Carny Town - Traveling Carnivals, Fairs and Festivals

Five Creepiest Things at the Dade County Youth Fair - Miami Art - Cultist

Four-fingered carnies, clowns, and creaky rides are such cheap shots by now they've lost their character. Besides, who's honestly surprised to find that carnies could potentially be seriously injured on the job?

What we're looking for here are those things that are so ingrained in the Dade County Youth Fair that the only thing that would really creep us out would be to go and not find them one year. So, enough with the strange goo on your cotton candy or bizarre animals you saw in the exotic creatures tent. So in honor of the last weekend of the Fair, here are what we found to be the top five creepiest things you're going to find there.

​1. The carnie trying to stare up your skirt while you're on the ride.
Women might have a tough time spotting this guy. Hey, you're numb by the fact that five guys are already staring at you for every one step you take. Plus, while this guys is ogling your gams, you're hanging six plus feet off the ground while your upper body is encased in a harness that barely lets you turn your head. Your boyfriend or husband, on the other hand, is not used to all the stares you get, and has been on to the guy since halfway through the line. Then, as the ride tilts to an angle at which he can catch the guy in the act, he must try and bottle his anger so as not to make you feel uncomfortable; compile that with the 20 bucks that will likely fly out his pocket while upside-down and end up tight in that same carnie's fist, and you can understand why he's so frustrated when you get mad at him for not noticing your haircut.

2. The 13-year-old girl trying to look 25 by wearing more make-up and less clothing.
This one's pretty self-explanatory, but it's worth pointing out that almost without fail, the younger she is and the older she tries to look, the thicker his beard is and the baggier his jeans get.

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3. The guy at the "shoot the man with a paintball gun" booth getting WAY too excited about the game.
Next time you're around there, just camp out for a minute and watch some of these guys have a go at it. Sometimes, the smile gets so big they don't even look like they're having fun anymore. The best part is when they are out of ammo, snap back into reality, and realize there are still people around.

​4. The grown man bullying little kids in the bumper cars.
You've all seen him or had to deal with him as a kid. Sometimes, he gets so into it, the kid will loose a whole ride stuck in a corner, and even get off crying and running to his or her mother. Hell, who are we kidding? That's just fun.

5. Yours truly.
Let's face it: it doesn't get much creepier than some scummy paparazzi running around the Youth Fair, taking notes on people while they're trying to enjoy themselves. If there were a prize to be won here, we'd be taking home the gold. So let

via blogs.miaminewtimes.com

Clay Fair opens 10-day run

GREEN COVE SPRINGS - The Clay County Fair will again offer education and opportunities for us to help with environmental concerns during the 25th Annual Clay County Agricultural Fair schedule for March 31-April 9.

A new program called "Get Caught Green Handed" will not only educate people and help reduce landfill content; it will afford opportunities to win prizes.

"Going Green" comes in many forms. Changing our practices to reduce the impact on the environment by buying local products, reducing our energy usage, reusing or refurbishing instead of buying new, participating in energy, water and waste conservation programs, and recycling are all ways we can be responsible citizens and help preserve our natural resources for our grandchildren and their grandchildren.

Tania Jolley of the Clay County Department of Environmental Services and executive director of Keep Clay Beautiful has high hopes for this program.

"We are really excited to catch people green handed. We want to reward them for recycling," she said. "Additionally, we will focus on education and show the recycling process from the beginning to the end. We’ll show what can be done with the recycled items - we’ll have carpet samples, t-shirts, steel, etc. The more we recycle the less we have to transfer to (the landfill in) Georgia. We take electronics waste like computers, receivers, fax and copy machines, monitors, cell phones, electronic hand-held devices, cords, cables, printers and more."

There will be recycling containers that look like large soda bottles throughout the fairgrounds for recovering bottles and cans. When someone is caught recycling they may be rewarded a prize from the Waste Management Dept. for thinking green.

Waste Management’s Community Affairs Manager Amy Boyson knows that fair visitors will eagerly participate in the plan. "Last year (we) developed an educational program to increase recycling. With over 100,000 fair visitors the recycling efforts resulted in almost four tons of cans, plastic bottles and cardboard diverted from the landfill – a significant increase from the 600 pounds of recyclables collected in 2009." She added, "The recycling results last year were astounding, and in order to increase those numbers we want to make recycling fun. This is why we are implementing the "Get Caught Green Handed" program. Another unique attraction to promote recycling will be our movie theater, located in Kiddy Land. The theater was created from a waste compactor and is now used for education purposes."

In addition to the theater, fair goers will see a Solar Compactor. "Solar Powered Trash Compactors use renewable energy to turn spaces into clean, eco-friendly zones," Boyson added. "The trash receptacle is powered by the sun and has a 5:1 compaction ratio."

Clay County Agricultural Fair General Manager Pete Sutton agrees that education is the key. "We knew this was going to be a challenge when we decided to implement a recycling program at the fair," he said. "But our results show we were successful. We have set the bar high and will need the participation of attendees, as well as vendors, to increase our recycling tonnages during the 2011 Fair.

"Last year we were really surprised with the 22 percent increase in attendance," Sutton continued. "During our clean up after the fair it was much easier than the previous year. We attributed it to going green. Our middle name is ‘Agricultural’. Being good to the earth is what agriculture is all about."

via www.claytodayonline.com

Pembroke Pines food festival, carnival kicks off Thursday - Broward - MiamiHerald.com

Taste of Pines, the city’s annual food festival featuring fare from more than a dozen local restaurants, takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at City Center on Pines Boulevard, just west of Palm Avenue. The event, which kicks off the city’s 51st anniversary celebration, is capped at 500 ticket holders, and includes a wine and beer tasting. Tickets are $30 for wine and food; and $25 for food only. Children 10 and younger pay $5. Proceeds benefit the City of Pembroke Pines Charter Schools.

The food festival precedes the city’s annual Pines Day Fair, an 11-day celebration that begins Friday and includes a carnival midway with more than 30 rides, concerts, vendors and satellite events, like the mayor’s golf tournament scheduled for April 8 and a 5K race scheduled for April 10.

For event schedules and ticket information, call the fair hotline at 954-431-4146 or visit pinesday.com.

via www.miamiherald.com

Maple festival on tap in Marathon this weekend

The 41st annual Central New York Maple Festival will be held Saturday and Sunday in Marathon. Highlights of the weekend event include exhibits, a craft show, hunting dog demonstrations, syrup-making demonstrations, a wood-cutting demonstration, a huge array of food for purchase, and the annual pancake-eating contest.

For more information on the festival, visit www.maplefest.org.

Below is the list of several of the venues:

* 1861 Building: Skyline Amateur Radio Club.

* American Legion, Route 11: Exhibits, arts and crafts, cake wheel, pony rides, food available for purchase starting at 11 a.m.

* First Baptist Church, 5 E. Main St.: Quilt show, with children's activity; antique family bible display 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

* First Presbyterian Church of Marathon, 3 E. Main St.: Bake sale, white elephant sale, crafts, handmade candy, ergonomic bags, raffles, food for purchase.

* Lovell Field: Horse-drawn wagon rides (for a fee), helicopter rides (9 a.m.-6 p.m.; for a fee), Go Mining Today (for a fee), hunting dog demonstrations, fire safety trailer, juried craft show, wood-cutting demonstrations, one-room schoolhouse, syrup-making demonstrations with free samples, maple museum and sugar shop, displays of antique farm tools and maple-processing equipment, trappers' cabin display, maple- related food and drink sales.

* Marathon Fire Department, 2 Peck St.: Public safety displays by New York State Troopers and Cortland County Sheriff's Department, RC model plane display.

* Marathon High School, 1 E. Main St.: Pancake meal (7 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday), juried craft show featuring more than 80 artists, PTO Children's Discovery Center, face painting, child I.D. program, pancake-eating contest (9 a.m. Saturday in the auditorium).

* Marathon Masonic/Eastern Star Lodge, 28 Main St.: Pancake meal, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

* Marathon Methodist Church, 20 E. Main St.: Half-chicken dinners.

* Marathon Town Hall, 40 W. Main St.: Marathon Maple Leaf Senior Center will offer muffins, donuts and drinks for purchase.

* Peck Memorial Library, 24 E. Main St.: Used book sale (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday), "Meet the Authors" event featuring Marathon High School graduates (Saturday and Sunday); historic stained glass

via www.pressconnects.com

Still no word on Asotin Co. Fair funding |

Country Ways in Modern Days." That's the theme of this year's Asotin County Fair.

via www.klewtv.com

Clarence Minetti dies at 93

Clarence Minetti, founder of the Far Western Tavern and a longtime figure in county ranching and rodeo circles, died Monday from complications after a traffic accident Friday in Santa Maria.

Minetti, 93, was a passenger in a head-on collision Friday afternoon on West Betteravia Road near Brown Road west of Santa Maria.

Details of services were pending; Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary is handling arrangements.

Minetti and his wife Rosalie were long-time owners of Corralitos Cattle Ranch and founded the Far Western Tavern in Guadalupe. Their influence on Santa Barbara County reached well beyond their business interests, though.

Over the years Minetti was an active member of Rancheros Visitadores and Vaqueros de los Ranchos and served as a board member with the county fair, Guadalupe Joint Union School District and Chamber of Commerce, and served as president of the Guadalupe Lion’s Club.

Minetti is credited as the driving force behind making the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo the event it is today. According to the Elks Lodge 1538, the rodeo has donated more than $10 million over the years to youth recreation programs.

via www.syvnews.com

Bob's Space Racers donates game to Showmen's Museum

Is there an old carnival graveyard?  Actually no, there is a new museum built by the International Independent Showmen's Foundation in Gibsonton, Florida.  Bob's Space Racers, Inc.(BSR) has donated its first free standing group game for exhibit.  Bob Cassata, founder, and Jack Mendes, president (retired), originally installed the game at Riverside Park in Agawam Ma in 1972. The game ran continuously until the game was replaced by Cassata and Mendes in 2000 with a new electronic water race.  Since then BSR restored the game to its original luster and now has donated the game to the new museum.  

Bob Cassata said, "This was my first group game built specifically for a park. It is just like the first one we made in a trailer.  Although we are best known for developing the Whac-A-Mole and water games, this game was very important to the industry. It was an early carnival race game that was successful in an amusement park. It proved a common link between carnival midway and park games. I wish the club much success with the museum."  

The game's painted outer-space background with racing rockets and special effects drew a crowd in 1972.  People called it Bob's space racer and that eventually became the company name. The game uses a handle and pulley system to flip a ball past a target.  Each time the ball passes the target a rocket ship moves upward. The first player to reach the top wins.  This seems simple today but that was new technology then.  It was also the first game that incorporated sound effects, music, and lighting effects.

Bo Pugh, President of the Showmen's Club, accepted the game on behalf of the museum. Pugh said, "We are happy to accept this early innovation in games.  The museum is dedicated to the traveling show and will contain many carnival and related exhibits. The museum has an early Conderman ferris wheel from 1908 and early wagons from Royal American Shows."  The museum is expected to be open to the public late in 2011.

via www.amusementtoday.com

Animals at the South Texas State Fair - Beaumont Enterprise

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via www.beaumontenterprise.com

Clay County Fair: How to use Baked Lay's chips to get a kiss from a camel

I kissed a camel. Sort of.

Petey the camel, 3 1/2 years old and 1,300 pounds, was a perfect gentleman, no spitting or drooling or slobbering. All you have to do to get a kiss from a Petey is to hold the edge of a Baked Lay's potato chip in your mouth and he moves in for the ... chip.

He is part of the exotic animal exhibit at the Clay County Agricultural Fair, which opens Thursday and runs through April 9.

I met Petey Tuesday, when the folks who run the fair held their annual Media Day, which included a tour of the fairgrounds as rides and exhibits were being set up. I saw the exotic animal pen, noticed an animal with a hump and excitedly exclaimed, "Is that a camel?" 

All the agricultural types giggled at my suburban-grown ignorance and promptly brought Petey over for a visit.

We petted his head, scratched his neck and fed him chips.

Petey loves chips. When his handler pulled out the bag, Petey knew something awesome was coming and was clearly excited, poking at the bag with his nose.

Yes, in the photo that accompanies this blog, I appear to be grimacing as Petey moves in for his chip. It was a tad scary getting that close to a 1,300-pound animal, even one his handler said is "still a baby." And yes, I was worried that slobbering would occur. But no, just a gentle nuzzle of big camel lips.

To see Petey, take a camel ride, meet other exotic animals and check out the rest of the fair, head to the Clay County Fairgrounds on Florida 16, four miles west of Green Cove Springs. For ticket prices and daily schedules, go to claycountyfair.org.

via jacksonville.com

Yuma County Fair brings the fun once again

The sounds of laughter, excited chatter and smells of various treats could be found at the much-anticipated opening day of the Yuma County Fair the afternoon of March 29.

The fair celebrated one of its more popular days, “Dollar Day,” when it opened Tuesday to a community so eager to experience it, that some were waiting outside the main gate two hours before the official grand opening at 3 p.m.

The fair is open from 3 p.m. to “closing” which is usually around midnight on opening day, and Fairground Manager Eric Wofford said that the fairground staff is geared up and ready to go until Sunday.

Wofford said he and his team have been working on the fair since November, and this year's event brings with it some new happenings for local fairgoers.

This year at the fair, Wofford said there is a new show inside the theater.

Wofford said the safari-themed show is put on by Pacific Animal Productions, a company based out of Fallbrook, Calif.

“We've changed the entertainment up on the stage a bit,” Wofford said as he went on to discuss the different acts that people can see at the event.

From a Bon Jovi Tribute act, “Blaze of Glory,” to Williams, Ariz., rockabilly rockers the Moonlight Howlers, there seems to be a little something for everybody.

Clara Eades said she has lived in Yuma her whole life and holds the fair in very high esteem.

“My brother-in-law used to be the caretaker here,” Eades said. “We just love being here.”

Eades said she enjoys listening to “good old country music” acts at the fair and that this year, she especially looks forward to seeing the Doowah Riders perform.

Eades also noted that this year's fair is a lot bigger, and nicer than in previous years.

The fair seems to be a great time for everyone, even its vendors.

Jeremy Porterfield, a worker for the frozen yogurt stand near the main entrance, said he has lived in Yuma for about eight weeks and was very excited to experience the fair as a whole.

“I love the food, souvenirs,” Porterfield said as he passed out soft-served treats to hungry customers.

Wofford said this year the fair boasts around 100 total vendors, including representatives from the American Legion and Rotary Club.

Wofford said he is excited for the fair and hopes to see a large turnout.

“Optimistically, I'd like to have a huge crowd,” Wofford said.

Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Yuma's demolition fans need to be in the grandstand at the fairground for the Demolition Derby.

According to an adviser for the derby, Annette Teal, just gate admission gets someone in.

Teal said so far 15 entries have registered and the number of drivers could grow until the start of the show.

“Usually there's more than that but we'll probably have latecomers,” Teal said.

Teal said the event is very popular with the fair, filling up stands on both sides.

“People absolutely love it! The event is always full,” Teal said.

For more information on the event, contact the fairgrounds at (928) 726-4420.

via www.yumasun.com