Steamboat Springs — This weekend, the post-ski-season, deserted Meadows parking lot will be transformed into a colorful compilation of carnival rides, games and festive food concessions.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Spring Into Summer Carnival will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. In addition, the carnival will also be open from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring dozens of rides — from the mild Kiddie Swings and Fun Slides to the high-speed thrill ride, Gravitron — the carnival is for kids of all ages. Brown’s Amusements, the company providing the rides, travels around the nation during summer and will share its profits from this event with the Steamboat Springs Middle School.

Organized by the SSMS Parent Information Committee, the event is the middle school’s biggest fundraiser of the year; proceeds fund school projects and provide resources for teachers and students.

Last year’s carnival netted $3,000 for the middle school, fulfilling items on teacher wish-lists that couldn’t be met with the annual operating budgets. In addition, the carnival funded the purchase of several sets of books for the classroom, educational magazines, teacher resource books, atlases, pencil sharpeners, Spanish DVDs, calculators, online subscriptions for interactive math games, scholarships for student field trips and more.

“As a classroom teacher, you tend to daydream about exciting inquiry projects that you would like to do with your students,” said Carly Ziegler, one of the sixth-grade teachers at SSMS. “PIC makes this daydream a possibility by providing the extra boost needed to turn the classroom into an interactive, active and inquiry based setting.”

Each year in fall, PIC collects requests for funding from teachers, then evaluates those requests following criteria guidelines to determine what requests will provide the greatest impact for students.

“Both historically and in present times, we have relied on the community as a whole to contribute to the upbringing of our future leaders,” Ziegler said. “Our school wouldn’t be the same without the support of PIC, and we are extremely grateful for their efforts.”

Ziegler explained that education is a community effort and that PIC connects community businesses and families with the schools to provide funding for projects that enhance the overall education of students here.

“It’s a great opportunity for parents to do their part to help the teachers out,” said Wendy Tucciarone, one of the parent volunteers with the SSMS PIC. “They give so much all year long, and this is a way for us parents to help out and raise money for the school.”

The carnival is free to enter, and single ride tickets are available for $1 each, with rides costing between three and five tickets. All-day ride tickets will be sold at the gate of the Meadows parking lot for $30.

To reach Audrey Dwyer, call 970-871-4229, email adwyer@ExploreSteamboat.com or follow her on Twitter @Audrey_Dwyer1