UNION COUNTY FAIR
LAURELTON, PA
August 5-11, 2012
PART II

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNION COUNTY FAIR
LAURELTON, PA
(Central PA)
August 5-11, 2012


GARBRICK AMUSEMENTS ON THE MIDWAY.
HUGH GROSS, UNIT MANAGER
ALSO OWNS THREE OF THE RIDES ON MIDWAY
A REAL OLD-FASHION FAIR!

Bill and I played this fair back in the 80's.
It's located west of Selinsgrove, PA.
At that time Hugh Gross' Dad, Terry, had the show contract.
Gross Amusements and Concessions.

Garbrick is based out of Center Hall, PA.
And originally started manufacturing rides before
having their own show. Which now is composed of two units.

Tractor Pulls every night. Sometimes lasting until early
the next morning!

 

Hugh Gross oversees this unit.
He probably has more  than just three rides there.
I understand he also has concessions, Food and Games. too.

Erie County Fair is poised for 173rd year
Business First
Tuesday, August 7, 2012,
The Erie County Fair is almost here.

Starting tomorrow, the fair will be back at The Fairgrounds in Hamburg for its 173rd edition. It will run until August 19.

Tickets for preteens will be free, as in previous years. “We love having kids 12 and younger come in for free because it encourages families to come out for multiple visits,” said Louann Delaney, director of marketing and public relations for the fair.

This year, several new and free attractions will debut, ranging from the Nerveless Nocks’ 40-foot acrobatic stunts to Mango and Dango’s circus performances on stilts to many wild animal showcases.

Along with these acts, guests can also enjoy a free street show performance with Steve Trash and his combination of global eco-learning and magic.

read more:
http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/morning_roundup/2012/08/erie-county-fair-is-poised-for-173rd.html


 

Wallenda will defy death in Atlantic City

 

High-wire daredevil Nik Wallenda, seen here walking across Niagara Falls in June, will perform a 1,500-foot tightrope walk without a net high above the streets of Atlantic City, N.J., Thursday afternoon. (Associated Press)
By BARBARA ORMSBY
from:  delcotimes.com
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
ATLANTIC CITY —It won’t be quite as daring a feat as walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope, but high-wire artist Nik Wallenda will perform a tightrope walk high above the beach here at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The event is free to the public.
Wallenda’s 1,500-foot walk will begin at Sovereign Avenue and the beach, adjacent to the Atlantic Club Casino, and finish above the beach at Tropicana Casino & Resort, where he and the Wallenda family will be performing on select dates from Aug. 12 through Sept. 22.
The 33-year-old daredevil performer will be using only a 24-foot balance pole. No harness or other safety mechanisms will be in place. He estimates it will take him about 27 minutes to complete the walk, which is being sponsored by the Atlantic City Alliance.
“I was so calm. I’ve walked a wire my entire life,” Wallenda said of his Niagara Falls spectacular.
Wallenda and his family have spent the past two months appearing in Branson, Mo. They will have only a few precious days off before their next gig starts at the Tropicana.
“I started walking a wire when I was 2,” Wallenda said in a telephone interview. “I fell only in practice. I’ve never even had a slip during a performance. I would grab the wire if I fell. I realize there are dangers in what I do, but I am very comfortable with what I do. To be fearful is dangerous and that could cause me to fall.”
read more:
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/08/07/entertainment/doc5021cb6c19404249621811.txt

WAYNE COUNTY FAIR

from: WSAZ NewsChannel 3

WAYNE COUNTY, W.Va.

Aug 7, 2012

WSAZ NewsChannel 3

'Equine extremist' Tommie Turvey in Newtown for Horse Guard benefit


"Tommie Turvey and his Amazing Horses" comes to Newtown on Saturday, Aug. 11, for a show to benefit the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard.
 Photo: Contributed Photo / CT
from: ctpost.com
Phyllis A.S. Boros
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
For many animal-lovers, there are few sights more pleasing or beautiful than watching a horse and rider working as one, whether racing, trotting, gamboling -- or jumping through fire.
 That's especially the case for horse trainer, entertainer and stuntman Tommie Turvey -- the self-described "equine extremist" -- who brings his magnificent horses and a host of other riders/performers to the Commandant's Cavalcade 2012 on Saturday, Aug. 11, to benefit the 2nd Company Governor's Horse Guard, in Newtown.

Horse trainer and stuntman Tommie Turvey and his performing horses will be in Newtown on Saturday, Aug. 11, for a 6 p.m. show to benefit the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard. A Marketplace fair will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Photo: Contributed Photo / CT
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., a Cavalcade Marketplace, featuring free admission, will include numerous vendors devoted to crafts, agricultural products and decorative gifts, and representing local farms, equestrian centers and horse and dog breeders.
 Entertainment will be offered throughout the event; food and beverages will be available for purchase. A highlight will be a "meet and greet" with Horse Guard troopers and their mounts.

Horse trainer and stuntman Tommie Turvey and his performing horses will be in Newtown on Saturday, Aug. 11, for an evening show to benefit the Second Company Governor's Horse Guard. Photo: Contributed Photo / CT
The event capper will be "Tommie Turvey and His Amazing Horses" -- a show with "thrills, spills and action" say organizers -- presented from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Horse Guard grounds. The rain date is Sunday, Aug. 12.
Turvey -- who grew up in California, the son of a rodeo rider -- never planned on a life with horses, he said in a recent chat. But after high school, he came to realize that working with horses "was just something I was good at."

 

"Tommie Turvey and his Amazing Horses" will be in Newtown on Saturday, Aug. 11, for a benefit show. Photo: Contributed Photo / CT
Turvey -- who grew up in California, the son of a rodeo rider -- never planned on a life with horses, he said in a recent chat. But after high school, he came to realize that working with horses "was just something I was good at."
He then decided to devote himself to perfecting his craft, working as a featured performer with Disneyland Paris; Medieval Times and Arabian Nights in Orlando, Fla.; and on tour with the Royal Hannaford Circus.
"This is my life, not a sideline," he said. I live every day with my horses -- cleaning, caring, feeding and riding. They are my family and my life," along with his wife, who also performs in the show on her own horses.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/Equine-extremist-Tommie-Turvey-in-Newtown-for-3770016.php#ixzz22wuDAaoQH

Circus Performer and Mom Says She DOES Have it All
Leah Singer. Author, LeahsThoughts.com
from: huffingtonpost.com
08/07/2012
Anne-Marie Slaughter caused a national debate when her piece, "Why Women Still Can't Have it All," was recently published in the Atlantic Monthly. The piece argued that while progress has been made over the decades, career-minded women still find themselves struggling to achieve a balanced life that includes work and motherhood.

Denitza Dennis is one working mother who admits she does, in fact, have it all. She has a job that she loves and is still able to spend quality time with her husband and two children on a daily basis. Surprisingly, Denitza works at a place that may seem unlikely to allow employees to strike a work-family balance.
Denitza is a aerialist, who performs daring spins and acrobatic maneuvers with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. She admits that performing in the circus has been extremely rewarding and feels she has the perfect work-life balance.

"The circus has been wonderful for having a family," Denitza said. "We are all home together and I never have to leave my kids to travel."

Denitza has two children, Maddie, 7 years old, and a son, Brooks, who is 3. Denitza is married to James Dennis, the travelling show's general manager.

Ringling Bros. travels with a nursery and school every day the performers are on the road. Certified teachers and assistants teach all Ringling employee's children using a standard home school method of teaching. All kids -- from those of the performers to the concession stand workers -- attend school.

"It's an ideal situation," said Denitza. "When my act is over, I go see my kids in the nursery. I can give them a kiss before going back to work."
Denitza is a fourth-generation circus performer. She thrills audiences every day as part of the motorcycle highwire act, where the vehicle races up the cable at a speed of more than 30 miles per hour. She was trained in the art of acrobatics in her home country of Bulgaria. She came to the United States and has been performing with Ringling for 14 years.

Daughter Maddie loves watching her mother perform and recently began training in the acrobatics as well. For Maddie, travelling with the circus has given her a unique perspective.

"My favorite thing is travelling and going to so many places," said Maddie. "I love going to school and seeing the country... and having all my friends with me all the time. We're a big family from all over the world."

Denitza admits that working as a circus performer is hard work, especially being on the road for nearly 11 months. But what makes it all worthwhile is the fact that she can do the job she loves while having her family with her at all times.

"I get to have lunch with my husband and kids every day," Denitza said. And it's not just her kids and husband that makes Denitza feel she has it all. The Dennis' also travel with the family dog in tow.

Erie County Fair's gates poised to open
A mix of old favorites and new twists keeps families coming back

ShannonTuesday at the Swifty Swine Races at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg. Johnson, her husband, and their three daughters travel the country with their 13 pigs. Johnson, of Van, Texas, releases the swine from the starting gates 
(Charles Lewis/Buffalo News)
By Barbara O'Brien
News Staff Reporter
from:  buffalonews.com
August 7, 2012
Zach Johnson packed away bags of high-protein pig pellets under the Swifty Swine Racing Pigs trailer, glad the shipment came in before the Erie County Fair starts today.
 "You can't change diets on a pig," he said.
 And he wants his pigs to be raring to go for their races during the 173rd annual fair, since it's one of the attractions that keeps families coming back.
 Gates to the fair open at 2 p.m. today. After today, gates will be open from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. through Aug. 19. The midway operates from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
 Over near the games by the race track, Angelo Mantione of West Seneca and his family and employees were getting their five panini and cannoli stands organized Tuesday.
 "Angelo started putting up tents last Saturday," said Patty Lonergan.
 It takes a week of preparation, plus dedicated work each day to cut the meat and prepare toppings and the cannoli mixture.
"Everything is fresh. We do it day by day," Lonergan said.
 Mantione darts from stand to stand, and goes home each night of the fair to mix 16 buckets of cannoli "juice" - his own secret blend of cheese, sugar and other ingredients that he mixes to perfection.
 The county fair can attribute its popularity to its mix of the traditional - like the demolition derby, farm animals and James E. Strates Show - and the new - like Nervous Nocks Sway Pole Act, Wolves of the World and Skyriver Butterflies.
read more:
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/communities/erie-county/article991238.ece

Entertainment will sizzle at Muskingum County Fair

 

Kellie Pickler
John Lowe
The Daily Jeffersonian
August 7, 2012 
ZANESVILLE -- A tradition older than the Ohio State Fair returns to the Y-City Sunday when the gates swing open to the 166th annual Muskingum County Blue Ribbon Fair.

Once again, quality entertainment will permeate the week.

Highlighting the entertainment will be "An Evening with Kellie Pickler." That show will unfold in front of the grandstand on the evening of Friday, Aug. 17, beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Pickler, a popular, rising country music star, got her start as a contestant on the 2006 season of "American Idol." The appearance led to her being signed to a recording contract and a series of hits, including "I Wonder," "Don't You Know You're Beautiful" and "Red High Heels" among others.

Tickets for the show ($25 each for track seats or $15 for grandstand seats) will be on sale at the Secretary's Office behind the grandstand or online at www.muskingumcofair.com.

But it would be a mistake to believe the fair's entertainment begins and ends with the Pickler show.

"We're pretty excited about what we've put together," said Darrel Cubbison, president of the Muskingum County Fair Board.

Consider this lineup: Truck and tractor pulls, demolition derby, rough truck contest, harness racing, Zerbini Family Circus, garden tractor and antique tractor pulls and A-Bar Rodeo Bull Riding and Girls Barrel Racing.
 read more:
http://www.daily-jeff.com/local%20news/2012/08/07/entertainment-will-sizzle-at-muskingum-county-fair

THRASHER'S AIRIAL CIRCUS
1950's

 

BUFFALO  ITALIAN

FESTIVAL

Swine Flu Outbreak Leads Health Officials To Urge Caution At County Fairs

from: baltimore.cbslocal.com

August 7, 2012

Zombies! Miniature horses! Iguana beauty contests! Robot wars!

http://www.denvercountyfair.org/
By Susan Froyd
Mon., Jul. 2 2012
The Denver County Fair -- version 2.0 -- is coming back to the National Western Complex on August 10. We've just come from a mind-blowing powwow with DCF masterminds and will soon share all the fair's new twists and turns.

But first, there's news about how you can get tickets to a guaranteed good time -- and also do good.

Log on to the Denver County Fair website to buy tickets today through Friday, July 6, and half of your fee will go to Colorado wildfire victims.

 Tickets are $5 to $10 daily or $12 to $25 for a three-day pass; kids under age three will be admitted free. There's also an all-festival VIP option for $25 to $40, and of course the add-on options, including Andrew Novick's X-treme Pancake and Breakfast Burrito buffets ($7 each) and the unlimited ride pass for the indoor carnival ($20). Whoop, whoop!

Denver County Fair Freakshow Pavilion: "You can't call it a freakshow unless you have a freak"

Brinny D. Photography
You want a freak? I got your freak right here.
from:  westword.com
By Cory Casciato
Mon., Aug. 6 2012
Ukulele Loki knows a thing or two about what makes a freakshow a freakshow. He's been active in the circus and sideshow arts (yes, that is a thing) for years, honing his craft as a "talented talker" (or what the squares might call a barker, a term he rejects as vulgar) and delving into the history and culture of the carnival sideshow. When he was approached to curate the Freakshow Pavilion at the second annual Denver County Fair, which runs from Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12 at the National Western Complex, he accepted on one condition: that it be as authentic as possible.
To find out exactly what that means, and what fairgoers can expect from the Freakshow, we sat down with Loki to talk freaks, sideshow and deformed balloon animals.
read more at:
http://blogs.westword.com/showandtell/2012/08/denver_county_fair_freakshow_p.php



Zebra, camels take break in Watsonville: Visitors head to next performance this week


Three camels and a zebra are among the animals in a menagerie feeding in pens along Riverside Drive in Watsonville on Monday. The animals are part of Circo Hermanos Caballero, which performed under the big top at the site recently. City officials permitted the circus to keep the animals in Watsonville until the next show. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)
By Donna Jones - Santa Cruz Sentinelsantacruzsentinel.com
August 7, 2012
WATSONVILLE - When Circo Hermanos Caballero rolled up its big top after a run in Watsonville in July, the circus left behind a few of its performers in a vacant lot next to Annieglass on Riverside Drive.
The trio of camels, the zebra, the donkey and the pygmy ponies won't be there much longer. They have a gig in Denver next week.
A crew will begin moving the circus animals out in the next couple of days, said circus spokesman Bill Mendoza.
The traditional circus performed in Watsonville July 13-17 and 20-24, but had nothing scheduled for a few weeks after that.
Assistant City Manager Marcela Tavantzis said the city and the property owner gave the circus owners permission to keep the menagerie at the lot until Friday. A caretaker stayed on the site as well to care for the penned animals.
"It was exciting," said Annie Morhauser, the owner of Annieglass. "How often to you see a zebra and three camels in Watsonville?"
Morhauser said a circus shows up every year, but this was the first time for Circo Hermanos Caballero. It gave her some new ideas for color, she said. So don't be surprised to see some lime green, pink and purple popping up in her collection.
"It was inspiring," she said. "We were happy to have them."

 

Three camels and a zebra are among the animals in a menagerie feeding in pens along Riverside Drive in Watsonville on Monday. The animals are part of Circo Hermanos Caballero, which performed under the big top at the site recently. City officials permitted the circus to keep the animals in Watsonville until the next show. (Shmuel Thaler/Sentinel)

2012 fair comes to an end; officials say attendance records broken

 

from: fredericksburg.com
BY SCOTT SHENK
 08/06/2012
A hot and breezy Sunday marked the close of Fredericksburg’s 274th annual Agricultural Fair.
And while  the rides, games, food and performers were still there for all to enjoy, there was a hint of closing time in the air.
Especially for those who spent the entire 10 days hunkered down at the fairgrounds.
 Chain saw carver Brian Ackley spent many hours carving logs into bears, Indians and owls, to mention a few of his impressive creations.
The 43-year-old former Marine, sporting tattoos on his arms and legs and walking around barefoot, enjoys the look in people’s eyes when they see what he can do with a whirring chain saw. But he looked worn out.
“This is the last day, and I’m a bit burned out,” said gravelly-voiced Ackley, a  New Jersey man. “It’s been brutally hot out here.”
Like many other performers and workers at the fair, Ackley stopped  in Fredericksburg as part of a season of fair-hopping. He travels for three months during the fair season along the East Coast.
The rest of the time, he does commission work or carves out images from stumps of felled trees.
Now, he’ll pack up and head south to the Chesterfield County fair.

Not far away from Ackley, a still-enthusiastic Brent Cook was emcee of the Hogway Speedway.
The Newton, N.C., resident kept the ham jokes flying as he introduced the pigs, goats and ducks that raced around the little fenced-in race course.
“Is everybody ready to see a pig race?” he belted out early in the afternoon to applause from dozens who’d gathered to watch the likes of “Hammy Hamlin” race for the Cheese Doodle prize. Hammy, by the way, took the first race, which was marred by a T–shirt that fell on the track and caused quite a bit of confusion.
The highlight of the four races, though, were the  ducks. Squealing Tony Stewart took that race by a neck.
Cook, who along with his wife, Stephanie, runs Circle C Petting Farm, said they take the Hogway Speedway show up and down the East Coast from March through November.

After Fredericksburg, he said, they will head north to a fair in Gaithersburg, Md.
They’ve been doing this since the early 1990s, he said, and still enjoy it.
 They put on several more races Sunday before wrapping it up with the rest of the fair’s festivities.
“We’ve had record crowds, basically,” fair organizer Travis Bullock said late in the afternoon, just after finishing the silent auction for Ackley’s carvings. “We’ve closed the gates six out of 10 days.”
The official attendance numbers weren’t available night. Last year, 25,000 attended the fair.
Bullock said the goal was to “bring the families back” to the fair, and they did that with things like the pig races, Hansen’s Spectacular Acrobatic Sensations and NoJoes Clown Circus.
Bullock said the volunteers also were key to making the fair a success.
“The community stepped up.”

Fabulous Flying Pages to soar through the air at the fair

 

from:  bcnews.com
August 6, 2012
PRINCETON, IL — Through the years, the one act that most captivates the imagination of audiences is the man on the flying trapeze ... and that’s exactly what’s coming to the 157th Bureau County Fair in Princeton.
The High Flying Pages, part of the fair’s free entertainment schedule, is an educational and entertaining experience for the entire family, and is presented by Citizens First National Bank, McDonald’s, Casey’s General Store, Perry Memorial Hospital and Ken’s Repair & Rebuild.
The Pages, trapeze superstars, perform aerial artistry some 50 feet in the air, flipping, twisting and catching each other in the air. Like many other acts, the Pages are a third generation family circus act, consisting of Willy, Jill, 22-year-old Anthony and 13-year-old Mercedes. Willy is the catcher, while the rest are flyers. Expect the unexpected, complete with Hula hoops and a giant human swing that catapults them up to 40 feet in the air.
For one show each day, check out Mercedes and the Riding Donnerts, as the masters of equestrian riding do all kinds of things on horseback. These European superstars will amaze you with the Ballerina on horseback. The Equestrian Thrill show is presented by Patriot Renewable Fuels and Variety Attractions.
Check the fair’s schedule Wednesday through Sunday for performance times during the 157th fair.
For complete information, see the fair’s website at www.bureaucountyfair.com. The 157th Bureau County Fair runs Aug. 22-26 in Princeton.