Just in time for good Friday leading into the Easter holiday weekend is the return of the North American Mid-Way Carnival to the Greenville Mall.
The carnival is set to run Thursday, April 14, through Sunday, April 24.
Carnival hours are 5:30 to 10 p.m. during weekdays, 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 1 to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
Teresa Johnson, representing the Greenville Mall, appeared before the Greenville City Council during their regular Tuesday meeting to request permission to locate the carnival on the southwest corner of the mall’s lot and to authorize off-duty Greenville Police to serve as security and use their city-issued sidearms and other equipment.
Council members had questions about what preemptive measures would be taken to ensure safety.
Chief Marcus Turner noted officers would be taking similar measures as they did during the Hot Tamale Festival, such as using ATVs for faster and more efficient mobility.
“We also would like to use some of our already take home vehicles to kind of make sure that everyone knows that there is a positive police presence out there,” he said. “I think that once people know and understand that police are out there and present, it will deter a lot of things from happening.”
The council voted unanimously to approve the request of Johnson, but were of the general consensus moving forward, to seek the advice of the city attorney regarding the city’s liability and contractual obligations in the case of events that attract large crowds.
