Carnival & Fair News

Pat and Geraldine Davis take their Davis Shows midway throughout the Pacific Northwest each year, visiting approximately 30 locations. Recently, the busy company added a two-story carousel, and this year they are taking delivery of a brand-new Wave Swinger ride from Italian manufacturer Preston & Barbieri.

According to Pat Davis, aside from the beautiful hand-painted Wave Swinger, this year's primary focus is expanding the company's infrastructure. “We have upgraded equipment in our shop and purchased another shop next to our Oregon winter quarters,” he explains. The additional facilities have allowed the company to continue “upgrading, maintaining, and rotating out” its full existing ride inventory.



“Currently, our Rock Star is being upgraded. The Starship was upgraded two years ago, and we are bringing it back out this year. Before COVID, we had a second unit, and we are still rotating rides from that era, including our Rocking Tug, which hasn't been out in five years. We've upgraded that one and are bringing it back this year as well,” Davis reports.

The company typically runs its route between Oregon, Washington, and Nevada from March through September. With roughly 30 stops, Davis Shows has maintained a consistent route over the past several years. However, Davis notes that when the opportunity arises, they also take on flat-rate rentals and holiday bookings.

Among Davis' favorite venues is Florence, Oregon. “I've had almost every birthday of my life there. My father had that location, and we played there for years,” he says with a laugh. “We enjoy all of our route, but some, like Florence, we've played for thirty years or more and have a special relationship with. Grants Pass, Redmond, and Moses Lake are locations where we have a lot of history.” Kennewick and Walla Walla are other large fair locations with a strong history for the carnival.

Davis Shows is now entering its fourth generation. “My grandfather, my dad and I, and now my boys are running it. We all still go out together. My grandsons are too young to know right now if they will run it, too.”

The large show includes more than 40 rides. “Among our most popular right now is our new double-decker carousel. We try to take it mostly to our larger venues because it's a big job to set up, but it's very attractive to fairgoers,” he notes. “The Himalaya, which we call the Pineapple Express with a Hawaiian theme, and the gondola wheels are also extremely popular.” Younger guests have their favorites as well. “Last year we added a Kolmax elephant ride. It's very cute and really popular with the smaller kids.”



Along with rides, Davis Shows offers games and food. “Our most popular games include the Balloon Store and the Water Racers. Last year we added a brand-new mini basketball game, and that has been very successful for us. It really perked up our midway because the games hadn't changed in a while,” Davis says.

When it comes to food, classics continue to reign. “It's typical carnival fare, from elephant ears to hamburgers, lemonade, corn dogs, pretzels, and cotton candy. We are currently re-vinyling one trailer, but the food offerings are staying the same. We have eight trailers in all, though many are duplicates.” Across the board, funnel cakes remain the most popular item.

“In the summer, my son runs a lemonade and pretzel stand, and the lemonade does especially well when it's warm out. Of course, in the Pacific Northwest, it's not always warm,” he adds.

Davis says he loves running the carnival. “When things are going smoothly on a nice sunny day, and you look around and see the kids having fun, maybe it's pay-one-price armband day, there's nothing better. You see the kids laughing and running around. Then they lay down on the grass to reboot and hit the rides again until they burn out. Seeing everyone have so much fun, there's nothing like it. There is a lot of pride in doing the job and going back to your fair committees year after year, and they're happy with everything. That's what we try to do.”

Davis notes that the carnival now depends on the foreign labor market, something his father would have never dreamed about. “We can't do without them now, and we're at the mercy of when and how we get them here.” That challenge aside, he says many issues carnivals face remain familiar. “Whether it's bureaucratic rules and regulations, the cost of rides, or prices going up, none of this is new. It's just that the costs have changed and our employee needs have changed over the years.”
In 2025, the show did not receive its foreign labor drivers until August, forcing the company to hire outside, 3rd party drivers at a significantly higher cost. This year, Davis hopes the current government shutdown resolves soon so crew members can arrive earlier in the season.



Davis says the company is pretty flush with rides and is not planning additional new purchases beyond the Wave Swinger. “We typically take out 25 to 30 rides depending on the show. We build up to our bigger shows in July and August, when most of our major fairs, festivals, and rodeos take place and more of our labor arrives. Even at our larger shows, we usually don't bring all 40 rides. More typically, it's 36 to 38.” Because the company owns duplicate units of some attractions, bringing two of the same ride is rarely necessary.

“Whatever the job requires, that's what we try to put up,” he adds. “We want everyone to be happy and have a great time.”