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Originally Posted by: RideMan 

Ah, see, as I am an Ohio native I didn't realize our fairs are that unusual. So Gooding stuck to rides, then, and didn't run much of a games or food operation? I think I saw a great example of what you're talking about at the Fairfield County Fair last night. The rides take up a whole corner of the fairgrounds, and there is very little in the way of food or games anywhere near the rides, then there are separate areas with rows and rows of food joints.

I also think it is interesting to see how much inertia there is at work in the fairs. The ride selection is different now that Bates has the fair, but the layout of the grounds is exactly the same as it was when Pugh was running the show. The Ohio State Fair is something of an exception as the midway has been completely relocated twice and the entire fairgrounds layout has been shifted about a block to the North in my lifetime. Eliminating the grandstand and building a big parking lot to the North has a lot to do with that.

With any luck I'll have a video on-line of the Fairfield County Fair "soon".

--Dave Althoff, Jr.



My father in law was the President of the Zoom Amusement Park in Columbus for a period of time. It certainly appears that there is a large piece of the park's history that is not documented.
A park near Angola, IN would probably be Fun Spot. That park is an interesting case right now...for the past two or three years the park has announced that it would not be opening for the season due to economic conditions, but it has never officially gone out of business.

Don't know if we'll see the place operate again or not...

(I have photos from that place, too, but they are 35mm negatives and are not on-line....)

--Dave Althoff, Jr.
Bulgy was bought by Billy Sterling of Sterling Fundways, Columbus.
Spider went to Rob Johnson's Sterling Crown Shows, Michigan City, Indiana and last fall he said it was piled up in his backyard.
King Frolic went to the infamous Bishop's of Toledo.
Yes the Eli 16 at the Col Zoo, aka Wyndot park were all in the Same. li Bridge got the wheel, minus seats, at the auction a few years ago. Eli bridge cut the sweeps off at the hub when they took it down. The truck and trailer they brought looked like it was from back in the day. We watched it come down and hauled away. The seats went to someone in Indiana with a park off of I69 around Angola. I think the park is at I69 mile marker 150. Actuall Richard Tinsley was supposed to get the steel that Eli ended up with. Don't know what happened. Richard got the Rodeo-I got the Turtle-Can't remember the fellows name that got the Bulgy, he is in Columbus, and the baby Eli went to Pataskla Ohio about 30 miles east of Columbus.
superloop6946 IF ITS NOT A CUMMONS ITS NOT A MODEL RIDE.
I picked up many on that circuit in the 70's and 80's, and yes, they retained
The odd dates.

Doris relyai booked indies And she was good at it.
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This topic reminded me about the last time I booked a few rides with Gooding at Greentown, IN back in the early 70's. The only thing that Gooding had was the MGR, an office and of course...a brief case with the contract. Everything else was booked in to that fair! It was near the end of Gooding, but what a run! I remember them having 12 units out at one time. Can you even think of any other show doing that?

I never liked the idea of moving the start day for Ohio fairs to the odd day, so other shows couldn't play them. Gooding had units that worked those odd fairs as a regular schedule, so it was fine for him. Now that those days are gone, are any of those fairs still using the old odd start days? If they do, how do today's shows play them without laying dead for them?
As I was going to say,Jimmie Drew booked a skywheel with him for a
few years at the Clark County Fair in Springfield, Ohio. Billy Baxter
also played there, for a number of years.
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Originally posted by Pinetar

Gooding had no food or games but still booked many. He was shroud, loaned the fairs money so that they were indebted to him. He brought in rides, paid zip on games.

He used many, many, independent ride operators, F&B got their start there .
Roberto Meluzzi, Poor Jack, us and others. He also started fair dates on a sat. so other shows could not play the spot.


Gooding had no food or games but still booked many. He was shroud, loaned the fairs money so that they were indebted to him. He brought in rides, paid zip on games.

He used many, many, independent ride operators, F&B got their start there .
Roberto Meluzzi, Poor Jack, us and others. He also started fair dates on a sat. so other shows could not play the spot.

UserPostedImage
Come to think of it Canfield follows the Ohio pattern too. Not much food near the rides but rows of food elsewhere.