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The Great Johnny J. Jones, an Early “Master Showman”

October 23, 2012 By Editor

Johnny J. Jones An Early … [Read more...]

International Independent Showmens Museum

It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to my close friend Kenny Detty. Kenny was the quintessential showman. I first had the pleasure of sharing a midway over the years with Kenny when we booked our independent rides over with shows in the 1970's. He became a show owner himself and was known in the business for being fair and honest. In any business dealings, he always gave you the best of it and his sense of humor and quick smile were legendary. He was the president of the Greater Tampa Showman's Club a couple of years ago and a proud booster and tireless worker for this museum which he believed in passionately. I was always immensely proud to call him my friend over the many years I knew him and I can truly say that the midway is a little darker tonight for his passing.
"See ya soon, on that old railer in the sky my friend"....
Services will be at 3 PM on June 13 at Sunset Gardens ( Showmen's Rest ) in Thonotosassa with a celebration of his life to follow. ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago ·

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International Independent Showmens Museum

There are no more "Barn Find" park model carousels in existence in 2019. Almost all of the large antique park model carousels, still around in this country are well documented and accounted for. I's really not that difficult to keep track of them, there aren't that many left. At one time over 2000 carousels were in operation across the country. Today there are less than 200 and some of these are in storage awaiting major restoration.
But, such is not the case with traveling carnival merry go rounds. Because of shows selling and trading rides to each other over the decades and shows and ride manufacturing companies going defunct, carnival carousels are not nearly as well documented.
Carnival carousels didn't share the same glamour as their larger cousins. They were designed to be mechanical workhorses, unprotected form the elements by roofed structures like many of the park models were and because of their designed portability were roughly handled in and out of wagons and trucks every week, often by inexperienced crews and town help. On a traveling carnival, they rode many more people than the average amusement parks did on most days at the popular fairs and celebrations along their routes. As a result, they wore out faster and were much more maintenance intensive. Add to that, due to their working schedules, they often didn't get the quality of artistic attention or preventative maintenance that the big, elaborately decorated carousels got in an amusement park environment. When they eventually got too shabby and in a mechanically deteriorated condition due to their age, they were often left to rot in a barn or worse, in a truck or wagon in a weedy, overgrown field as the show wrote them off and purchased a newer more modern version.
Happily, there is still an occasional old barn find treasure in the form of a carnival carousel still out there, languishing in some forgotten dusty outbuilding or rusting truck body.
The Summer 2017 Merry-Go-Roundup (Vol. 44 No. 2) introduced the "Carousel of Smiles"
This 1920, 3 abreast Hershell-Spillman merry go round was found, sitting forgotten in two trailers in a sheep meadow outside of Kansas City. After it was purchased, the ride made its journey to Sandpoint, Idaho.
Most of the carousel had not been out of those deteriorated trailers in the 64 years since it last operated in 1952 for the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.
The thirty-six steeds, freed from their trailer tombs are all in very good condition.There are seven trademark Herschell -Spillman rare cropped-mane Centurion horses, and all twelve outside row horses are still originally jeweled. Restoration work is well underway on this wonderful old lady whose glory days on a traveling carnival may well be over but who still retains her beauty and appeal as she did the day she first turned on a 1920 midway.
An absolutely wonderful find and I'll play photo detective and see what I can dig up on its carnival history which is sketchy at this time. Feel free to help if you can with any documented show history or photos on this wonderful piece. And don't give up..The Pickers can't find them all....these treasures are still out there ....but not for much longer. ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago ·

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The Great Johnny J. Jones, an Early “Master Showman”

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