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Homemade crab cakes, 25 rides and a huge fireworks display will flavor and light up Walkersville's carnival grounds starting Monday, when the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Company carnival begins.

Now in its 70th year, the carnival will run through July 4 at the fire hall grounds on West Frederick Street in Walkersville.

Walkersville's carnival is one of the largest fire company carnivals in Frederick County and is best known for its crab cakes, prepared fresh from scratch everyday by volunteers.

The fire company sells nearly 600 crab cake sandwiches per night.

Aside from crab cakes, nightly all-you-can-eat buffet dinners will be served from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned fire hall. Diners will have their choice of three different entrees at each buffet, from fried chicken, ham and roast beef to fried shrimp and roast turkey.

Buffet dinners cost $10 for adults and $5 for children younger than 10. Children younger than 5 eat for free. Carry-out buffet dinners cost $1.50 extra.

Hamburgers, pizza, ice cream, chili dogs and french fries will be sold outside the fire hall. A raffle drawing for $300 will be held Tuesday and two more drawings for $1,000 are scheduled for July 2 and 4.

For thrill-seekers and bargain-hunters, all-night ride tickets cost $10 in advance and will be on sale from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, at the fire company's activities building. All-night ride tickets can also be purchased for $20 at the carnival for use on any of the three designated evenings.

According to Vaughn Zimmerman, chairman of the fire company's carnival committee, the carnival is the fire company's biggest fundraiser.

Zimmerman added that the proceeds from this year's carnival will help the fire department purchase two new pieces of equipment — a "mini pumper" and an engine/tanker — at a total cost of $800,000.

E-mail Katherine Mullen at kmullen@gazette.net.

Walkersville Volunteer Fire Co. Carnival

-4:30-10:30p.m., Monday through July 4

-Carnival grounds, 79 W. Frederick St., Walkersville

-All-night ride tickets: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

-Fireworks at 10:15 p.m., July 2 (rain date July 3)

-Free parking

-Call 301-600-9110; www.walkersvillefire.com

Entertainment Schedule:

-June 29: Brush Fire Band

-June 30: The Fabulous Hub Caps

-July 1: Stick Time Band

-July 2: Glade Valley Travelers Band

-July 3: The Shades Band

-July 4: Allen Brown and Friends Band