Sun and Fun at Apple Harvest Carnival 2012 [Photos and Video]

The Beverly Hills Education Foundation's Apple Harvest Carnival was a hit Sunday, with hundreds of people gathering under the hot afternoon sun to enjoy rides, games, food, music and more on the Beverly Hills High School front lawn.

"It's a fundraiser to support all five of our schools through BHEF, which is what we do," said Matthew Zarcufsky, the non-profit's executive director. He said the carnival should net about $50,000, which will go towards programming and staff at the city's five public schools.

Beyond BHEF's effort to raise money for education, Zarcufsky said the carnival "serves as a community-building event."

"We're bringing all five of our schools and people from across our community together to learn about what we do and have a good time," he said.

Howard Goldstein, who serves on the BHEF Executive Board of Governance, has been a carnival volunteer for five years. He said the event has been getting more and more popular.

"Because the numbers keep on increasing, we were able to spread out," Goldstein said. "We have a few more rides and more activities for the kids so it's fun. They're not standing in line. They can actually just run from place to place."

Horace Mann parent Lyle Kurtz described the carnival as, "Fun, food, family and community." He brought along his son Jared, a sixth grader, who said he was looking forward to seeing his friends.

At his first Apple Harvest Carnival since being elected to the Beverly Hills Unified School District Board of Education, Lewis Hall said he was enjoying seeing familiar faces at community events like the carnival.

"It's really cool to see all these people I know," he said. "Everyone's supporting the schools with this activity."

Many individuals, families and businesses supported the BHEF's 2012 Apple Harvest Carnival. To see a list of this year's sponsors, please click the PDF file uploaded to this article (it's in the upper right-hand corner below the photos and videos).

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