The World of Mirth Shows carnival toured the U.S. and Canada from 1933 to 1963 with a train that could stretch up to 80 cars long. It began and ended its route in Richmond Virginia. World of Mirth maintained a stable northeastern route through the United States and Canada running from Richmond to Ottawa then returning down the coast to Georgia before coming home.
In 1954, the World of Mirth had contracts for 14 fairs, but by 1963 it was down to eight. At the Ottawa Fair in 1962, a 4-year-old boy fell from World of Mirth’s Meteor ride. He sustained minor injuries, but the boy’s 10-year-old sister died attempting to save him. During the next year’s Ottawa Fair, nine people were hurt after a car from their Kilimanjaro Ride ( A Himalaya type ride ) rocketed off its track and smashed into the ride’s control booth. The fair canceled World of Mirth’s contract.
The carnival finally struck its tents in 1963 when it was seized for debts in Winston-Salem and its equipment was auctioned off the following year. Frank Bergen, the shows long time owner and founder died in 1971 and his wife, Hilda ,in 1975. (Frank’s demise at the end of his road is a sad one, but that’s another story)
When a large carnival is auctioned off, many things end up in surprising places. Most of the rolling stock and rides are most often scooped up at fire sale prices by other carnivals and amusemnt parks. Collectors and carnival/circus buffs buy some of the smaller items and the rest, that doesn’t get a bid, is left to rot away. These photos show some of what was left of the wonderful World Of Mirth Shows just a few years after it went on the auction block.
