News

Carnivals and Nevada celebrate shared birthdays at Mills Park

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on October 31, 2008
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About the same time that Nevada became a state on October 31, 1864, American carnivals were coming into their own as the newest and most exciting entertainment around using horse-powered ‘ups and downs’ (four-seated Ferris wheel type rides), and merry-go-rounds, plus offering side shows and games of chance.

Since that time both Nevada and carnivals have grown proportionately so that it is fitting they share the spotlight together for this coming Nevada Days Birthday Celebration with the RSVP Nevada Days Fair open today through Sunday at Mills Park in Carson City.

This will be the 23rd year that RSVP has joined in the Nevada Days festivities, and they will again bring the Davis Shows Northwest Carnival with their newest rides.

This year’s rides include the Drop Zone, Pharaohs Furry, Octopus, Ghost Party, Ferris Wheel, Hurrican, and Tornado. There will also be plenty of kiddie rides for the little ones like the Berry go Round, Mini Jets, ‘Bulgy the Whale and Go Gator.

The carnival opens at noon on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All-day ride passes are $23, but with a $5 Super Carnival Discount Coupon, the all-day ride pass is only $18. The coupon can be downloaded at www.davisshowsnw.com by clicking on “coupon.”

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State Fair Will Make Fun Last Longer

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on October 31, 2008
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Tampa Bay Online

By LAURA KINSLER

lkinsler@tampatrib.com

Published: October 31, 2008

TAMPA – The Florida State Fair Authority wants six more days of rides, fried food on a stick, roller derby, Elvis impersonators and livestock exhibits.

The authority voted this month to extend the annual fair from 12 to 18 days, starting in 2010, to finance $70 million in upgrades at the state fairgrounds in East Tampa.

Those improvements include building a 90,000-square-foot addition to the Expo Hall, gutting and rehabbing the existing 1976 hall, moving lakes, adding a waterfall and expanding the midway by at least 50 percent. Executive Director Chuck Pesano said the fair authority also wants to build a 200-unit RV park, add hotels and rework the entrance road from Interstate 4. But the fair, which receives no state or county subsidies, needs greater attendance to bring in enough revenue to finance the 15-year improvement plan.

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NM state fair brings in less revenue

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on October 29, 2008
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KOB.Com – SE New Mexico
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – New Mexico State Fair officials are blaming a 17.5 percent drop in attendance for a $620,300 decline in revenues from this year’s fair.

A preliminary report by Expo New Mexico chief financial officer Joe McIntyre shows that total revenue for the fair, which ran from Sept. 5-21 at Expo New Mexico, was more than $5.4 million – more than 10 percent below the previous year’s revenues.

Attendance for this year’s event was 602,504, down from 730,529 the previous year.  Fair officials have blamed tough economic times and high gasoline prices for the drop in attendance and revenues.

The report shows that carnival ride revenues fell by more than a quarter, while admission sales and art sales both fell by more than 5 percent.

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Annual ‘love a fair’ about to blossom

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on October 29, 2008
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54th event kicks off Friday, runs through Nov. 8.
By MICHAEL MITSEFFmmitseff@lakecityreporter.com
Lake City Reporter

The sights, sounds and thrills of the 54th Columbia County Fair are only days away as crews work to unpack and set up stomach-churning rides, attractions and games as food wagons are arranged along the midway.

<i>Luke Skroch (right) and Rodney Ligget assemble a track for the Go Gator roller coaster Tuesday afternoon at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. The Columbia County Fair will open Friday at 4 p.m. and run through Nov. 8. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporte</i>r

Luke Skroch (right) and Rodney Ligget assemble a track for the Go Gator roller coaster Tuesday afternoon at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. The Columbia County Fair will open Friday at 4 p.m. and run through Nov. 8. JASON MATTHEW WALKER/Lake City Reporter

The fair’s opening day ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday will feature guest speaker Alfonso Levy.

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The Long Summer

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on October 28, 2008
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An older article found on globeandmail.com, be sure to click the link.  There are 8, 3 minute videos from the perspective of 8 workers.

The carnival workers of Conklin Supershows don’t see the big-city glam of the CNE or the PNE. From April to October, they travel small towns, setting up shopping mall midways and county fairs. It’s a fading way of life with few rewards. For many, photographer Charla Jones reports, it’s the only road they know.

Pops pays close attention as a group of teenaged boys unscrew the large bolts of the merry-go-round. “Some of these kids put extra grease on themselves to make it look like they’re working,” he says.

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