LuckyStar
  •  LuckyStar
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Saturday, October 18, 2003 3:27:08 PM
I know they say once you go out on the road it is in your blood forever and you will get Spring fever and the such...but has anyone here successfully made it off the road and stayed away from traveling with the business for a number of years?? I am just curious because I used to "follow" a show when I was younger...I was intrigued and almost left with them when I was 18....but I was a good girl and went to college....one month after I graduated from college I went out on the road for about four years....then I got off the road got married(now going through divorce)...went back out on the road last year and am now trying to settle down again....I miss it out there terribly, but I know I need to have something put aside for when I get older.

I almost wish the industry was a little more developed where it was easier to pay taxes....maybe have some benefits....join a 401K and the such...I am just wondering if I will be a Y0-yo all my life with going back and forth on and off the road...[:)]

Any advise would be appreciated! Thanks!

Lucy
bdcbbq
Saturday, October 18, 2003 3:52:54 PM
I did. I was out for 7 years until I was 29. Left and went to college, got a MSW, and now am the Director of a counseling center for a medium sized university. I've been off the road since 1984. I go visit some old friends when they come through town and will take a shortcut to visit a fair or carnival when I'm out and about. I don't regret my time out on the road at all. Its just circumstances change and for me the carnival business was not compatible with my life goals and needs.
Bruce
2ndgencarnie
Saturday, October 18, 2003 8:24:32 PM
I can't imagine going one week much less one year or the rest of my life without being on the road... so good luck but Da Bair is the one to ask he has mastered that art.
coacoabeware
Saturday, October 18, 2003 8:49:45 PM
I have been off of the road now for 5 years. If i ever go back it wont be until my daughter is out of the house. I dont want her to be on the road. Sometimes there is no power or water, and i cant afford a house trailer and then have to pay rent all summer long for a house so we have a place to come home to in the winter. Also, the insurance issue is a big thing for me. If i went out on the road, i wouldnt have any for her and i, and right now i have pretty good ins. and pretty cheap. i miss it so much out there, but i dont want my daughter to have to worry if she is going to have power or water when we tear down.
mjcarniegirl
Sunday, October 19, 2003 9:45:12 PM
i've been off the road for 4 yrs now and damm i miss it !! every summer i try to go to see as many of amusements of america lots as i can to see my old friends out there and i also go to all the local carnivals in my area to see if i see any my old carnie friends there. I miss some of my friends and i miss the traveling , seeing new places and yes every spring i'm tempted to go back . But i'm glad i am here at home with a nice apartment , a steady job , health insurance , and most of all time to spend with my family. It would be something though if carnivals would have some kind of health insurance and retirement benefits available to the employees
Kamikaze
Monday, October 20, 2003 3:24:20 AM
I have never worked for a carnival before, but I used to be a volunteer firefighter for three years before I went to college. Once I went to college, I had to quit the firefighting. I wish I was still one because everyday I see the firetrucks go down the road or see a fire and still wish I was apart of it or be the first one in on a fire. If I see a fire, I still go to watch!
Greg
  •  Greg
  • 55.58% (Neutral)
  • Maintenance Supervisor
Monday, October 20, 2003 4:45:21 AM
Every season I say "I'm done I dont want to go back next year", But around January, I start thinking I need to go back....I hope oneday to get away for a while anyway.[;)]
My albums are all on Facebook!
donnachris
Monday, October 20, 2003 5:12:40 AM
I went out on the road with my parents when I was 11 years old. Long time ago now. My dad was diagnosed with cancer at a hospital in Lansing in 1987 while Wade Shows was playing Mason. I finished out that season and never went back.

Don't get me wrong, I still go out and visit, but I could never go out and stay. I really don't think that I could even go out and work. It would be really difficult for me. I do have a husband who was out on the road 3 years ago, I stayed with him for a week when he was at the Michigan State Fair, but I would never even consider going back out on the road.
bdcbbq
Monday, October 20, 2003 5:29:33 AM
Quote:

quote:


Originally posted by mjcarniegirl

It would be something though if carnivals would have some kind of health insurance and retirement benefits available to the employees



Some shows do provide some benefits for the higher echelon and steady employees. I think Wade Shows does for some of its employees. I know they have a traveling school with a certified teacher.
Bruce
Toni
  •  Toni
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Monday, October 20, 2003 6:11:15 AM
I was not on the road for long. Long enough though for the blood though it was already in me from my parents. I settled for my daughter. One day later when she is grown if I am not up to anything else going back out will happen
bigeli
  •  bigeli
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Monday, October 20, 2003 12:02:15 PM
I was on the road for about six years,and have been off now for around seven.I found that my life and my needs were changing so I changed with them.I've always enjoyed traveling and the carnival business was perfect for me,18,nothing tying me down,and a love of making money.But after time I was becoming more and more money hungry and wasn't getting my fill in the industry ,{as well as a love interest coming around at the same time},so I made a move.I've always followed my dreams ,and make a point to do what makes me happy and somehow the rest just falls into place.I moved to the town I live in now on a Greyhound bus with one piece of luggage seven years ago.Now I am married,we expect our first child in april,I have a full time sales job,{I'm an agent at heart},and just closed on a house less than a week ago.So the moral of the story is,do what makes you happy,don't hurt anyone in the process,and the rest will work itself out...hope this helps. [:)]
So, in a few years, if you're walking down a midway and see a Sixcat or a Swinger or a bucket, look around. You might recognize an old man with a smile on his face. Especially if he's saying, "Hey Buddy, can I ask ya?" -sixcat,circa. 2007
Thndrros
Monday, October 20, 2003 12:27:22 PM
I have been off and on the Road for 14 years now, I still occasionally do tear downs and set ups, Recently I worked Fryeburg Fair here in Maine, and realize that If I only do a spot here and there I have filled my need to be out on the road, I will say that when My children get older and on their own I plan to go back Some people pick on me and say I have too much Hydrolic Fluid in my veins. I miss it but right now I enjoy my family and taking them to the fairs around Maine!
Thndrros