THE BALLOON MAN

Putting on the final touches for the York Fair
Employees hustled and bustled for today's opening of the York Fair.


The Ferris wheel is set up at the York Fairgrounds for this year's York Fair which starts Friday.
(DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS--JASON PLOTKIN) 

By LEIGH ZALESKI

Daily Record/Sunday News

from: ydr.com

09/06/2012

York, PA -

On Thursday morning, Andy Deggeller zoomed at 10 mph around the York Fairgrounds in a camouflage golf cart.

He clutched a rolled-up aerial map of the fairgrounds in his left hand, as he steered the vehicle with his right.

Deggeller manages Deggeller Attractions Inc., the company that provides rides, games and some concessions for the York Fair. With about 24 hours to go before the fair's opening, it was Deggeller's job to make sure the midway all came together.

He said his company was able to set up several of the 50 rides early. His 200-person crew had worked the Maryland State Fair in Timonium until Monday. However, the bulk of the work began Wednesday morning.

Employees flagged him down as he passed to confirm the positioning of a ride or to ask for a map for the fire marshal. He stopped here and there, passing an unfinished Ferris wheel -- that takes a day and a half to assemble -- and 5-foot-high bags of jumbo stuffed animals.

Deggeller addressed each need with a cool sense of urgency, which seemed to be in the air as York Fair employees and concession workers prepped to kick off one of York County's most notorious events.

"I won't be completely happy until we're all the way set up," he said.

York Fair General Manager Mike Froehlich was excited. He sat behind a laptop in his office as he talked about his to-do list for the day. He had to deal with some changes to electrical hookups for the rides, tweak the setup for REO Speedwagon, and make sure there was hay in the animal petting area.

York Fair General Manager Mike Froehlich said he's looking forward to the Royal Hanneford Circus. During one act, two women contortionists squeeze into a knee-high box

"It's just a matter of coordinating things," he said.

Although Froehlich plans the fair throughout the year, he said, it's a race to the finish line because most of the vendors come in from other fairs and events.

"It's the nature of the fair business," he said.

In the poultry building, Georgia Ort of Dover walked by rows of cages to made sure each had wood shavings and bowls for water and food.

"It's not work," she said. "You have to love it."

Donna Kramer of Floyd's Italian Sausage worked with her husband and a handful of employees to stock her station

under the grandstand. Kramer, of Berks County, said her team has been on the fairgrounds since Monday to clean the stand, and order soda, rolls and condiments. After days of prep, she was almost ready.

"By the time we open, they only thing we'll need is ice -- and customers," she said.