Mobile-home parks aren't the typical neighborhood setting for a community carnival.
But the Autumn Oaks mobile-home village on Fanning Road in southeast Winston-Salem held its first carnival yesterday in celebration of its growth into a more family-friendly community.
A moon bounce, dunk tank and carnival games gave residents a way to unwind and forge new bonds in a place that has struggled with drugs and crime during its 10-year history.
Timothy Gladden, 16, and a rising sophomore at Parkland High School, endured about 30 minutes in the dunk tank as local kids repeatedly submerged him in water.
Gladden said that the carnival was a good way for the community to come together and have fun.
He said he hopes that the neighborhood can someday have a community center and bike trails for its residents.
Angela Rojas took over the property's management with her husband in April, and the event is one part of their effort to make Autumn Oaks a more welcoming place.
"I think it's going to be a great morale booster," she said.
Autumn Oaks has 116 mobile homes and about 400 residents, but will expand to 212 units under the Rojas' new management-construction plan.
Duane Drye, who has lived at Autumn Oaks for eight years, said that things have drastically improved in the past few months.
"Before this company took over, it was an absolute nightmare," he said. Drye participates in a neighborhood watch to prevent crime in the area and also monitors the community's pool.
Drye's son Jacob, 11, agreed.
"Things have been getting a whole lot better," he said. "We've had stuff that we've been promised over eight years in 60 days."
Residents said that the addition of a playground, speed bumps and traffic signs in the neighborhood has made it safer and a better place to raise kids.
Rojas is not new to the neighborhood-improvement process. She has been in property management for 15 years and has run apartment complexes and mobile-home communities in Florida and Ohio.
Though the job is taxing, she said she likes the challenge.
"I love stress," she said.
The reward of her work is "seeing the difference in the residents, noticing how much they actually want to take pride in where they live."
A rent-to-own program at Autumn Oaks allows tenants to own their mobile-home property after renting the space for seven years. To qualify for the program, participants can't have any evictions or felonies on their record. The homes rent for $595 a month.
Angela Bonner moved to Autumn Oaks two months ago with her husband and three sons. The family used to live in an apartment complex where drug use and gang membership made her feel restless.
She said that their new neighborhood has been quiet and a better environment for her kids.
"It's not your normal mobile-home community," Bonner said. "It's like living in a regular housing development."
■ Christian Kloc can be reached at 727-7270 or at ckloc@wsjournal.com
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