Carnival & Fair News

Frank Zaitshik, President of Wade Shows, begins reflecting on 2024 by praising about his management staff. “We have a seasoned work force from top to bottom and it's working as good as it ever has. The success is because of our experienced, committed, management staff,” he says. Zaitshik's daughter, Shel-Lee Bosley and husband, Kevin, run the WG unit and are “doing a bang up job,” according to Zaitshik. “Jimmy Danton, manager of the second unit, is a great manager and is an extension of the Zaitshik family and he serves that role admirably,” says Zaitshik. Danton's son, Alex, and Zaitshik's son, Gary, work together to smoothly operate Wade Shows' Michigan unit.

Thinking about the season, Zaitshik has many high points including the arrival of the long-awaited super fun house, Candyland Adventure which joined the Wade Shows ride arsenal at the New York State Fair. “While Candyland Adventure was very successful we realized there was more to do for it to be the kind of piece we envisioned it to be,” says Zaitshik. The Wade Shows team took the funhouse back to the shop and made several adjustments before it re-opened in Raleigh at the North Carolina State Fair. “The Candyland finished in the top ten both in ridership and in credits at the North Carolina State Fair,” says Zaitshik.



Wade Shows also purchased the semi-permanent slide from the Florida State Fair and, during the 2024 season, brought the slide to both the New York and North Carolina State Fairs. “The theme in New York was Big Apple Slide,” says Zaitshik. “As part of our purchase agreement we will be bringing the slide back to Tampa for the next five years as well.”

Wade Shows is Confident in the Future

Like many operators, Zaitshik says he experienced many delivery delays on new equipment due to the Pandemic. “Two rides that should've been here in 2024 are now rescheduled to 2026,” he reports. “So, we have new rides in the pipeline and we have bought and received new rides since the Pandemic—2024 was no exception.”

Zaitshik and the Wade Shows team are extremely proud of the relationship they have with Iconic Midway Rides, a company which is operated by Zaitshik's youngest daughter, Marina, and her husband, Johan. “Iconic Midway Rides had a very successful season operating the Infinity, the Beach Shack, and the XXL which is branded as the Kraken. They're very happy with the results of the new XXL,” says Zaitshik.



The Iconic Midway Rides team is expecting the delivery of a new swing tower ride, which will be themed the Thunderbird, in the 2025 season. The swing tower ride will stand 177 feet tall and be the largest portable swing tower ride in North America; it will be able to thrill 34 riders at a time. Ideally, Iconic Midway Rides will receive the Thunderbird in time for the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach in January 2025.

Looking ahead to 2025, Zaitshik says Wade Shows continues to have success with digital ticketing, provided by FunTagg, on the midway. “We're always looking for different ways in which we can apply the FunTagg technology on our midway,” says Zaitshik.



As far as other goals for the 2025 season, Zaitshik mentions that the Wade Shows team always strives to continually refine the midway presentation to make its appearance as beautiful and comfortable as possible for guests. Wrapping up his reflections and moving on to 2025, Zaitshik remarks, “We didn't have a perfect 2024 season but it sure was better than a sharp stick in the eye.”