Carny Town - Traveling Carnivals, Fairs and Festivals

The Associated Press: 12-year-old girl injured on Wis. 'free fall' ride

MADISON, Wis. — A 12-year-old girl at an amusement park plunged more than 40 feet to the ground on Friday, seriously injuring herself when a safety net under a "free fall" attraction failed to catch her.

Police declined to identify the girl or to elaborate on her injuries, but said she was from out of state and was visiting the Wisconsin Dells with her family. The area is a popular Midwest tourist destination known for its amusement parks.

On its website, Extreme World amusement park describes its Terminal Velocity ride as a one-of-a-kind experience that offers an "unattached, controlled free fall." Participants are outfitted in a special harness, taken up in an elevator, and then dropped straight down into a "huge airtube supported net."

After the girl was released for her fall, "the net mechanism that was supposed to catch her and break her fall was not high enough above the ground to completely break the fall and she did hit the ground," Lake Delton Police Chief Thomas Dorner said.

Dorner said the girl was treated by amusement park employees and family before emergency responders arrived, around noon. She was eventually transported to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison by helicopter. Dorner said details of her injuries were not available, and hospital spokeswoman Lisa Brunette said she could not share them.

Extreme World owner Bill Anderson said it was the first accident in the 8-year history of the ride, which will be closed while police and state regulators investigate the accident. He said Extreme World, which also operates bungee jumping and other attractions, was closed Friday but would reopen on Saturday.

Department of Commerce spokesman Tony Hozeny said the ride was inspected on June 28, and there were no violations found. He said the ride has been inspected every year since 2004, and there was only been one minor violation found in 2008, which was immediately fixed.

"We want to express our sympathy to this person who was injured," Hozeny said. "As soon as we learned of this accident, we sent an inspector on site who is still investigating the situation to find out the facts."

Ken Martin, an amusement ride safety consultant based in Richmond, Va., said nets have failed at least twice on similar rides elsewhere — once in July 2003 in California, and once in Florida in November 2002.

Dorner said the investigation by his department and the Sauk County Sheriff's Department also continues.

Extreme World promises riders on its website that air tubes and break suspensions around the net "stop your fall so softly that you feel virtually no impact at all." The company compares the sensation to a parachute jump.

via www.google.com

161st Bangor State Fair to open today

BANGOR, Maine — The gates wouldn’t open for another 24 hours, but there was a bustle of energy inside Bass Park on Thursday afternoon as the finishing touches were put on setting up the 161st Bangor State Fair.

Bass Park Director Mike Dyer, who held a media event to announce some changes for this year’s event, said if the weather holds out, the fair could draw 75,000 patrons over the 10-day event.

Dyer said fair-goers can expect to see many of the things they have come to enjoy, including a massive midway coordinated by E.J. Dean of Fiesta Shows, but there will also be some new attractions. Among them are the Aussie Kingdom show, which features kangaroos and other Australian mammals, and Dave Smith, better known as the Human Cannonball.

“For $10, I think this is the best deal around,” Dyer said.

Bangor State Fair organizers switched to a flat fee structure last year and saw a huge spike in attendance. The fee includes admittance to the fair, access to all shows and unlimited rides.

City Councilor Rick Bronson said it has been a smart decision so far.

“I think I can speak for all nine councilors that I’m extraordinarily pleased with the results last year,” Bronson said.

For the first time, the Bangor State Fair also will boast a smoke-free midway. Dyer said smoking kiosks have been set up to keep smokers away from other fair-goers while they are smoking.

The fair will open at 2 p.m. Friday and runs through Sunday, Aug. 8. For a full schedule of events, visit its website: www.bangorstatefair.com.

via www.bangordailynews.com

Health Inspectors Keep Fair Food Safe

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to enjoy a taste of summer at the Ohio State Fair, but very few people know what goes into keeping the food vendors and booths clean and safe.

With more than 200 food vendors, it takes an army of inspectors to ensure they are using proper food handling techniques,10TV's Glenn McEntyre reported on Thursday.

via www.10tv.com

Ind. State Fair to include climate change exhibit - chicagotribune.com

Next month's Indiana State Fair will include a Purdue University science lesson tackling the hot topic of climate change.

Fairgoers visiting the "Altered Earth" exhibit can learn how humans are contributing to climate change and how they can help reduce global warming.

The display will explore climate, weather and global warming with the "Climate Kids."

via www.chicagotribune.com

Vendors fear low turnout at Lucas County Fair

A week of fun is underway at the Lucas County Fairgrounds. The 152nd annual Lucas County Fair runs through Sunday. This year, some vendors are complaining the heat and the economy are taking a toll on the turnout.

The director of the fair board says attendance has been steadily declining for years. But she's hoping to draw more people out. There's so much to do, it's close to home, and it's cheaper than a movie theater.

From a pair of horses pulling almost 10,000 pounds of bricks to bumper cars. There are games, rides, food, and entertainment for everyone. But some vendors say this year the numbers are down.

Ginger Parkhurst runs a lemonade stand. She says business is slow. "It seems to be dying down a little bit& Honestly, the heat. The heat plays a big part. It has been very, very hot out here."

Vendor Tim Curry says, "Today was slow. Tuesday and Wednesday were really good. Hopefully the weekend will be better."

The Lucas County Fair board director says attendance has been dropping for years. She blames the economy and unemployment.

Kay Stenzel, director of the Lucas County Fair Board says, "When my kids were little, we use to come out three or four times a week. We would spend whole days here. Now many families can only afford to come once." She also says this fair is different from other county fairs since this one is more urban than rural.

However, 13abc found plenty of smiling faces. And the director is hopeful the weekend will bring good weather and more people. "There are lots of things to see. Tonight we're having draft horse pulls. We've got a demolition derby coming up. An apple pie auction, says Stenzel.

Here are a few highlights for the remainder of the fair. Friday, the former lead singer of bad company will perform. Saturday there will be lawnmower races and a demolition derby. And Sunday, the last day of the fair, there will be a cheerleading competition and a rough truck challenge. Admission is $6.

via abclocal.go.com

Family of coaster accident victim files suit - WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A little over two weeks after the deadly coaster accident at a Baton Rouge amusement park, the victim's family has now filed a lawsuit.

The parents of Lindsay Zeno, 21, of Lafayette are suing the park for failing to secure and lock the coaster.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday, but it doesn't state how much money the Zenos are suing for.

The Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshal is still waiting on a report from the ride's manufacturer before closing the investigation.

According to the East Baton Rouge Parish coroner, Zeno died from "multi-system trauma" when she fell from the "Xtreme" coaster.

He said it means any one of several injuries could have killed her after a 30-foot fall, which is the equivalent of a three-story fall, from the Dixie Landin' ride.

One of Zeno's friends said she was on the roller coaster at the time of the accident.

She said she didn't see exactly how her friend fell out of the seat because they were sitting with their backs facing each other.

Witnesses reported seeing Zeno trying to pull the safety restraint bar down while the ride was moving.

Louisiana Fire Marshal Butch Browning said 'there were no obvious failures' with the ride and the restraining device on Zeno's seat seemed to be in order.

The restraint consists of a bar that goes between the rider's legs and is supposed to secure the rider in place.

via www.wafb.com

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

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Before you head out to a summer carnival, we tell you why you need to beware of some carnival games

(WXYZ) - Summertime is carnival time in Michigan, bringing chills and thrills to thousands of children. It is also a time to put lots of money in the pockets of carnival operators.

While the whole idea behind the traveling carnival is to have fun, some experts say there is a dark side.

They say carnival barkers run carnival games that seem to be rigged and give little chance of winning.

Richard Margittay is a former Dearborn police officer and an expert on carnival con games. He wrote the book, “Carnival games: The perfect crimes.”

”What sickens me are the children losing all the money they brought to the carnival,” says Margittay.

Using hidden cameras, we show two very popular carnival games where it seems to have little to do with how well you play the game.

“They’re deceiving the public and they’re taking their money,” says Margittay.

We begin with the classic target-shooting game -- Shoot the Stars -- where players pay five bucks to try to completely shoot out the red star target.

We send in Sergeant Greg Moore, a SWAT Team sharp shooter with the Oakland county Sheriff’s Department.

But when Moore tries to “shoot the stars,” a two-inch target that’s just four yards away, he can’t do it. Moore believes the game is rigged.

“I lost miserably,” he says.

Moore says the sights are off and the ammunition is blasting in different directions.

Next up is the carnival basketball game. Just sink one ball and you win in the basket and you win.

“I can’t do it,” says six-foot-one Alexis Brumm, who was the star basketball player at Birmingham Seaholm High School.

“I was a really good free throw shooter,” says Brumm. “I considered it my specialty.”

But the man running the game says an eight-year old won earlier in the day. Despite the encouragement, Brumm misses again and again. In fact, she misses nine out of nine shots—and kisses $15 goodbye.

Carnival game expert Margittay says it’s not Brumm, it’s the game. He explains that the basketball is usually over-inflated and the hoop is not round, but elliptical.

When we question the guys running these games, we start with the shooting gallery.

“We have winners all the time,” he says.

Before we can question anyone else, the carnival manager says, “Ain’t going to be no more interviews.”

Channel 7 is ordered to leave the carnival. Bottom line is carnivals are meant for everyone to have fun. But when it comes to playing some games, buyer-beware.

via www.wxyz.com

Waukesha County Fair draws 97,000+

The Waukesha County Fair Association announced Thursday that this year’s fair held July 21-25 had 97,246 visitors.

Fair representatives said that despite strong winds, torrential downpours and an electrical storm on July 22 and early on the morning of July 24, the fair enjoyed “impressive” crowds throughout the weekend portion of the fair.

The 168th Waukesha County Fair was sponsored by Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care Inc.

“We appreciate every person who came out and braved the soggy conditions to support us,” said the fair’s Shari Black, executive director. “Saturday and Sunday were both gorgeous days for weather which really helped dry up most of the grounds and made for great family days at the fair.”

The Waukesha County Fair will celebrate its 169th anniversary, July 20 through July 24, 2011 on the Waukesha Expo Grounds.

via www.bizjournals.com

Counterfeit cash passed at State Fair; 4 arrested | News10.net | Sacramento, California | Local News

SACRAMENTO, CA -- Cal Expo police arrested four people after they allegedly tried to pass counterfeit bills during this year's run of the State Fair.

The four people are accused of trying to buy products from vendors at Cal Expo by using fake 20 and 100 dollar bills, according to a State Fair news release. A fifth person, who's suspecting of passing counterfeit cash, has yet to be arrested.

Every year, vendors and State Fair workers receive information on identifying counterfeit money. "The literature and instructions that we received from the California Exposition Police Department have proven invaluable in our efforts to reduce loss revenue," said Lance Moyer of Butler Amusements, Inc.

Vendors are also on the lookout for phony admission and carnival ride tickets.

The 2010 State Fair wraps up on Sunday, August 1.

via www.news10.net