Riverside County Carnival
Big Dreams, Bright Lights: The Two Entrepreneurs Building Riverside County’s First Signature Carnival
Back in Fresh Scoop Studio, the pinkish-blue podcast space was filled with the familiar scent of fresh-baked pastries. The scent happened to be coming from the candle lit by studio-owner, David Apodaca, but it seemed to tie in beautifully to the day’s chat; a next-level local carnival coming to town.
On the soft-blue couch at center stage sat two men who, at first glance, could not have felt more different.
Jason Devor sat comfortably on the left with his hands folded, a warm smile edging across his face whenever the camera’s tally light blinked red. To his right, lounged Alex Kowalkoski, all quick wit and bright energy; he spoke with the crisp cadence of a stand-up comic, timing each quip as if he were tossing punch lines to an unseen crowd. What linked these opposites was a single, audacious idea: turning an ordinary patch of Riverside County asphalt into a week-long wonderland called the Riverside County Carnival.
Jason had arrived in Southwest Riverside a decade earlier with one clear mission: plant roots and print signs. His company, HitPrint, quietly became the go-to shop for banners, posters, and magazine layouts (including The Hidden Vine itself). Connecting with neighbors, however, proved trickier. “When I moved here,” he confessed, “I threw small events just to meet people.”
Alex’s origin story pulsed at a different tempo. An honest marketer who founded Prime Media Consulting, he specialized in websites and Google placement, then multiplied his reach by launching a local networking group. Where Jason built physical ink and vinyl, Alex built digital search results and online buzz.
Their paths finally crossed last spring when Jason attended one of Alex’s networking meet-ups. The two discovered a shared frustration: families around Temecula, Murrieta, and Lake Elsinore had few affordable places to bring kids for pure, unfiltered fun. Wineries and upscale attractions dotted the valley. Neighborhood carnivals did not. Within a week, their joint text thread lit up with plans. Four months later, Family Fun Fest debuted at the Lake Elsinore Outlet Mall with modest marketing, a handful of rides, and fifteen thousand guests.
Jason remembered counting ticket stubs that night, stunned by the turnout. Alex recalled something else: “Every vendor kept saying, ‘If you pulled this off in four months, imagine what you could do with more time and bigger rides.’” The spark for a regional carnival was struck.
Rebranding came first. Family Fun Fest sounded hometown, but the partners dreamed of a flagship event that would lure visitors from Menifee to Corona. They christened their upgraded vision Riverside County Carnival, and instead of a 3-night extravaganza, this one would be a whole week of excitement and pandemonium. Then they phoned ride operators; serious firms trailing tractor-trailers of neon steel. Within weeks, contracts representing $10M of carnival machinery sat on Jason’s desk.
Next came the entertainment. Alex insisted on themes for each of the seven nights, giving locals a reason to return again and again. He rattled them off in the studio, eyes sparkling: a Swift-inspired opening with friendship bracelets and a Taylor tribute band; an ’80s-’90s-Today night handing out Tamagotchis; a college takeover with EDM and thunder-sticks; a Memorial Day salute crowned by a Marine Corps F-35 fly-over; a Mardi Gras evening with beads and a Selena tribute; a Halfway-to-Halloween candy-fest complete with a band in full horror regalia; and, to close, a country night showering guests in trucker hats.
Jason laughed, half in disbelief, half in pride. “I told him the fly-over was impossible,” he admitted. “He proved me wrong.”
Despite the spectacle, both men stressed that the carnival’s beating heart is charity. Admission (just $9 online for kids, $10 for adults) funnels half of every ticket straight to partner nonprofits. More than 20 organizations, from Habitat for Humanity to tiny youth-sports leagues, have unique ticket links; every scan pours dollars into their programs. Jason, who fields constant donation requests at HitPrint, smiled wider as he described the model. “This lets us say yes in a big way,” he said. Alex nodded. “No buy-ins, no catches. Just share the link, earn funds, bring your families.”
For Alex, the project feels like returning to his college internship with a Michigan minor-league baseball team where his job was “bringing the fun” every night. Now, at forty, he wields the region itself as his stadium. “I feel like I own the sandbox with all the toys,” he joked, “and I just want everyone to come play.”
Jason views the carnival through a community lens. Printing banners may pay the bills, but orchestrating seven nights of shared laughter feels like purpose. “You get out of the world what you put in,” he said, lowering his voice. “This is us putting in.”
The Riverside County Carnival opens May 23 – 26 and May 30 – June 1. Gates swing wide at 5 p.m. on weeknights and earlier on weekends; fireworks punctuate the sky Memorial Day evening after the jets roar overhead. Parents can pre-purchase wristbands for unlimited rides or simply wander the grounds, sampling kettle corn, posing with costumed characters, and watching their kids spin beneath twinkling bulbs.
We ended the studio session by asking how it feels to gamble time, money, and sanity on something so vast. Jason’s reserved smile spread into a full grin. “It’s exciting,” he said simply. Alex leaned forward, elbows on knees, comedic timing intact: “As long as nobody breaks my toys, we’re good.”
Tickets, vendor applications, and nonprofit partnerships are live at RiversideCountyCarnival.com.
Seven nights, countless memories, one larger-than-life dream shared by two very different entrepreneurs. If Jason provides the canvas and Alex splashes on the color, the community will finish the masterpiece; one ride ticket, one funnel cake, one smiling crowd at a time.
Watch the full interview here: Riverside County Carnival | Building a Seven-Night Family Festival
