Carnival & Fair News

Signaling the end of one era and the beginning of another, the leading midway provider in the Northwest has announced a major, albeit expected, changing of the guard. Ronald Earl Burback (Ron),92-years-old with more than 77 of those years in the carnival business, is stepping back from the day-to-day operations of the company he founded and taking on the role Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

His son Ronnie Burback will assume the role of President and his sister, Tracy Burback Munoz, has been named Executive Vice President, and will carry out the duties of Ron's wife, Beverly Burback, who will assume a semi-retired, emeritus role overseeing overall company operations. Both Ron and Beverly will continue to be involved with Funtastic in oversight and consultation roles for the immediate future



Ron Burback, an industry icon who has provided the midway for the Washington State Fair and other northwest outdoor events, is long known as an innovator on the midway, particularly in ride selection and infusing games and plush with a new energy soon copied by carnival companies nationwide, reviving the segment. Ron started in the business at 14 years old, picking up ping pong balls out of the fish game at Jantzen Beach Park in Portland. In 1971, Ron and his partner, Bob Bollinger, formed Burback & Bollinger Traveling Shows. In 1985, Bollinger retired, and Ron and Beverly formed Funtastic Traveling Shows, Inc.  

Ronnie Burback grew up on the midway, and like his father, he began in an entry level gaming job. His earliest memories are collecting milk bottles at the ball toss stands. Ronnie has been in the family business his entire life and will now oversee Funtastic Traveling Shows as well as Amusement Production Services, an event production company.  

New Roles

“I am honored to take on the role of CEO and lead Funtastic Shows into its next chapter of growth and innovation,” said Ron Burback. “I look forward to working closely with my wife, son, daughter and our talented team to build on our success.”

“I have big shoes to fill in a challenging industry, but I am excited to take on the role of President and continue to perpetuate Funtastic's brand and reputation,” said Ronnie Burback. “I am committed to working with my father, mother, sister and our team to continue to deliver a superior experience to our customers to keep them coming back.”

In addition to revitalizing the carnival games business, the company is also known for the Funtastic Card, considered the first cashless midway system, as well as setting industry standards for safety training and professionalizing the carnival experience. “We have a good business model, which I will follow” said Ronnie. “We had a very good 2024, which was better than 2023. All the bad stuff about the pandemic is way behind us. People are coming out to the fairs, the people have been great.”

“More than three million folks experience a Funtastic midway every season. Funtastic Shows operates up to three complete carnival operations weekly during the season. Operations are based out of a 15-acre permanent office campus facility in southeast Portland, as well as 6-acre winter storage facility in Vancouver, Wash. The Portland complex features a repair & maintenance workshop, 80,000 sq. ft. warehouse, state-of-the-art paint shop and a 5,000 sq. ft. corporate office staffed by 35 full-time employees.

Funtastic Shows was ranked #9 on the 2024 List of Top Carnivals Playing the Top 50 Fairs, as compiled by Carnival Warehouse. The ranking was due to its long-term relationship with the Washington State Fair, which attracted 912,000 last year, ranking 17th in the Top 50 Fair on the Carnival Warehouse listing. The carnival plays Puyallup, WA, the Portland Rose Festival, and many county fairs and other diverse events throughout the Pacific Northwest.  As president, Ronnie Burback, manages the rides, staffing, event logistics, transportation and has been instrumental in assuring the “show goes on at each location at the right time, with the right people, with the right execution,” according to the company's press release announcing the promotion.

Strong Position

Ronnie Burback is taking the reins post-post-pandemic. While the ramifications of the global crisis rippled throughout 2021 and 2022, the tide stemmed in 2023. “2024 was a good year, even better than 2023. We finished up better than last year (2023). We had a little rain here and there, but the worst was the heat, so we had some heat to contend with. When it gets over the 80s the people don't like to come out. The pandemic has completely winded down, literally what didn't kill us made us stronger. We were able to help our events during a tough time. We were able keep our employees and staff through the shutdown, and have them keep their health insurance. That put us in a very strong position by 2023.”

For the gaming segment of the Funtastic midway, the rebound in plush has been one of the most dramatic comebacks. During the height of the crisis, container costs more than doubled, “wreaking havoc” on the midway, especially for a carnival company known for liberal policies regarding its signature Plush. “People walking around the fair holding our merchandise is advertising for us,” said Ronnie, citing his father's philosophy.

In response, the company now have two warehouses filled with Plush – more than $300,000 worth – that will be constantly replenished once the season starts. The strategy enables the company to weather any unforeseen future disruption. “We got some quality stuff, hollo-fills, most in gift-store styles. Ideal toys and Fiesta are the two main suppliers. Sonic the Hedgehog is big, but otherwise not much licensing this year.”



Ride manufacturing has had a slower return. “Usually the manufacturers had a ride ready to go, but now you're basically buying a production slot, and now you're waiting in the end 24 months or longer. Getting some parts has become almost laughable.” He hopes to premier at the 2025 Washington State Fair in August a new Techno-Jump ride.

He's also confident albeit with fingers-crossed, that he'll receive his H2B workers, about 140 at the peak of the season, although he's increased the number of workers during off-season to work onsite at the headquarters for maintenance, refurbishing and upgrades. “By April we'll be ready to go,” he said. Most are from Mexico, although 10 are from Guatemala, part of the Northern Triangle provisions instituted last year as an expansion of guest-worker companies participating in the program. “They are very good workers,” he said. “I'm worried about the regularly help, because you can't hire locally, the workers aren't here. You don't have the continuity of workers with the knowledge of safety and what's required.”

What's most concerning are drivers. Out of all the positions needed on the midway, the “driver pool is getting kind of thin. Amazon is eating up all the drivers, it's been hard to compete, we pay a competitive wage. It's difficult work.”