Amusements for carnivals, fairs is family legacy
TIFFANY TOMPKINS-CONDIE/ttompkins@bradenton.com Charles Panacek’s family has owned Belle City Amusements for 68 years and has done the Manatee County Fair for the last five years. The Manatee County Fair officially opens Thursday afternoon at the fairgrounds in Palmetto.By VIN MANNIX - vmannix@bradenton.com
from: bradenton.com
Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012
PALMETTO -- Charles Panacek didn’t have to run off as a boy when he wanted to join the carnival.The carnival came to him.This week, the carnival was all around Panacek, as nearly 200 of his workers set up 54 rides big and small around the Manatee County Fairgrounds for Thursday’s 5 p.m. opening of the 96th annual Manatee County Fair. “When it’s in your blood, it’s hard to get it out,” said the 48-year-old owner of Deltona-based Belle City Amusements, Inc., now in its 68th year.Nearby, laborers finished erecting the 100-foot high Belle City Giant Wheel.The whine of a power drill and the clank of steel struts being fastened together were like a symphony to Panacek, who’s began working for his parents at 12 and been doing this full time almost 30 years.
“As a kid it’s always fun to imagine being able to travel with the carnival all summer long,” he said. “Then in college I realized this was the business I was going to be in. Yes, it’s hard work. Yes, it’s long hours, but we are unique.“There’s so much entertainment out there for people to spend their money on, but the county fair comes only once a year. We’re proud of our heritage and want to keep that nostalgia there.”It’s his father’s legacy.
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