Jackpotter
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Sunday, August 9, 2009 3:25:15 PM
Topic renamed. JohnC and I visited the Ohio and Indiana State Fairs this weekend and decided we'd make an annual trek to state fairs each year in memory of our old buddy Bossman.

I don't have any ride lists or bulb counts. Just some general observations.

Visited Ohio State Fair on Saturday. The size of the fairgrounds is immense and the midway is very large. There is more food booked in at this fair than anywhere I've ever seen. One of the employees in the fair office told me there were over 350 indy food vendors on site...it was amazing.

Big A had a nice layout with the Crazy Mouse, Avalanche and their new Extreme. Bates had several pieces booked in as did Belle City. There didn't seem to be many games for the size of the midwaym but perhaps this is an illusion since the midway is spread out. Didn't see a lot of action on what games were there. Wave Swinger looked very nice.

Armbands were $20...and by around 9pm they were running full loads on most rides.

Today visited the Indiana State Fair and NAME. Again, this fairgrounds is very large. Doesn't seem to have the food jammed in like Ohio does, but there is plenty of food. Midway had more games and everything on the midway looked especially sharp. No specials on midway today and not many people riding/spending despite a good crowd.

Ryan
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Sunday, August 9, 2009 8:39:13 PM
any attendance reports from indiana??? With the 3 week run this year
www.modernmidways.com 
"If life was fair elvis would be alive and the impersonators would be dead"-carson
Jackpotter
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Monday, August 10, 2009 4:19:45 AM
It was the first weekend...but we spoke briefly with a guy at the customer service booth on the NAME midway and he said it had been fairly slow...

They had a solid crowd in there on the grounds tho...
2ndgencarnie
Monday, August 10, 2009 3:18:51 PM
No Illusion on the joints in Ohio...Those numbers have steadily gone down for years. Last year there was more joints in Kiddieland than there was out on the main midway.
Jackpotter
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Monday, August 10, 2009 3:21:40 PM
Quote:

quote:


Originally posted by 2ndgencarnie

No Illusion on the joints in Ohio...Those numbers have steadily gone down for years. Last year there was more joints in Kiddieland than there was out on the main midway.



Same this year. Most of the joints were on kiddieland, with a few on the main midway and even then only about 1/4 way down the main midway.
2ndgencarnie
Monday, August 10, 2009 3:24:55 PM
Did you guys get a chance to stop anywhere else along the way???
Jackpotter
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Monday, August 10, 2009 3:28:53 PM
We stopped in Germantown KY and visited Casey's Rides on Friday night before heading to Columbus. They were JAMMED up.

We left Columbus too late to swing by any other Ohio spots, although we did take a few exits looking for some fairgrounds that had signs right on the interstate LOL. JohnC can fill u in on that.
JOHN C
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 7:25:08 AM
we are thinking of doing a tour of empty lots
once you go carnie you never go back

UserPostedImage
Skywheelrider
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:03:22 AM
Sounds like a fun trip. Ryan and I did a similar trip back in 2004, hitting the Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois state fair's along with the fair in Crown Point, Indiana and the fair in Mooreland, Indiana. Mooreland was interesting, we saw a brochure advertising it on the way to Ohio and on the way back decided to try and find it; after driving for miles through nothing but farm fields, we crested the top of a hill and suddenly saw a Sky Wheel standing tall in the middle of a field, it was Poor Jack Amusements, and the fair was jammed, on a Wednesday afternoon no less, one (blinking) stop light town, too.
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." -- Mark Twain
britt
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 8:14:15 AM
Quote:

quote:


Originally posted by JOHN C

we are thinking of doing a tour of empty lots



you should come across the carolinas. plenty of them here now.[:D][:D]lol
Jackpotter
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Tuesday, August 11, 2009 10:06:36 AM
Ton of empty lots in KY now...county fair season is all but done here. There are only a couple of fairs that go on during or after the state fair....