Traveling Carnival News,Pictures and Videos.

By Ken McLemore
Hope Star

A lawsuit filed here in behalf of the estate of a seven-year old boy killed in an April, 2007, Easter holiday carnival accident has been dismissed concerning all defendants in the multiple-cross-claims action except the maker of the carnival ride, pending the completion of a settlement.

Attorneys for Jelly Saunders Original Razorback Amusements, Inc., of Judsonia, and T.H.E. Insurance Company, insurers for the carnival operator, presented a partial order of dismissal before Eighth Judicial District-North Circuit Judge William Randall Wright in November.

Wright signed the order Nov. 19, and it was filed for record Dec. 2, effectively removing Saunders and THE as defendants in the litigation.

“It appearing that the claims against separate defendants, Jelly Saunders Original Razorback Amusements, Inc., and T.H.E. Insurance Company, have been resolved by way of settlement, the plaintiff’s claims against Jelly Saunders Original Razorback Amusements, Inc. and T.H.E. Insurance Company shall be dismissed with prejudice,” the order states.

Wright’s dismissal of the defendants from the litigation “with prejudice” automatically forecloses renewed or further litigation against them in the claim of Marisol Mendoza, mother of Marcial Alvarado, Jr., as administratrix of the boy’s estate.

Wally Properties, LLC, of Fort Smith, owners of the Hope Expo Center, where the Easter Sunday accident occurred, were dismissed as defendants in a similar filing in May.

Claims filed in the Hempstead County Circuit Court lawsuit revolved primarily around the manufactured design of the Sizzler ride from which the boy was thrown or fell, as well as the responsibility of the carnival operator in allowing the ride to be used, the responsibility of the property owner, and the responsibilities of the child’s mother in allowing him to ride the machine.

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By RITA PEARSON, AP
Source
MOLINE, Ill. – With one well-worn, battered blue suitcase, James Kopel of Moline spent the past 11 years attending every state fair in the United States.

By car and airplane, he figures he traveled about 80,000 miles — about half by air — and spent up to $40,000 to attend the official state fair in 41 states and the unofficial, but main event, in 11 others.

Wearing his John Deere cap and walking shoes, and carrying a map of the fairgrounds, the affable, retired Black Hawk College professor traversed the fairgrounds, sampling the food and viewing the livestock shows, 4-H exhibits and commercial tents at each one.

To say Kopel is an expert on state fairs is an understatement. He created a state fair evaluation form on his laptop computer, rating each state fair on 90 variables, including quality and affordability of food, cleanliness and accessibility of fairgrounds and exhibits, courteous office staff, variety of entertainment and educational experience.

Kopel collected volumes of data and memorabilia along the way, and hopes to write a book on his findings to guide others who love state fairs. Throughout his travels, the Moline School Board member did not miss any of the school board’s twice-monthly meetings.

Kopel, 68, relishes the big question of why he made visiting state fairs in all 50 states his personal mission.

The answer is: because he could. He had the time and the inclination.

Growing up on a farm near Marshalltown, Iowa, Kopel raised and showed Chester White swine at his first Iowa state fair at age 10 in Des Moines. He’s loved state fairs ever since, even as they’ve grown more commercial.

There’s an old saying, he says, that you can take the kid off the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the kid. “That’s me.”

He and his wife, Harlene, traveled to state fairs in their RV after retiring, and visited 10 before her death. “After she died, it became an obsession, partly to honor her,” he said.

Kopel visited the remaining 40 by airplane and rental car, with a global positioning system to guide him from airport to hotel to fairgrounds and back again.

His best experience was at the Fryeburg Fair in Maine, which drew exhibitors from Maine and New Hampshire. “It was one of the cutest state fairs you’ve ever seen.” he said.

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Finding Dulcinea – By Christopher Coats

Threatening to displace the skyscraper as the ultimate symbol of civic and skyline authority, the Ferris wheel has returned, with efforts across the globe underway to create the highest and most impressive wheels around.

Matt Dunham/AP - Youngsters play in a park adjacent to the London Eye wheel in London.

The Wheels in the Sky

Adding an element of seriousness, developers have dropped the original title, eliciting images of theme parks and carnivals, and have begun to call these massive revolving circles, “observational wheels.”

Following the basic structural approach as they did when George Washington Gale Ferris first unveiled his creation at Chicago’s World’s Fair in 1893, these new wheels differ structurally only in their sheer size and the addition of tensioned cables as spokes, instead of traditional bars held in place.

Further, the new wheels host sealed capsules, allowing larger groups of passengers and more impressive heights.

Inside, however, the wheels are worlds away from the original carnival rides, offering a slow-moving luxury ride, complete with bars and comfortable seating.

The century began with the unveiling of the U.K.’s contribution to the great wheel race in March 2000: the 443 ft. London Eye, able to carry more than 800 passengers over and above the Thames River.

Originally intended to only hold a temporary place on the Thames, the enormous success of the Eye not only earned it a permanent place on the London skyline, but also spurred scores of imitators hoping to repeat the wheel’s financial success.

According to a 2007 New York Times report, the wheels were thought to be all but lost, representing a time long past before the success of the Eye brought the Ferris wheel back into fashion.

Shortly holding the title of the world’s tallest, the Eye was surpassed by the Singapore Flyer, measuring 541 ft in the air, and offering views of landmarks up to 30 miles away.

The Flyer’s title will soon shift with the opening of the Great Beijing Wheel, topping the list at 682 ft, and with space enough for 1,920 passengers in 48 capsules.

Hoping to tap into the financial and tourism perks of a towering observational wheel, the Brisbane Times reported in August that Baghdad is hoping to build a wheel of its own to attract visitors to the war-torn capital.

However, not everyone is as excited about the prospect of observational wheels in the community. Earlier this year, NorthJersey.com columnist Mike Kelly expressed his displeasure at the announcement of a possible 30-story wheel to be built near the busy Little Teterboro Airport.

Such massive endeavors are not without their own unique set of challenges and dangers. Just this month, the 42-story Singapore Flyer stranded more than 172 people for hours as a fire caused the wheel’s electrical system to fail. Currently the world’s tallest, the Flyer contains 28 capsules, each able to hold 28 passengers.

Background: Little confidence

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By ALEX KENNEDY, Associated Press Writer – Yahoo News

SINGAPORE – Fire broke out in the control room of the world’s tallest observation wheel Tuesday, trapping 173 people hundreds of feet above the ground for hours and forcing rescuers to lower 10 passengers to safety by rope.

Two passengers were hospitalized with minor ailments.

During the six hour ordeal, passengers were able to talk with officials via intercom and rescuers tethered to harnesses brought them sandwiches and soft drinks, said general manager Steven Yeo.

“It took a while,” Yeo said. “Some of them were a bit disturbed.”

The 165-meter (541-foot) Flyer, which has carried 2 million passengers so far, is about 100 feet (30 meters) taller than the London Eye, formerly the world’s tallest observation wheel. It was built by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Technicians were able to get the wheel moving again a little more than six hours after it ground to a halt and most of the passengers exited normally, Yeo said.

The wheel, known as the Singapore Flyer, has stalled twice before for about an hour each time since it began operating in February.

“This is the first time that something of this nature has happened, where people were hospitalized,” Yeo said.

A 70-year-old woman complaining of dizziness and a 10-year-old boy who vomited were taken by ambulance to a hospital, Civil Defense Colonel N Subhas said.

The 10 passengers closest to the ground were evacuated by harnesses attached to ropes, and civil defense rescuers were planning to bring the rest of the passengers to safety the same way when the wheel’s power was restored, Subhas said.

The Flyer was to shut down for at least one day to allow for repairs and an investigation, Yeo said.

Rob Scott
The Daily Item

MIDDLEBURG — A raging fire Sunday destroyed a building owned by at least four businesses over the last few decades.

Middleburg Fire Chief Dwayne “Butch” Hackenburg said flames were shooting out the side and roof of the building, used for storage by Benner’s Amusements, when he arrived on the scene.

Dozens of firefighters from about a half dozen companies surrounded the burning building and doused it with water from all sides.

A firefighter stationed in a cherry picker above the building trained a hose on flames shooting through the roof, while several others positioned themselves in front of the building, spraying water through windows as the flames roared out.

The fire, the heat from it so intense it stung the faces of those who ventued too close, burned holes in the sides of the building, exposing the inferno inside.

At times, the smoke – visible from a mile outside town – become so thick the firefighters were lost in the haze. Charred debris went floating into the air, sending bits and pieces of blackened building raining down on the crowd of firefighters and bystanders.

Hackenburg said the hydrant the fire companies were pulling from was weak, so they had to fill to fill tankers at a nearby pond and truck the water back and fourth to the scene.

“There was more fire load than we had water,” he said.

It took firefighters about an hour and a half to get the blaze under control. There were no injuries, Hackenburg said, and he could not provide an estimate of the damage. He said Kenneth Benner, owner of the building, had insurance.

Five people pulled a booth labeled “Ride Tickets” away from the structure only minutes before the wall behind it collapsed.

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BND.Com

NEW LONDON, Mo. — A 53-year-old traveling carnival manager who has a home in New London wins $1.4 million jackpot in the Missouri Lottery.

Thomas Cox matched all six numbers in the Dec. 10 Lotto drawing. The Missouri Lottery said Thursday that Cox bought the winning ticket at Abel’s Quik Stop in New London.

Cox chose to take the winnings in one lump-sum payment of $700,000. After taxes are withheld, he will receive a check for $497,000.

Cox says he’ll pay some bills and save for his three children to go to college.

Abel’s Quik Stop will receive a check for $14,000.

Cox works for carnival operator Wade Shows, but spends a few months each winter at his home in New London.

By Rod Rose/The Lebanon Reporter
Lebanon — As carnivals go, this summer’s Boone County 4-H fair will be ideal.

Luehrs’ Ideal Rides will appear at the Boone County Fairgrounds July 27-30, 2009.

The Boone County Fair Board last week approved a preliminary schedule for the annual event, said Tony Carrell, Extension Educator for 4-H Youth Development.

Jessup Amusements, which had been at the previous 11 fairs, announced in December 2007 it wouldn’t be back for 2008. Other carnivals were already booked.

Luehrs’ officials visited the fairgrounds last year, Carrell said.

Luehrs’ run will start after the fair opens on Friday, July 24. Luehrs, based in Belleville, Ill., was established in 1957; the carnival is a multiple winner of the Outdoor Amusement Business Association’s “Circle of Excellence” award.

Carrell said Luehrs is booked for July 24-25. The carnival will remain open for one day after the fair closes, he said.

Adding a carnival and shuffling some of the scheduled events were among public suggestions made at the 2008 fair, the first to be held over a full weekend.

“We knew going into it last year there would likely be some changes and modifications during the second year,” Carrell said Monday. “Hopefully next year the changes will be very minimal.”

Other changes for the 2009 Fair include:

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North Americas Top 50 experience only a 2% decrease from 2007
By MCW Staff
Besure to visit MCW to download the full list.

North America’s Top 50 fairs held their own in 2008, dropping only 2% from 41,468,926 in 2007 to 40,670,657 in 2008 in a year that posed difficult challenges.

Chief among the concerns for 2008 was the price of fuel. Guests at North America’s largest events can travel many miles to attend the event and managers were concerned fuel prices would adversely affect business, both in terms of cost of travel and the amount of money available to spend.

The year started out well with several early fairs posting significant gains. In January and February, the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach and the Florida State Fair we up 2% and 7% respectively. In the west, the national Western Show was up 4% in Denver in January and the San Antonio Livestock Show and Exhibition was up 8% in February.

By July and August, the year looked promising with fairs such as the Iowa State Fair posting an 11% increase and the Top 50′s biggest gainer, the Illinois State Fair, posting a whopping 21% increase!

As Labor Day came and the fall fair season started however, many fairs fell victim to inclement weather. Perennial powerhouses New Mexico State Fair, York (PA) Fair and the Big E all posted double digit drops of 19%, 17% and 14% respectively. October saw more of the same with the Arizona State Fair, The North Carolina State Fair, Mississippi State Fair and the South Carolina State Fair all showing losses in attendance numbers.

The fall was not without its bright spots however. The Arkansas State Fair and the State Fair of Louisiana were both up 6%.

The top three fairs for 2008, the Texas State Fair, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (1,802,158), the Minnesota State Fair (1,693,553) held their respective places but the Canadian National Exhibition (1,310,000) moved into the fourth place spot with a 6% increase over 2007, replacing the Los Angeles County Fair (1,303,655), which fell to fifth place.

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By John Weiss
Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN

Conventional wisdom is wrong — you can judge a book by its cover.

The front of “Purebred & Homegrown: America’s County Fairs” shows four children chatting outside the Rice County 4-H Revue Center in Lyons, Kan., ready to show their sheep at the county fair.

It’s a simple picture, deceptively simple.

Photographically, fairs can be a gold mine with the flashing lights of carnivals, the thrills of demolition derbies or action of horse races. Instead, the husband-wife team of Drake Hokanson and Carol Kratz of La Crosse, Wis., chose that picture.

It tells you what you need to know about what’s inside. It’s a book about America and what it once was, what it is now, and what it will be. Sizzle and hyperactivity would be wrong for what they write.

That’s the point, said Hokanson, a Winona State University mass communications professor. Fairs are timeless. They have changed from horse to tractors or cars, but the basics remain — they are places where people meet, talk, have commercial exhibits, compete for prizes in livestock, the best jellies and canned pickles. Stories and pictures about slices of pies are stories about slices of America.

Photographically, he said he would “look for that which was deeply true about the American county fair than that what was newsworthy. We were looking for what was perpetual at the fair.”

The couple spent 10 years doing research on 90 fairs in 35 states. Hearing them talk about it and reading their stories, it seems they had way too much fun to call it research.

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