St. Helena's Church in North Wilmington has been putting on the carnival each spring since the 1960s.
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This year, however, a group of young people tried to get in without paying admission on the last night of the carnival in May.
That group then went to a nearby Wawa, reportedly ransacked the store, and threw items at moving vehicles.
Church leaders told Action News that the decision to cancel was not an easy one.
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The parish relies heavily on the money generated from the family-friendly event.
"We had to make a very hard decision, we didn't like to have to do it," said Monsignor Stanley Russell with St. Helena's. "It's a shame that so many good people lose the opportunity for so much wholesome entertainment, just because a few people want to cause a lot of trouble."
The church says other avenues of revenue include weekly bingo and the Brandywine School District renting part of the church's old school building.