Well, we'll hit over 100,000 deaths from the pandemic before the end of this month. Even with the States opening back up ..... sorta .... some of them ...
I was planning all winter to come back out for a full season as a "farewell tour" but that's been squashed. Was hoping NOW to at least get a partial season in but am now wondering if that's going to be feasible too.
I started in my beloved business back in Feb. 1980 and have been with it ever since. Love at first dollar you could say lol. Started out on Murphy Bro's when they had their "Mile Long Pleasure Trail" and 7 State Fairs back to back. Long , hard season but worth it both monetarily and .... satisfaction-wise for me. Stayed on the BIG shows the first 5 years of my time in the business. Was in .... Chicago? I think it was Chicago looking for Goodings Million Dollar Midways I think it was but only information I had was a year old AB. Guess the spot advertised wasn't very good as they were nowhere to be found. Was broke and I mean hitch-hiking to the spot broke, called up an ex of mine and the only show she could find for me was with a small show "Drago Amusements" about 50 miles away. Gas City? Oil City? Something like that, anyway.... got there , got a hole fully expecting to work the spot and screw back to another major show once I had some stew in my pocket. I ended up finishing the season with them and working the NEXT season for them too. It turned out to be their last. Since then the vast majority of my time in the business has been with smaller shows. I love them, shorter hours, shorter jumps and not really all that much less money, on the right shows of course. Spent 5 of my last 8 years on this small family show based in southern Indiana, Fiesta Rides. (Last 3 years full time I went with N.A.M.E. as their route can't be beat and I wanted a stash for my retirement from the business) Have spent 2 partial seasons back with Fiesta. I know the family very well, hell they invite me to dinner with them. I hung out with 2 of the 3 brothers and sisters and have their personal phone numbers to this day. They were what we , in our arrogance and false pride, called a ragbag show when I traveled with the biggies. To ME at least the small and midsize shows ARE the Carnival business, not slamming the big huge shows, hell I traveled with Wade Shows probably more than any other. I DID spend most of the time with them back when Wade Shows was just a very nice midsize show.(I was there when Frankie bought his first spectacular, that Enterprise , well he had a Skywheel too I guess)
Anyway.... what I'm trying to say is I fear very much for the future of the smaller shows playing most of the county fairs and festivals. No big show will ever play some of the little county fairs I played its not economically feasible. Having said that most if not all the smaller shows I was with were having a tough time even then. I know my Fiesta Rides is all but gone. Suitcase in a few of their better spots and put up a few of their own games/food/rides but that's all. With the pandemic raging across our country, what's going to happen to these guys? Frankie can weather a "lost" season, as can the Vivonas etc. But the small/midsize shows? Most were hanging on by a thread as it was , a lost season to them could very well be the end for countless of them. If that happens we will have lost a very integral, fundamental part of who we are as a business in my opinion. The traveling amusement parks can weather the storm, but can the heart and soul of our business do the same?
An end, even with terror, is better than terror without end. F.Neitzsche