Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Carnival Snacks

I treasure the stability of my childhood years, but my clearest memories are of the breaks from routine — family vacations, the time Dad let us go to a midnight movie opening on a school night, my 16th birthday bash. Ye olde family reunion is upon me once again, and I’m in dire need of a punch-up — a focal point for bored children. Ah-ha, a sweet spot for their sweet tooth — popcorn from an old-fashioned popper in little striped bags, great swaths of pink cotton candy rolled into cloud-sized mounds, icy blue snow cones and the subsequent brain freeze. I’ll give them an old-time carnival-snack binge.

Greg at San Diego Kids Party Rentals in Clairemont (858-272-2700; sandiegokidspartyrentals.com) told me I could start making fresh-popped memories for $79 a day. “The popcorn machines are the old-fashioned kind — basically, a cart on wheels. It comes with enough popcorn and oil for 30 servings and the boxes you use for serving. You take the premeasured packets of corn and oil, cut the tops off, stir them together in the hopper, press some buttons, and you’re off. The first batch takes three to four minutes; after that, each batch goes a little quicker. It’s preseasoned to give a buttery, salty flavor. And you can get additional packets, each containing seven to eight servings, for $2 apiece.”

As for the snow cones, “You need to provide your own ice. We provide the rest, including the syrups. We have a variety — strawberry, cherry, lime — and we send out syrups in blue, green, red, and yellow. You plug the machine in and add a bag of cubed ice. There’s a button on the machine that activates a big hammer that grinds the ice into snow. Just scoop it out into the cone and add the syrup. It takes no time at all to get going, and I suggest that people make a whole bunch of snow at once. We provide cups for 40 to 50 people. That’s $79 a day.”

San Diego Kids Party Rental offers delivery and pickup on orders over $125. “But either of these can be picked up,” said Greg. “Just keep in mind that Saturdays are our crazy days, so you’ll want to try to give us as much advance notice as possible when booking, as we do sell out. Other days, it’s not usually an issue.” Greg noted that no cleaning was necessary prior to return.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Raphael’s Party Rentals in Miramar and Carlsbad (858-689-7368; raphaels.com) rents antique-style popcorn carts for $116, or tabletop-style for $66. A $35 deposit is required, but if the machines are returned cleaned, the deposit is refunded. As for popcorn, said the clerk, “Our smallest amount serves 200; that’s $45. You might want to buy your own at Costco or Smart & Final. And for something like this, your best bet is to pick it up. We deliver for minimum orders of $75, but the delivery fee starts at $97.50.”

Abbey Party Rents has five locations: San Diego, Mira Mesa, El Cajon, Escondido, and Temecula (888-552-2239; abbeypartyrentals.com). Antique-style carts run $95; tabletop models, $55. Sales clerk Jackie told me, “It’s really simple. You plug them in, turn the switch on, add the popcorn. We sell enough popcorn and oil for 10 to 12 servings for $1.99, and a pack of 100 bags is $4. Delivery charge depends on zip code — La Mesa is $45. We ask for only a minimum cleaning — empty the hopper of excess kernels, and wipe out any leftover popcorn. We’ll do the actual washing.”

Jackie also offered cotton-candy machines for $55 a day. “It’s basically a motor with a giant bowl on top of it. You pour the candy floss into the bowl when it’s turned on, and it spins and spins. Stick the cotton-candy stick into the bowl, and let it collect cotton candy. For this one, we ask you to clean the bowl when you’re finished. The candy floss runs $7.95, and a pack of 100 sticks is $4.95. Oh, and we also have rotisserie-style pretzel warmers for $55. You can buy the pretzels at Costco — just defrost them first. Generally, a week’s notice is enough to reserve any of these.”

ABC Party & Event Rentals in Chula Vista (619-476-2222; abcpartyrental.com) was more no-frills. Tabletop popcorn machines and snow-cone machines ran $40 per day. No supplies or delivery available, but the clerk told me that either machine would fit in a minivan. Cleaning was not necessary, and a two- to three-week advance notice was recommended.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Party Pals in Sorrento (858-622-6613; partypals.com). I talked to Linda and learned that cotton-candy, snow-cone, and popcorn machines could be had for $575 each. “That includes an attendant for a four-hour event and servings for 425 people. Delivery in San Diego is $95. The attendant will bring out, set up, operate, and take down the machine and will serve the guests during the event. You determine where you want the machine to go; we just ask that it’s a flat surface. Also, you want to make sure we can get ten amps per machine — you might want to check your power supply ahead of time. We do a lot of outdoor carnivals, school events, grad nights, and company picnics. Popcorn and cotton candy tend to be most popular around Halloween. We’ve probably already booked the snow-cone machines for the Fourth of July, but other summer dates are still available.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Nation’s sexy soldiers stage protest at Pendleton in wake of change in Marine uniform policy

Semper WHY?
Next Article

Seals hook up with Beaver

Salty’s Escape is a Mexican-Style cerveza brewed with corn and puffed Jasmine rice

I treasure the stability of my childhood years, but my clearest memories are of the breaks from routine — family vacations, the time Dad let us go to a midnight movie opening on a school night, my 16th birthday bash. Ye olde family reunion is upon me once again, and I’m in dire need of a punch-up — a focal point for bored children. Ah-ha, a sweet spot for their sweet tooth — popcorn from an old-fashioned popper in little striped bags, great swaths of pink cotton candy rolled into cloud-sized mounds, icy blue snow cones and the subsequent brain freeze. I’ll give them an old-time carnival-snack binge.

Greg at San Diego Kids Party Rentals in Clairemont (858-272-2700; sandiegokidspartyrentals.com) told me I could start making fresh-popped memories for $79 a day. “The popcorn machines are the old-fashioned kind — basically, a cart on wheels. It comes with enough popcorn and oil for 30 servings and the boxes you use for serving. You take the premeasured packets of corn and oil, cut the tops off, stir them together in the hopper, press some buttons, and you’re off. The first batch takes three to four minutes; after that, each batch goes a little quicker. It’s preseasoned to give a buttery, salty flavor. And you can get additional packets, each containing seven to eight servings, for $2 apiece.”

As for the snow cones, “You need to provide your own ice. We provide the rest, including the syrups. We have a variety — strawberry, cherry, lime — and we send out syrups in blue, green, red, and yellow. You plug the machine in and add a bag of cubed ice. There’s a button on the machine that activates a big hammer that grinds the ice into snow. Just scoop it out into the cone and add the syrup. It takes no time at all to get going, and I suggest that people make a whole bunch of snow at once. We provide cups for 40 to 50 people. That’s $79 a day.”

San Diego Kids Party Rental offers delivery and pickup on orders over $125. “But either of these can be picked up,” said Greg. “Just keep in mind that Saturdays are our crazy days, so you’ll want to try to give us as much advance notice as possible when booking, as we do sell out. Other days, it’s not usually an issue.” Greg noted that no cleaning was necessary prior to return.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Raphael’s Party Rentals in Miramar and Carlsbad (858-689-7368; raphaels.com) rents antique-style popcorn carts for $116, or tabletop-style for $66. A $35 deposit is required, but if the machines are returned cleaned, the deposit is refunded. As for popcorn, said the clerk, “Our smallest amount serves 200; that’s $45. You might want to buy your own at Costco or Smart & Final. And for something like this, your best bet is to pick it up. We deliver for minimum orders of $75, but the delivery fee starts at $97.50.”

Abbey Party Rents has five locations: San Diego, Mira Mesa, El Cajon, Escondido, and Temecula (888-552-2239; abbeypartyrentals.com). Antique-style carts run $95; tabletop models, $55. Sales clerk Jackie told me, “It’s really simple. You plug them in, turn the switch on, add the popcorn. We sell enough popcorn and oil for 10 to 12 servings for $1.99, and a pack of 100 bags is $4. Delivery charge depends on zip code — La Mesa is $45. We ask for only a minimum cleaning — empty the hopper of excess kernels, and wipe out any leftover popcorn. We’ll do the actual washing.”

Jackie also offered cotton-candy machines for $55 a day. “It’s basically a motor with a giant bowl on top of it. You pour the candy floss into the bowl when it’s turned on, and it spins and spins. Stick the cotton-candy stick into the bowl, and let it collect cotton candy. For this one, we ask you to clean the bowl when you’re finished. The candy floss runs $7.95, and a pack of 100 sticks is $4.95. Oh, and we also have rotisserie-style pretzel warmers for $55. You can buy the pretzels at Costco — just defrost them first. Generally, a week’s notice is enough to reserve any of these.”

ABC Party & Event Rentals in Chula Vista (619-476-2222; abcpartyrental.com) was more no-frills. Tabletop popcorn machines and snow-cone machines ran $40 per day. No supplies or delivery available, but the clerk told me that either machine would fit in a minivan. Cleaning was not necessary, and a two- to three-week advance notice was recommended.

At the opposite end of the spectrum was Party Pals in Sorrento (858-622-6613; partypals.com). I talked to Linda and learned that cotton-candy, snow-cone, and popcorn machines could be had for $575 each. “That includes an attendant for a four-hour event and servings for 425 people. Delivery in San Diego is $95. The attendant will bring out, set up, operate, and take down the machine and will serve the guests during the event. You determine where you want the machine to go; we just ask that it’s a flat surface. Also, you want to make sure we can get ten amps per machine — you might want to check your power supply ahead of time. We do a lot of outdoor carnivals, school events, grad nights, and company picnics. Popcorn and cotton candy tend to be most popular around Halloween. We’ve probably already booked the snow-cone machines for the Fourth of July, but other summer dates are still available.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
Next Article

Navy solves San Diego homeless crisis by retiring four locally moored ships

Decommision Accomplished
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.