Category: State Fair

If you were walking along the grounds of The New York State Fair this year ( 2025) no doubt you encountered Jimmy Ashley and his Tiki Shack. It’s certainly a unique looking cart that he has. In fact, as Jimmy strolled around playing guitar and singing it provided a rather different vibe for a crowded Fair. Jimmy Ashley spoke with us about The Tiki Shack creation. Q – Jimmy, I guess some people might say you’re a One Man Band, but Bandaloni who performs at the Fair plays all these…

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Supreme Allied Commander of Marketing and Sales At Waymatic They are one of the leading custom trailer manufacturers in the United States. Their custom built trailers can be found on just about every Midway in the United States, from the small special events units to the large deluxe State Fair models . They make ‘em all. The co. we are speaking of is Waymatic. We spoke with Waymatic’s Supreme Allied Commander of Sales and Marketing – Mr. Chris Coulson. Q – Chris, where do you find the people to make…

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They’ve performed around the world. We’re talking Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand, and the U.S. They’ve taken their act to theme parks including Six Flags, Disneyland, Disneyworld, Universal Studios, and Sea World. They’ve produced many NFL Super Bowl Half-Time events and major Super Bowl parties for Maxim Magazine and The Home Shopping Network. They trace their roots back to the early 1700’s and were legally established as Switzerland’s first circus in the year 1840. After performing for Queen Elizabeth in 1954 at a Command Performance in…

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They are a family owned business based out of Rochester, New York. With their mobile food concessionary stand they travel select seasonal events. They brought the original Pennsylvania Dutch recipe for Funnel Cakes to the Central New York area over 30 years ago. With their motto “You haven’t had fried dough until you try Nancy’s!” You just know they’re serving something special. Chris Bagnato spoke to us about his business. Q – Chris, I guess the obvious question is, who is Nancy? Why is the business called Nancy’s fried dough?…

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In 1958, when he was just a teenager, John Leggett went to work for the legendary carnival owner James E. Strates. While he didn’t work for the Strates Shows all that long, his memory of that time has lasted a lifetime. And so, we talked to John Leggett about that moment in time. Q – John, would I be correct in saying that you met James E Strates? A – Well, I never actually met James E. Strates. The guy in the memoir piece, I wrote, being 13 years old,…

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Matthew Barr has put together a fascinating look at what goes on behind the scenes at the only Carnival that still travels by rail-the James E Strates Shows. He actually lived on the train and traveled the Strates itinerary interviewing not only the Strates family but the carneys themselves. Q – How did you get interested in putting “Carnival Train” together? A – Well basically, how I ended up doing this documentary about the Strates Shows was years ago, back in California where I grew up when I was finishing…

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(Author of ” Pickled Punks and Girlie Shows: A Life Spent on the Midway’s of America – Schiffer Books) Rick West knows a thing or two about midways. You see, he spent his whole life traveling the carnival circuit. And now he’s written a book detailing that adventure. It’s called “Pickled Punks and Girlie Shows: A Life Spent on the Midway’s of America”. By the way, pickled punks is carnival lingo for bottled babies. Just thought you’d like to know that. It all makes sense when you read the book.…

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Chip Wilson worked as a Paymaster for the only carnival moving by train-the James E Strates Shows. He then went to work as one of those guys who guesses your age and weight for The Murphy Brothers. We talked to Chip Wilson about his experiences with the James E Strates Shows and The Murphy Brothers and the state of the carnival business in America today. Q – Chip, you told Matt Cook’s Carnival Warehouse Newsletter that the Strates train no longer pulls coaches. Why would that be? The coaches provide…

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