OABA Honors Industry Pioneer, Bob Childress
from: oaba.org
Feb 18, 2014
OABA Honors Industry Pioneer, Bob Childress
OABA’s 2014 Industry Pioneer Award was given to Bob Childress, a gentleman whose 60 year career in the outdoor amusement and entertainment industry, as an owner of Childress Shows, Hendricks Bros. Circus, Lewis & Clark Circus and Childress Manufacturing, epitomizes the OABA’s Pioneer Award recognition.
Bob began his career as a novelty huckster at age 12 and continued selling his wares while attending and graduating from Clemson University. Shortly after his stint in the Navy, Bob met his wife, Margaret and they were
Pioneer Bob Childress
In 1975 he started Childress Manufacturing, designing, building and selling rides, such as the Giant Slide, Castlemania, and a kiddie coaster. Bob sold his Childress Shows carnival company in 1996, but still had the itch to build amusement rides and built 37, one-trailer Expo Wheels, then sold that manufacturing company in 2007.married in 1957. He went from novelties to amusement rides and in 1962 he started Childress Shows. For some 35 years he had two units, and some 40 rides on tour through the Southeast.
Along the way he framed two circuses, Hendricks Bros. Circus with animal acts that included an elephant, which he sold in 2006 and then framed another one-tent show called Lewis & Clark Circus, which traveled from Texas to Pennsylvania. During this time, Bob acquired, trained and performed in his own tiger act and then sold Lewis & Clark in 2013.
Bob Childress is an industry icon who is a friend to all Showmen in the mobile amusement and entertainment industry.
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