Residents of Silver Cross nursing home celebrated the nation’s independence early on Wednesday with a carnival for their family members and the community.

Silver Cross Home Marketing Director Leslie Smith said the carnival was the brainchild of her, social worker Bernastien Byrd and Kim Williams, the home’s activities director.

“It’s a good time for the community to see what we have here for our residents,” Smith said.

She said the carnival is mainly for the residents, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The event lasted from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and included clogging, musical chairs, a fun jump, visitors from the fire department and a very popular dunking booth along with other smaller games and activities.

Silver Cross staff members and volunteers ran games and activity booths.

Jerricka and Johnaya Williams are twins who volunteered to work a couple of the booths during the event. Their mother, Jennifer Terrell, works at Silver Cross, which was how they first got involved with volunteering at the home. Their volunteering started as just a way to get the hours they needed, but they soon became regular volunteers.

“The residents keep us busy,” Jerricka said. They said they usually help with bingo, reading books to the residents and helping with such things as wheeling residents outside when they feel they need some fresh air.

The two who will be entering their senior year at Brookhaven High School in August said that they like the volunteering they do during the summer.

“It’s better than sitting at the house,” Jerricka said.

“They really are characters,” Johnaya said.

Jerricka and Johnaya are among many volunteers Silver Cross had at the event. Kim Williams said that for the event some of the volunteers had helped at the nursing home before, but they get many calls from people wanting to help out.

“And I enjoy every one of them,” Williams said.

Smith said the event had a big turn out, and they plan for the Fourth of July Carnival to be something that happens every year.