Carnival & Fair News

Orlando-based Strates Shows offers more than 75 rides, and an even larger legacy of vibrant partnerships with the fairs and events it plays along the Eastern Seaboard. The company has been offering amusements for more than 102 years according to Marty Biniasz, the company's fair and community development manager.

But Strates isn't all resting on nostalgic laurels. This year, the company debuted its fully restored Reverchon Himalaya, and a redesigned Haunted Mansion dark ride, with the redesign crafted by Color Image Designs for a spooky new look.

Among Strates Shows impressive ride quiver are a Dutch Giant Wheel, Wave Swinger, Zipper, Music Express, and the thrilling KMG Fireball, as well as the family classic Venetian Double Carousel.



But as much as any rides, new or lovingly restored, the Strates midway focuses on their committed team, which Biniasz says is “continually seeking ways to enhance performance, customer service and value,” as well as sharing “creative ideas” with fair partners.

The amusement company's history runs deep with long-term partnerships, including its extensive history with New York's Erie County Fair, at which Strates Shows celebrated its 101st year. Biniasz says the fair is one of the “premier stops” on their route.

The relationship between Strates and the Erie County Fair is a special one. It's the longest continuous partnership of any U. S. Carnival midway, one which Biniasz describes as setting in motion “a legacy of entertainment that has drawn families back to the fairgrounds year after year, ” weathering the test of time. Originally called Southern Tier Shows when the partnership began in 1924, Strates Shows 101-year commitment to the fair induced New York's governor Kathy Hochul to commemorate it.



Strates Shows also recently celebrated its relationship with the city of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the company has partnered with the Carolina Classic Fair for over 60 years. E. James Strates, the amusement company's operations manager says that their annual arrival at the Carolina Classic fairgrounds “feels like a homecoming…where we renew age-old family
Friendships that go back generations.”

Another such exemplary and historic stop is the York State Fair in Pennsylvania, where Strates ran the midway for the 45th time in the fair's history this year. Biniasz is delighted by the “stability and ongoing community support.”

At York, Strates debuted their restored Himalaya from French manufacturer Reverchon, which Biniasz calls “one of the icons of our midway.” It underwent a complete top-to-bottom transformation in 2025, with upgrades including the addition of new graphics and a dazzling LED lighting package. Further enhancing the ride's appeal was the addition of a large high-definition video ball as the Himalaya's centerpiece, replacing the traditional mirrored dome on this type of ride. The video ball projects “dynamic visuals that sync with the ride's music and lighting effects,” Biniasz says.



Like this classic ride itself, the Strates family and its company carries a heady legacy as it enters its fourth generation of family-owned operators, with Nick Strates joining the company full time ten years ago. Second generation operator E. James, as son of the company's founder, continues to oversee the company's daily operations, bringing more than six decades of experience to the iconic carnival.

Along with the wide range of thrill, family, and kiddie rides that the amusement company offers, Strates also provides a broad mix of games as well as concessions.

Of course, along with Strates' legacy of tradition, some change must come. Strates Shows was the last remaining railroad traveling carnival in the U. S. But in 2024, its penchant for train transport concluded. As Biniasz attests, running a 45-car train is no longer economically feasible; so, the company now joins its contemporaries in utilizing road transport.

Strates Shows follows a robust route that begins with Florida's Manatee Fair in January and concludes with a stop in Tallahassee, Fla. For the North Florida Fair in November. Stops in Georgia, North Carolina, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New York are among the locations that host the venerable midway between the company's season opening and closing events in Florida.



But the company's railroading days have not been forgotten. The Atlas Model Railroad Company, Inc. will soon release, Lionel-sized replicas of the legendary Strates Shows carnival train which are expected to arrive in January 2026. The model trains feature graphics originally designed by the late Duke Ash, as a tribute to midway and railroad history.

While its transportation mode may have changed, Strates remains on track in another way. The company is dedicated to providing family fun and multiple thrills along with the “strong community spirit that has defined our brand for generations, ” Biniasz asserts.