Pure delight at Sarasota's Temple Emanu-El Purim Carnival

You don't have to convince the little ones to go to a celebration where they can dress up in costume, bounce on trampolines, play games and devour cookies.

Mention any one of the above and the answer will be a resounding "Yes."

Sunday's Purim Carnival at Temple Emanu-El in Sarasota had everything kids could want on a perfect morning, that even included a Sarasota County fire truck and Sheriff's Department cruiser tours.

"It is an ancient holiday of a celebration where you tell the story of Queen Esther and Mordecai from Bible and it's a time of costumes, cookies and all kinds of revelries here," Rabbi Brenner Glickman said. "We all grew up with it, and it's great to give to our children these same memories that people so far from our childhood have experienced."

One of those adults who grew up at Temple Emanu-El Religious School and now volunteers at Sunday school is Liann Bryant. She runs the full experience that Temple Emanu-El offers.

"I started with pre-school, I had my bar mitzvah here, and been confirmed here," said Bryant, who spent part of her Sunday painting the nails of some of the girls at the carnival. "Later, I was married here. I always try to do as much as I can here and usually it's related to Sunday School."

Giving back and getting together is the ultimate goal, according to Rabbi Michael Shefrin, especially with the turnout of approximately 200.

"It's a great turnout with multiple generations here," he said. "Kids are having a blast, the parents are enjoying themselves. It's a reunion for some people who haven't seen each other in a minute. It's so fun to see the grandparents to be welcoming members of the community, just opening the doors to celebration and doing good deeds like fundraising and celebrating and telling the stories of our people."

The Purim celebration continues this Friday with a play and what Glickman refers to as the "night for the adults."