Carnival & Fair News

Blue Sky Amusements, located in East Moriches, New York, is getting a new ride this year, along with other exciting changes for the carnival company. With 38 rides, this year the company will soon be receiving a new Technical Park Street Fighter 360, an over-the-top pendulum ride.

According to Blue Sky founder and president Bill Reiss, “My son created the new theme for the ride which will be called the Titan.” The company also recently added a new Puppy Mini Jet Ride, and a Crazy Cab from SBF/Visa. Both are doing well, he relates. “The Puppy Jet Ride is working out really well. We had it trailer-mounted to move easily, and it has been a good addition to the show. My son themed the Crazy Cab to a Mini Break Dance working with Lenny from Rides 4 U, and that's been a hit. We consider that ride to be a tweener – kids can ride solo or with their parents.”



At the 2025 IISA Trade Show in Gibtown, Reiss purchased a Pirate Jet kiddie ride, also from Rides 4-U, as well as a intermediate gondola wheel from Luna Park.

The company's most popular ride, however, remains the Himalaya, and after that the Gondola Wheel. “Those two make the most money, and hopefully our new Titan will be right up there. It had better be – it cost one million dollars, so it better do well,” he laughs. A surprise top seller for the company is a kid's coaster. “My brother-in-law and I are partners on a Wisdom coaster, and that makes a lot of money. The kids just love it, and sometimes a mom can squeeze on the ride, too,” Reiss notes. Additional top-draw rides include the Starship, Zipper, Vertigo, and bumper cars.

Also, relatively new for the company is their transition to Magic Money for payments. “It's going better than I ever expected,” Reiss reports. “It keeps people honest. Any collecting tickets and trying to resell them has 99 percent stopped. And with Magic Money, we receive our money first and write a check to whatever organization or carnival committee is running or sponsoring the event where we're operating.” He explains that, “We used to let the committees handle the money, and hopefully they gave it to us at the end of the week. But this way, at the beginning and end of the night we provide the figures that show how we did, figures that Magic Money also provides for us, and at the end of our stay, I write a check and hand it to them, not the other way around. With Magic Money, our money is always there. It works out really well for us.”



Blue Sky typically runs two events a week for a 25-28-week season. “Our route is Long Island and northern New Jersey. We used to do central and southern New Jersey, but it was too much traveling, so we gave it up,” Reiss attests. “We consider ourselves a ‘Sunday School' show. We open at 6 p.m. and close at 11 p.m. That way you don't kill your health, and everyone gets a decent salary.”

Reiss says his company relies on H2B workers a great deal, and has done so for the last 21 years, working with Jim Judkins' JKJ Workforce. “He supplies the workers for me, and he is the best in the business,” Reiss relates.

Besides H2B worker support, Blue Sky is truly a family affair. “My son Michael took over our two units for the last two years, and I've been taking more of a back seat and letting him handle things, with a few tweaks here and there of course. Both of his uncles work on our two units, and Michael bounces between them, lining up trucks and handling all the details. He is doing a great job, and I'm proud of him,” Reiss says.

His other son Billy junior runs the joints. Daughter Katie and her husband Alex Azcona run the cotton candy concessions, with Azcona also handling some of the driving for the company. Reiss's sister-in-law runs the ice cream concession the company provides. Blue Sky also books some outside food vendors, including Zeppoles, sausage and peppers, along with stands run by long-time provider Annie Newell.

While Reiss is glad to take a step back, and is enjoying sailing the boat he keeps in Nassau, Long Island, he isn't laid back and relaxing all the time. “I'm learning to relax, but I've been in the business since I was 12 years old, and I'm 73 now, so it's not easy to step away. Although I know my son knows what he's doing, I still get tense on Sunday night with the tear downs, wondering if the trucks got there, all of that.” Additionally, he notes that “I am still very much involved with the business, I do the bookings and still have my hands in the cookie jar, so to speak.”

Looking further into the future, Reiss says that “The beauty part of it is that I know my sons and daughter can carry on long after I am gone. I have two grandchildren and hopefully they'll want to get involved in the business, too.” Reiss lost his wife, Susan, three years ago, after 47 years of marriage.

Reiss has no special favorites among his venues, but enjoys them all, “paternal organizations, chambers of commerce, schools, fire departments, and churches make up most of our route. It's been established over 25 years, and we go no more than 75 miles in either direction.”

He terms last season a solid one for the company. “Some of our spots were down a little, and there was a little bit of rain in the spring that cut the crowd a bit, but for the most part, the majority of our venues were up. For 2025, I am hopeful we will also do well.”