Carnival & Fair News

Deggeller Attractions formally announced today that they have purchased the Florida route of Belle City Amusements.  The deal has been in the works throughout the season when Andy Deggeller and Charles Panacek connected at the Greater Jacksonville Fair last year to begin discussions.  Charles Panacek was in the process of retiring and looking for a reputable show who could provide a quality midway for years to come.

As talks developed throughout the year, the focus became on the Florida route as the show would not be able to play Belle City's summer route because of conflicts with long time fair relationships.  "We had a full route for summer and early fall.  A lot of the dates my family played for generations and we have had long term relationships with.  My family has always been loyal to our fair partners”, said Andy Deggeller.

“Memphis is a great fair but wouldn't fit in the route because it conflicted with Maryland State Fair”, he added.

There was also work to do with fitting in Belle City's Florida dates with existing Deggeller dates.  "In the Spring, Clay County is very important to us, and we needed to be able to fit the new dates in so that they wouldn't conflict with existing contracts”, said Deggeller.



When it appeared the dates would make a great fit to the Deggeller route and things began moving forward, Deggeller invited some of the fairs to visit him at the State Fair of Virginia to make sure they were a good fit together.   Deggeller wanted them to be able to see their show in person and speak with the fair manager, Marlene Jolliffee about what they can expect from working with Deggeller and discuss the fair/carnival relationship. The board members were able to see the behind-the-scenes workings of the show including Deggeller's mobile school, Deggeller Academy, to see how they operate and if they would be a good fit for the respective fairs.

"We can bring a new look to these events and we are super happy this opportunity has been afforded to us”, said Deggeller

Deggeller acquired the Jacksonville Fair, Florida Strawberry Fest, Sarasota County Fair, The Charlotte County Fair (Port Charlotte), and a church event in Nativity, FL.  Palmetto, a previous Belle City event, went out to bid prior to Deggeller's arrangement with Belle City, and the fair ultimately signing with Strates Shows. 

The Greater Jacksonville Fair in November will be the first event under the new arrangement and Deggeller is excited for the opportunity. "Bill Olsen at the Greater Jacksonville Fair was very accommodating. I'm very excited to go into Jacksonville for the first time and also excited
to work with the fair on the new midway at the new fairgrounds when it opens next year”, he said.  Bill Olsen of the fair was also looking forward to a new chapter for the event.  The fair will be moving to a new fairgrounds next year and is looking forward to the changes Deggeller will bring.

"We are very excited to bring Deggeller into Jacksonville.  We're looking forward to the future and are excited about the change.  We are thrilled to debut Deggeller's digital ticketing system at the fair, which will be a first for Jacksonville”.



The Strawberry Festival in Plant City was looking for a long-term partner for the event and found Deggeller to be an excellent fit once they got to know the players involved.  

“We've been with Belle City Amusements for many years since they acquired the route from the Mighty Bluegrass Shows.  Charles Panacek has been wonderful to work with, but all things change at some point, and we are super excited for the change.  We are enthusiastic to work with Deggeller Attractions and were very impressed during our visit with them at the Virginia State Fair.  One of the things that impressed me the most was the number of long-term contracts and relationships that they have with their events.  They have been with the State Fair of Virginia for 67 years.  We look forward to the future,” said Kyle Robinson of the Festival.

Added Deggeller, “The Strawberry Festival board members are very passionate about their festival with a huge focus on a being a family atmosphere.  We met the board members last week at a meet and greet.  They were very accommodating and very kind to us.  They will be very helpful in making the midway transition smooth.”



Florida Strawberry Festival Meeting:  Kyle Robinson (FL Strawberry Fest President), Cathy Deggeller, Beau Pugh, Heidi Deggeller-Pugh, Andy Deggeller, Jamie Deggeller, and Danny Coton (Festival Chair)

Deggeller will call on some longtime friends to boost their equipment lineup in Plant City and Clay County.  "At Plant City and Clay County, we look forward to working Michael Wood and Alex Arnold, who will supplement the show with some of their equipment.  I feel its beneficial to book some unique independent rides to keep the ride lineup fresh and unique, even though, we have enough of our own equipment to service the events”.

Andy has been friends with Alex Arnold and Michael Wood and booked their equipment previously into Clay County.  Wood has booked rides with Belle City in Plant City in the past and his rides are popular attractions at the event.

In addition to the route, Deggeller also purchased some equipment from Belle City including the Bertazzon Rock N Roll Himalaya, Wacky Worm, Mini Himalaya, Circus Fun House, Trailer Mounted Hampton, Dizzy Dragon, and Berry Go Round.  The show also purchased their office, office canopy, and some amenities that could be mixed into Deggeller's existing collection.  The show is looking at a few other pieces from Belle City as well.  "The Sky Wheel is not part of our plans," Deggeller joked.

In addition to the rides purchased from Belle City, the company is also looking at new equipment purchases, however, due to delayed delivery dates, most equipment ordered today won't be delivered for 3-4 years. 

The show took delivery of a new Wave Swinger from Preston Barbieri in February.



With the Greater Jacksonville Fair just around the corner, the Deggeller route over the next year should pose plenty of excitement and opportunity for the company.