thunderbolt85
Friday, July 18, 2014 12:37:40 PM
Saw some information about Frank Kopcha and his "East Coast Shows" on another thread and wanted to open a discussion about the show if anyone has any information. Rides, shows, stories, anything you got.

Seems like it was a growing show there for a while but then started losing spots and had heard somewhere else that the hard moves was taking a toll on the equipment.
olediggerguy
Friday, July 18, 2014 10:22:21 PM
I think they were pretty big in Pa,Maryland area. They had alot of rides...Only saw them when they came up to New England in the fall for a few years.And what a fall route it was...Essex Jct,Vt....The Big E and then Danbury,Ct.3 of the biggest spots in the northeast, and he had them all.
I remember being in Springfield...Always seemed like there was something broken down...And had a hard time keeping everything lit.I would call it quanity rather then quality...Had a beautiful Mack Music Express though...
I seem to remember the old man as being a genuinely nice guy...With lots of innovative ideas for that time period,Late 70's.... early 80's. But the son....I believe his name was Denis....Mamamia...what a jag...
Bill P
  •  Bill P
  • 81.66% (Honored)
  • Operations Foreman
Friday, July 18, 2014 10:29:43 PM
Kopcha was one of the bigger operations in western Pennsylvania in the 70's. he got the big E in Massachusetts for 5 years starting in 1974. The fair tried to get Conklin who wasn't available and Kopcha was kind of the dark horse in the bidding. Heard the first thing he did when he got the contract was go out and buy a used Sky Wheel and Sky Diver. I know in 1974 he booked in Ketch Shows from western NY at the Big E. Kopcha booked a unit into Syracuse, NY [NYSF] with Strates in 1976 on his way east. In '77 Kopcha got the Essex Jct, VT fair. In '78 he provided half the midway for Strates at Hamburg, NY because that spot overlapped Syracuse for that one year. Kopcha also provided most of the rides for Strates at Clearfield, PA in '78, Strates last year there.


In the mid 70's Kopcha had a Chance Turbo but by '76 he had a Radar. Don't know if he converted the Turbo or traded it for the Radar. He had a ground mount Mack Musik Express by '74 and bought a new Flying Bobs around '77. Kopcha had the fastest Paratrooper I've ever seen. At Syracuse in 1976 the seats went partly upside down at the top. Kopcha had two units in Pennsylvania through a good portion of the late 70's. Somehow I always managed to see the unit with the Diver and only saw the SkyWheel once when it played Syracuse.


When the Big E contract was up for renewal in 1978 Kopcha bought a Huss Enterprise. I made a special trip to Erie, PA in July 1978 to see the ride, not knowing it would play Dunkirk, NY, Clearfield and Hamburg, NY later that summer. Conklin got the Big E contract starting in 1979.
Kopcha played Allentown, PA in '80 or '81 for one year but the ride gross was reportedly low.
His show disappeared a few years later. He sold the Enterprise and a generator to Strates in 1982.

CARNIVAL magazine reported that Kopcha retired in 1986 and died in 2010.