday, referring to the Red Rican food truck, which he and his brother, Jonathan Morales, co-own and operate.

It also is among the food vendors at the fest.

Carmelo Morales, who moved to the Mahoning Valley in the early 1990s from New York City, specializes in selling authentic Puerto Rican delicacies, including pastelillos, which are crispy, hand-held pies stuffed with ground beef, cheese and often diced potatoes.

“By far, it’s our No. 1 seller on the truck,” he said. “We sell thousands of them a year.”

Other items on the vehicle’s menu include chimi chicken with coqui sauce and yellow rice, maduros (glazed, sweet plantains) and plantain chips.

The festival, which was established 35 or 40 years ago, is an all-volunteer effort. Part of the proceeds from food sales and other means will go toward improving the park’s baseball fields, as well as building a new playground, Mayor Bryan K. Tedesco noted.

The fest also includes music, along with basket raffles and 50/50 raffles in the community center and the usual rides and attractions.

Have an interesting story? Contact the newsroom by email at news@vindy.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday.