Thunderbolt2
Saturday, March 26, 2022 8:52:16 AM
Can anyone still on here provide history on Lester Colegrave, I have seen his name a lot, I know he owned some good rides including I believe the first Flying Bobs, but can anyone provide a detailed history about the man and his impact on our business?
ridejocky
Saturday, March 26, 2022 11:46:54 PM
I can't. I know he did book his AH bobs and I think another piece (kurve?) on Strates back in the '80s. I know his crew loved him and that bobs was "clean as the board of health"


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indianacarnie
Monday, March 28, 2022 1:36:04 PM
Not first hand , sorry. But you might be able to find something about him from these.

History of American Carnival 

Pictorial History of the American Carnival 

The first one I linked to is free as a pdf. Not sure what the cost is on the second.
An end, even with terror, is better than terror without end. F.Neitzsche
Thunderbolt2
Friday, April 22, 2022 10:49:03 AM
Originally Posted by: Thunderbolt2 

Can anyone still on here provide history on Lester Colegrave, I have seen his name a lot, I know he owned some good rides including I believe the first Flying Bobs, but can anyone provide a detailed history about the man and his impact on our business?



That wasn't the Bobs that Strates bought and used up to the 90s right? Didn't Strates get his Bobs from Cumberland Valley? Tell me if I am wrong but didn't CVS also book a Himalaya on the show at some point for a while?

I remember that fellow (believe his name was Kenny) that had the Cortina Bobs and Bumper Boats on Strates in 80s.
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Friday, April 22, 2022 8:52:28 PM
Floyd & Baxter had a Himalaya, Bobs, Scooter and Rok n Rol and possibly a couple other pieces with Strates 1973-1976.
After that I think the Bobs was in one of their trailers for a couple years until Strates bought a new one in 1979, same year the show bought their first Reverchon Himalaya. Wayne Thomson had a Himalaya with the show in '77 & '78. In '77 there was also an open top Zugsptiz Himalaya and Bob Rice's old Polar Express at Hamburg & Syracuse.
The 1979 Bobs was with Strates until the early 90's. Might have been sold to Deggeller then. In 1985 Strates bought one of the first Chance Thunderbolts too.

In 1974 Floyd & Baxter had Himalaya's booked in with Strates at Hamburg & Syracuse, with Conklin at the CNE and with Gooding at the Ohio State Fair, all at the same time. What a powerhouse route.
They stopped booking in with some of the shows when they bought Cumberland Valley Shows around 1975-1976.
F&B had the first prototype Chance Yoyo which may have ended up with Strates in the mid 70's too.
ridejocky
Saturday, April 23, 2022 7:38:59 AM
I think Strates bought a Chance bobs from F & B in '77 and it came with a foreman, Bobby Watson.

When I joined in '78 with a couple buddies, I was supposed to go on the Scramber, one buddy went on the diver and another went on the bobs with Bobby Watson. My buddy told Bobby I had moved the bobs for Atlas, and Bobby got me from the Scrambler. I road the train up-county that year and went to work on the bobs like forth man. By (I think) Baltimore, everyone had screwed but me and Bobby. Tear-down, Bobby was pounding out a tub-pin when a chip flew into his eye and be went to the hospital.

I finished tearing down, pulled it to the Harrington and set it up. Bobby ended up losing his eye, and I made foreman and got a nice raise. Did not see Bobby again until we got back to the barn,

I think Strates probably got the bobs, scooter, Rok & Rol and Yo-Yo from F & B at the same time. I'm not sure about the scooter, but all those Chance pieces were old.

Kenny Detty had a "Snowball Express" which was (I think) an old Cortina Bobs with Strates for a while. I think it might have been open-top.


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indianacarnie
Saturday, April 23, 2022 3:06:52 PM
You know...... I might just know where one of the old Floyd & Baxter Himalayas sits rusting away.
An end, even with terror, is better than terror without end. F.Neitzsche
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