Doc’s Midway Cookhouse

Why Doc’s Midway Cookhouse Exists

When people think of the American Carnival, they often remember the rides, the lights, the music, and the excitement of the midway.

I think about the people who made it happen from the beginning in 1893 with the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Doc’s Midway Cookhouse was something we created together years ago, where he hoped to tell the history of the American carnival. It began because of my husband, David “Doc” Rivera. As Executive Director and Curator of the International Independent Showmen’s Museum, David devoted much of his later life to preserving the history of the American carnival. He taught me that every wagon, every lithograph, every route book, and every faded photograph represented a person whose story deserved to be remembered. How he loved to collect the oldest photographs he could find of early midways.

When David passed away, I made a promise to continue that work.

As my research grew, so did my purpose. After losing my son, I came to understand how deeply we all hope that those we love will never be forgotten. That realization changed the way I looked at every showman and showwoman whose name appeared in an old newspaper, an old route book, or on a weathered gravestone. My research began long ago with David by my side. You can’t imagine how excited he would be when I found out more about a show and a showman.

They were not simply carnival owners.

They were husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. They were immigrants, inventors, mechanics, artists, performers, and entrepreneurs. They traveled difficult roads, built businesses from almost nothing, endured failures, celebrated successes, and worked tirelessly to provide for their families while bringing wonder to communities across America.

This website, Doc’s Midway Cookhouse, is dedicated to them.

It is also dedicated to their families. My hope is that descendants will discover not only names and dates, but lives filled with courage, determination, creativity, and hope. Through biographies, photographs, newspaper articles, and historical research, I hope to reconnect families with their heritage and preserve the legacy of the men and women who built the American midway.

None of this work would have been possible without David. He opened the door to this remarkable history. I simply chose to walk through it and continue the journey we began together.

As David often reminded me with words from Desiderata:

“The Universe is unfolding as it should.”

Every new discovery reminds me that he was right. One forgotten photograph, one restored biography, one reunited family, one remarkable story at a time.

There is always room at the table for one more.

Debbie Rivera

Do you have photographs, family stories, letters, or documents about a showman

Please contact me. Together we can preserve their history for future generations.