Highlands County Fair Starts Friday

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on January 20, 2009
Posted in: News. Tagged: , .

By MARC VALERO
Highlands Today

SEBRING – The 72nd Highlands County Fair starts its nine-day run of shows, rides, contests, exhibits and more on Friday.

The Midway will feature the Reithoffer Shows with thrill rides, family rides, kiddie’s rides, games, food and fun for the whole family.

Marco Amable heads back to the ground after making sure the components on top of the YoYo ride are secure during setup of the Highlands County fair - Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

Marco Amable heads back to the ground after making sure the components on top of the YoYo ride are secure during setup of the Highlands County fair - Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

The Expo Stage comes alive with rock ‘n’ roll bands and other musical performances.

Livestock judging and showmanship is featured in the Livestock Pavilion.

See a variety of displays and exhibits in the three exhibits buildings on the Independent Midway.

A new beauty pageant joins the Miss Highlands County and Junior Miss Highlands County beauty pageants.

The Little Miss Highlands County Pageant will make its debut at 7 p.m., Monday, in the Expo Pavilion with six contestants between the ages of 8 and 11.

Christie Spiegel, coordinator for all three pageants, said with the fair being held earlier than usual a lot of people were unaware of the earlier deadline dates for the pageants.

“I think this one will grow; it’s something new,” she said of the Little Miss pageant. “I think next year will be a little different.”

Spiegel stressed that fairgoers should note that the Miss Highlands County (ages 16-19) and the Junior Miss Highlands County (ages 12-15) beauty pageants will be held on different nights of the week than in the past.

The Junior Miss Highlands County Pageant, with 17 contestants, will be held the opening night of the fair (Friday) at 7 p.m. in the Expo Pavilion.

The Miss Highlands County Pageant, with 11 contestants, will be held at 7 p.m., Saturday, in the Expo Pavilion.

“Boot Scootin’ Beauty” is the theme for all three pageants.

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Largest portable roller coaster makes its debut at South Florida Fair

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on January 17, 2009
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , .

By STEVEN BERGER
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Just over a year ago, the RC-48 was set aside, stuffed into open-air containers on the New Jersey boardwalk.

The largest portable roller coaster in the nation is now the newest showpiece at the South Florida Fair’s midway.

Lined with University of Florida flags, the orange-and-blue roller coaster wasn’t in any shape to run last year when it was purchased by Frank Zaitshik. The owner of Wade Shows Inc., the company that runs the fair’s midway, Zaitshik took a gamble with the 5-story-tall roller coaster, which had been sitting unused for three years.

The RC-48 almost debuted at last year’s fair, but rebuilding and testing the roller coaster would have cut it very close with the fair’s opening. Zaitshik instead chose to set it up at the Florida State Fair, which would offer an entire month to make sure everything ran smoothly.

“It was like a jigsaw puzzle,” he said. “We had to lay it all out, and then try and figure out how to put it together.”

The gamble paid off. The RC-48 worked and was the top money-winner at that fair, Zaitshik said.

Wade Shows has invested between $500,000 and $600,000 in the RC-48, the vast majority spent on work put into the roller coaster after it was purchased, he said. If the company put it back on the market today they would ask for $1.2 million.

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New Fair Rides Focus on Family

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on January 16, 2009
Posted in: News. Tagged: , , .

Aldrich M. Tan • The Indio Sun

Several new carnival rides are coming to the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival.

The Viper, Balloon Samba and Hip Hop Fun House are the newest rides that will be at the festival’s carnival grounds.

Butler Amusements, based in Fairfield, has provided the carnival rides for the Indio-based festival since 1997. They are also at 37 fairs in six Western states.

Desert Hot Springs resident Dani Moreno (left), 10, and Coachella resident Alex Lucero, 5, ride the Grand Carousel at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio. Even more family-oriented rides will be featured at this years event. (Marilyn Chung Indio Sun File Photo)

Desert Hot Springs resident Dani Moreno (left), 10, and Coachella resident Alex Lucero, 5, ride the Grand Carousel at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio. Even more family-oriented rides will be featured at this year's event. (Marilyn Chung Indio Sun File Photo)

The rides are being aimed more toward families so children can enjoy them with their parents, said Andrea Owen, marketing director for Butler Amusements.

“We try to purchase new rides every single year to keep the experience fresh so that the Midway is not the same thing every year,” she said.

The Viper seats 24 people and has more than 3,000 lights, Owen said. The ride’s large arm tilts and spins. Two clusters at the end of each arm will also twist and spin.

The Viper debuted last year and has been known to be a high-capacity thrill ride, Owen said.

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NORTH RIDGEVILLE, IN – Thinks About Background Checks For Circus and Carnivals , After Nightmare with “Forest of the Lost Souls”

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on January 15, 2009
Posted in: News. Tagged: .

By Alison Meaney – Sun News

In response to an influx of crime stemming from the Forest of the Lost Souls operation on Sugar Ridge Road last fall, City Council is revisiting the ordinance governing circuses, menageries, carnivals and other public exhibitions for the first time since the 1960s.

At the request of Council President Bernadine Butkowski, the safety committee brainstormed the option of requiring criminal history background checks for festival and event operators.

“The disastrous haunted house down on Sugar Ridge caused a lot of problems,” Butkowski said. “We need to know who we’re dealing with.”

This fall thefts from businesses, vehicles and a residence in the area surrounding were linked with haunted forest employees after police discovered a stolen golf cart on the Forest of Lost Soul property.

Four male employees of the Forest of Lost Souls were suspected of receiving stolen property and theft-related crimes. One adult has since been charged, two other adults are facing charges and the fourth has been referred to juvenile court.

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Getting ready for the Manatee County fair

Posted by CarnivalMidways.Com on January 15, 2009
Posted in: News. Tagged: .

Herald Tribune
PALMETTO — Tens of thousands of people are just two days away from the joys of the Manatee County Fair: the smell of cotton candy, the squeals and laughter of children on rides, and the ear-to-ear smiles of blue ribbon winners.

along with Mike Jones of Denver as they help set up the Alpine Bobs ride at the Manatee County Fair. - STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER

John Hanson of Texas gets plugged in along with Mike Jones of Denver as they help set up the Alpine Bobs ride at the Manatee County Fair. - STAFF PHOTO / THOMAS BENDER

A homespun tradition that dates back to 1916, the fair drew more than 138,000 people last year; attendance hit a record 155,000 in 2006.ADMISSION

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