Fabuwood celebrated its warehouse team with an end-of-summer barbecue carnival featuring original wooden booths built by departments across the company.
On one of the hottest days of summer—the kind when the pavement throws the heat right back at you—the air outside Fabuwood smelled like hot dogs, sun-warmed wood, and competition. Music played. Beanbags flew. Laughter collided with the thud of balls hitting wooden targets. Every few seconds, Griselle from HR sent another cheer through the microphone, entirely committed to making sure nobody played quietly. ¡Dale! The carnival was on.
The centerpiece was a carnival midway built almost entirely in-house. Each participating department had been given the same assignment: repurpose wood and create an original carnival booth. What appeared that afternoon felt more like a small, slightly unhinged amusement park, complete with a life-size robot, a two-lane bowling alley, a miniature soccer field, a Wild West farm, and a wooden lighthouse. The material may have been repurposed, but the craftsmanship certainly was not.
Manufacturing went big—very big—with a towering wooden robot carved with target openings. A few steps away, the Pantry and Illume Assembly Department had transformed into a troupe of mimes for Mime Corner, complete with a ring toss and head-to-toe costumes.
Assembly built a miniature soccer field where the dimensions were small, and the stakes somehow were not. The Door Department went full ’90s carnival with bright colors, balloons, and a classic beanbag toss. Nearby, two handcrafted bowling lanes by the Inventory Department kept the balls rolling.
At the Maintenance booth, Fabuwood’s 100 mph culture became a literal race against the clock. Employees moved through ladder toss, a machine puzzle, and a wire connection challenge as quickly as possible.
Wood Recovery took the midway out west with Wild West Fabuwood Farm, a rustic wooden setup filled with target games and paintball shooting. The Finishing Department followed with Finishing Strong, turning the path to a perfect cabinetry finish into its own challenge: Primer 1, Primer 2, Sealer, Apply Color, and Topcoat. Rows of miniature doors in Designer Collection colors lined the booth.
Picking hosted the Dart Doll Shootout at Fun Fest. The Packaging, Restoration, and Repair teams created the full carnival spectacle of Supreme Fest. Accessories brought the big top with Circus Mania, while CNC aimed higher with Shooting for the Stars. At Ping Pong Bum, the Assembly and Skin Department proved that one unpredictable bounce could undo an otherwise excellent plan.
Linden Warehouse, mercifully, had the lemonade stand. On a day that hot, it may have been the wisest booth of all.
The Receiving team made an entrance worthy of a parade, emerging from a wooden cage dressed as animal circus mascots and sending a fresh wave of cheers through the crowd. Then Quality Control invited everyone aboard Sailor’s Quest Carnival. The team arrived dressed as sailors and built a full seaside scene from wooden barrels, hanging teddy bears, and a wooden lighthouse. All hands were on deck, and Quality Control had officially gone overboard—in the best possible way.
Just when the crowd seemed to have seen every possible feat of balance, aim, speed, and questionable athletic confidence, pogo stick pro Harry raised the bar. He showed off a run of tricks that looked suspiciously easy from a safe distance. Naturally, Fabuwood team members accepted the challenge and took turns of their own. Results varied. Enthusiasm did not.
For one sweltering afternoon, the people who spend their days building cabinetry together got to play together. It was an employee appreciation event shaped by the same skill, creativity, and fast-moving teamwork that define Fabuwood’s manufacturing culture.
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