Out of all the rides at Mt. Loretto's fall festival, the Turbo Tub was Jack Murphy's favorite. The 5-year-old spun around at least a dozen times with his new friend, a toy dog he picked up at the event.
"It was so fun," he said.
Murphy's mom tells us it was their first time at the festival.
And a nice way to welcome the fall season close to home.
"I end up going to Jersey all the time, this is nice to events on the South Shore," said Pamela Murphy.
The festival was started by Vinny Ignizio two years ago. He is the CEO of Catholic Charities, the non-profit that organizes the festival and other events. He says thousands of dollars are raised for Mount Loretto's programs which include camps for children with special needs
"Families want to hang out together but a lot of times there is not a lot to do. We at Catholic Charities embarked on a process where we are going to have festivals throughout the year right," said Ignizio.
There were plenty of activities from making your own scarecrow to shooting hoops. These two cousins said it was just nice to spend time together.
"We get to be more close to each other. We don't see each other that much on the weekends," said the attendee.
There was also a huge pumpkin patch, the size of a soccer field. It opened an hour early just for children with special needs.
"I think it's fantastic. I have two boys with special needs. It gives them to walk around without being overstimulated without the crowds," said the mom.
There is also a day care and senior center on the Mount Loretto campus. Some of the funds raised go towards programs for both.
Ignizio says more fundraisers are planned in the coming months.