Safe fun on State Fair midway a Reithoffer tradition

Posted by admin on Feb 20, 2012 | 0 comments

FAIRLEA — Jeff Alberts spends a lot of his work time a few feet in the air — twirling, gyrating, spinning, firing off first in one direction and then in another one the next.

If it weren’t for a compromised equilibrium, Alberts likely would take his turn in all 52 rides along the colorful midway at the State Fair of West Virginia.

Underlings make sure every ride gets the once-over before the day is out.

So it is with America’s biggest carnival extravaganza, Reithoffer Shows, a family business launched in 1896 by Julius Reithoffer, who got it all going that year with a steam-powered carousel.

“I ride three or four a day for safety checks,” Alberts noted Monday.

“You can hear things. You can feel things. It’s just not me. I have six or eight men that do the same things that I do. And there is a foreman on every ride that inspect the rides. Some rides have five or six men on them. You’re getting six to seven sets of eyes on every ride every day.”

Alberts broke in as a “ride guy” and worked his way up the corporate ladder the past 27 years.

“I grew up with it,” he said, noting brothers and sisters likewise were part of the Reithoffer family.

Some safety experts say the best maintained rides are found on the carnival circuit since they are inspected daily, then dismantled and set up again as the show moves to the next spot, as opposed to those permanently anchored at amusement parks.

“We like to say that it is,” Alberts said. “I don’t want to knock any of the parks. They do a lot of maintenance. I have a lot of friends. We go to school with some of the biggest parks in the country, and their maintenance programs are second to none. But for the most part, I tell everybody, what would you rather ride, would you rather ride a ride that’s taken apart every week and set up every week so you see every internal part and everything and get inspected every single, solitary day by our employees and every two weeks they get inspected by different states and jurisdictions, or a park that gets inspected basically once or maybe twice a year by the governments of that state?”

Many Reithoffer workers bring their children on the summer tours. Until one of his children reached college age and a daughter began preparing for high school, Alberts’ entire family made the 31-stop summer run along the East Coast before resettling in Florida, home to most of Reithoffer’s payroll.

“I always say every person through that gate is my kid,” he said. “I want to make sure every ride is safe enough for my kid. When you come to my fair, that’s the way I look at it.”

Alberts cringes at the ancient term “carnie,” one that dogged carnivals decades ago when fly-by-nighters came into towns under the cover of night and generally pulled up stakes a few nights later, leaving behind some sour feelings among the local denizens.

Today, it’s like any other business and Reithoffer Shows strives for a family image.

“It’s not the stigma, I’ll say, from 40 years ago,” Alberts said. “The ‘dirty carnival’ people. That’s definitely not what we are.

“A lot of us have a church we go to. Some of the fairs we go to, they have a church that they bring to us. A lot of us go to church every Sunday in the communities. This is our livelihood. We have our kids with us. We have a hard-hat protection policy. A fall protection policy. One of the toughest drug policies in the industry. I’m off two months a year and I go to safety school for three weeks of that. This is our business. This is our lives. We want people to come here and feel safe in what we do.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is the carnival-goers’ love of thrilling rides, and Reithoffer is only too happy to oblige them.

“Just like I like to say — it’s like jumping out of a plane,” he said, explaining why lines of spectators queue up for a few seconds of heart-pounding action. “The adrenaline rushes.”

At this week’s State Fair, the big attraction is the Wild Mouse.

“It was brand new last year,” Alberts said. “It’s one of only two traveling portable coasters that, while the car is going around the track, the cars spin. It’s the best ride here. You still have the old favorites — the Big Tornado. That’s from Germany. The only one in the country like it. We have the Freakout, which is like a hanging pendulum. We also have the Speed Ride. It’s basically a 120-foot propeller. You sit at the very end of it and g-forces on that are like no others.”

High fuel prices likely are discouraging long family vacations to parks in favor of close-to-home events like the State Fair of West Virginia, Alberts speculated.

“You figure,” Alberts said. “A year ago, we were complaining about it being $2.25 a gallon. Now it’s $4.50. We play in New York where it’s $5 a gallon. Just imagine your expenses being doubled. We probably run seven big generators at this spot. We use some city power, but mostly we’re an inclusive city. We need diesel fuel to run the generators. I’m glad that’s not my department. I don’t even want to know that bill.”

Alberts has been a mainstay at the State Fair of West Virginia ever since Reithoffer made its initial incursion into Greenbrier County about 14 years ago.

“West Virginia is my personal favorite,” he said. “I’ve gained a lot of friends that are people that live in town. When you come back and forth, you meet people every year and you become better friends with them.”

Pasco County Fair offers more fun than you can bear

Posted by admin on Feb 19, 2012 | 0 comments

DADE CITY –

A trio of grizzly bears and supercross legend Chad Reed highlight the new additions this year to the 65th Annual Pasco County Fair.

Lake Jovita resident Chad Reed will trade his motocross bike in for the back of a convertible to serve as grand marshal for the “Ridin’ Rockin’ & Livestockin’ ” parade, which kicks off the fair activities Monday at 1 p.m. in downtown Dade City. Then Reed will head over to the fairgrounds to take part in the annual celebrity milk-off in the livestock pavilion.

Naples-based bear trainer Dexter Osborn debuts his show “A Grizzly Experience” at 5:30 p.m. and performs three shows nightly.

Visitors will get an up-close look at Tonk, a 600-pound grizzly bear, and cubs Yogi and Booboo. The 7-year-old Tonk stands over 7-feet tall, but he’s still growing, Osborn said. He eats about 25 pounds of food every day. His favorite treat is Florida grouper. “He’s got another 300 or 400 pounds to go before he’s fully grown,” Osborn said.

All three bears were born in captivity.

“They’re all three brothers,” Osborn said. “We’ll demonstrate some natural bear behaviors with Tonk. Yogi and Booboo mostly play and keep each other entertained.”

Fair favorites Robinson’s Racing Pigs and Paddlin Porkers make a return engagement with multiple shows daily. Other entertainers include a roaming circus, jugglers, magicians and hypnotists.

Visitors will notice several new food vendors and other changes around the fairgrounds and inside the Dan Cannon Auditorium, which is decorated with posters and 14-foot tall potted magnolia trees.

“This is a totally different setup,” organizer Cathlee Tomkow said.

The Pasco County Fair Championship Rodeo takes place Friday and Saturday. The annual Demolition Derby closes out the fair Sunday.

Today is the last day to buy discounted wristbands at area Walgreens stores. The wristbands allow unlimited rides for $15 Monday through Thursday or for $19 through the weekend. Gate admission is not included.

You can now carry your gun at Florida State Fair

Posted by admin on Feb 15, 2012 | 0 comments

TAMPA –

Following complaints by a gun rights group, and a law passed by the Florida Legislature last year, you can now carry your gun at the Florida State Fair.

“We have changed the policy to comply with the state law – it allows a person with a concealed weapon permit to come in with a firearm,” said Charles Pesano, executive director of the State Fair Authority. “We’ve changed some signs to reflect that.”

Instead of “No Weapons,” the signs now say, “No Unlawful Weapons.”

The policy changed Sunday, after Florida Carry Inc. and Marion Hammer of the Florida NRA complained to state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, said Sean Caranna of Florida Carry, a gun rights group.

At the same time, local members of the group complained to the State Fair Authority after a member of Florida Carry was denied admittance Saturday.

Pesano said the authority decided after meetings Sunday to change its policy.

“It was brought to our attention, and we quickly determined we wanted to be in compliance with the state law – we acted within minutes.”

It’s the first time in his experience, which covers eight state fairs, that fairgoers have been allowed to carry weapons.

“Since I’ve been here, the policy has been not to allow weapons on the fairgrounds just through good common sense,” Pesano said.

The change was required by a 25-year-old law in which the state Legislature took control of all firearms regulations, declaring local government ordinances void — an act known as “pre-emption.”

But the law wasn’t generally enforced, said Arthur Hayhoe of the Florida Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.

“That law had no penalties so a lot of local governments ignored it,” he said. “Some local governments dropped some laws, and a lot of them kept their laws.”

In 2011 however, the Legislature passed a new law imposing tough penalties — fines of $5,000 against officials of any local government that enforces a gun control law, along with removal from office by the governor and provisions for individuals and organizations to sue the local government for damages and legal fees.

Caranna said the gun rights groups contacted Putnam before the fair and were told the policy would be changed.

“They’ve been violating this law for nearly 25 years, and we wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again this year,” he said. “Unfortunately, it did happen.”

A Putnam spokesman couldn’t provide any comment from the agriculture commissioner Tuesday afternoon.

Scott Barrish of Plant City, a member of Florida Carry, sent complaints to Putnam and Pesano after another member, Charles D. Bingham, said on the group’s Facebook page that he was searched and denied entry to the fair while carrying a gun Saturday.

Barrish, a Republican candidate for Hillsborough County clerk of court, said he went to the fair Monday, carrying his Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer semi-automatic pistol.

Barrish said he carries a firearm “everywhere that it’s legal for me to do so,” because, “I take responsibility for my own safety and that of my family and friends – law enforcement can’t be everywhere every single second.”

But Hayhoe said the law “has created a lot of problems, and there are a lot of people angry about it – people can’t post their land for no firearms.

“Local governments can’t do anything – they can’t pass or enforce any law that even has the word gun in it.”

Last month, the Hernando County commissioners cited the law in reluctantly allowing a Spring Hill homeowner Paul Hargis of Hague Court to sell guns from his home, despite objections from the neighborhood.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Major Al Greco, in charge of security for the fair, said in past years, officers made anywhere from two or three to 15 or 20 arrests during the fair, mostly for fighting, drug or weapon possession.

He said he didn’t know how many had been made this year.

State Fair of Virginia expects to present lenders plan to save fair next week

Posted by admin on Feb 14, 2012 | 0 comments

A lawyer for the State Fair of Virginia told a bankruptcy judge this afternoon that he expects to present a proposal by the middle of next week that will allow it to keep The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County and continue operating.

SFVA Inc., the nonprofit organization which puts on the annual fair, has until March 7 to either come up with a financing plan to operate for the next year or a plan to keep all of its assets that a lender group otherwise would take over.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Douglas O. Tice Jr. approved the deadline last week.

Once the proposal is submitted, the fate of the state fair will be in the hands of the lenders who can either accept the deal or take over the park March 7 at 5 p.m.

Jonathan L. Hauser, an attorney with Troutman Sanders who is representing SFVA Inc., said his client’s goal was to get the proposal to the lender group with enough time for the group to review it.

“If we don’t come up with an agreement we’ll close the doors, turn off the lights and hand over the keys,” Hauser told

The nonprofit organization filed for bankruptcy December to temporarily stop the lender group from taking over the fair’s assets, including The Meadow Event Park.

The annual state fair was no longer meeting the terms of its loan agreements and could not make its Dec. 1 interest payment without endangering near-term operations, court records show.

Last week’s order allowed the lender group, which is owed about $75.6 million, to take over two financial accounts with a total of about $20 million.

From unusual fried foods to crafts, animals and rides, the Florida State Fair offers a wide variety of fun

Posted by admin on Feb 13, 2012 | 0 comments

 The 2012 Florida State Fair opened this weekend in Tampa. It runs through Monday, Feb. 20. With rides, side shows, unusual fair food and blue ribbon competitions, there’s plenty to see and do in a full day!

This video gives a quick overview of the fair, and shows many of the thrill rides in action:

One of the best parts of the fair is the food! So many favorites. So many new things to try.

This stand is one of the most popular of the fair. I recommend the $7 combo, as seen on the sign.

The sticks are color-coded. The small item with the green stick is a fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. The other two smaller items are fried Oreo cookies – the cookie itself is softened by the process. The large item is a fried Milky Way bar. Don’t estimate how many calories are in this serving!

Another stand with a wide variety.

Fried Macaroni and Cheese! Delicious.

A fried swiss cheese on rye sandwich. This one had a thin perfectly crispy outer layer.

Note the variety of items at this stand. Fried peaches and cream?

Another stand with a wide variety to try.

Some of the conventional food at the fair.

The fair has multiple expo buildings with vendors and exhibits.

Homemade candies for sale.

Hand-crafted miniature homes.

A beautiful table in the handcrafted furniture exhibit.

Some of the award-winning entries in the various competitions.

One of the products of Florida agriculture is wine.

These are some of the entries in the competition from small Florida vineyards.

Grapes are not the only fruit you can make wine with. Here are some Florida blueberry wines.

The Florida Grape Growers Association hosted a sale of unusual wines from 36 states and 11 countries as a fundraiser. Note the unusual wine from Pennsylvania in the inset.

When you live in a city, and spend your weekends at the attractions, you lose sight of how much of Florida is devoted to farming.

This unusual chicken seems like it could be from the ice planet Hoth, from the Star Wars movies.

A section of the fairgrounds has a collection of relocated buildings from when Florida was a frontier.

These buildings date back to about when Elias and Flora Disney got married in Kismet, Florida (1888). Their sons later built Walt Disney World, and a very different looking Main Street USA.

A dry goods store. From 1891 and relocated from Ft White.

The relocated Okahumpka train station. You may know the name Okahumpka from driving on the Florida Turnpike, north of the Orlando area.

A house from 1885, relocated from Wauchula.

The State Fair midway also has some classic side show and carnival entertainment, with a history dating to the 1800s.

It was standing room only for pig racing.

What used to be kewpie dolls for prizes in carnival games are now Angry Birds.

A fun house, a different kind of Haunted Mansion.

An unusual-looking ride, with arms that dive in-and-out as they spin, and spin around.

Some of the carnival rides are duplicates.

You’ll lose track of how many Ferris Wheels there are! Here’s just three.

Here’s ride ticketing information. Many of the rides are six tickets each.

Fair offers fun, farming, fried food

Posted by admin on Feb 13, 2012 | 0 comments

For a long time I missed the old state fair, when it was downtown at its original location near the University of Tampa. The “new” fairgrounds that opened on 355 acres in 1976 off Interstate 4 just didn’t have the feel of what a fair should be.

But that was then. Today, especially with its renewed emphasis on agriculture and the environment, the fair has become a special event. Of course there also is the “if it’s edible, let’s deep fry it” element. I love that, although I’m skipping the fried bubblegum stand.

On Friday, I heard Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam talking about how we too easily dismiss the importance of agriculture around here.

Talking about our rural heritage, he used a football analogy to suggest the value of agriculture in Hillsborough County was comparable to a Super Bowl a month in income.

In Cracker Country, I ran into Doyle Carlton III, whose father started the exhibit by bringing in original buildings to re-create a Florida village from the 1890s. Now with 13 buildings, including the original Carlton house, along with dozens of volunteers in period costumes, there is really nothing like it anywhere. It alone is worth a trip to the fair.

* * * * *
The mailbag is overflowing, largely with comments on a column about high-speed rail. James Gothard Jr. writes in part “… not a day goes by without realizing we missed out on a great project for our state and residents. We should have tweaked the business case to lessen any known risk, but we did not get a fair chance to do so. Just looking at potential cost is just one side of the project assessment versus factoring in the multiple benefits you mentioned.”

* * * * *
Eric Greenbaum of Tampa writes, “I would be curious to know how those two consulting firms came up with their ridership estimates of 5 million for the high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando. In 2008, about 29 million passengers rode the entire Amtrak system. So they are saying that 22 percent of the people who ride a rail service that covers thousands of miles and many cities will travel on a rail line between two cities 70 miles apart? Do you really believe that?”

* * * * *
And finally this note from Beverly on Friday’s column about Cpl. Michael Nicholson arriving home: “Once in awhile I send praises for your beautifully chosen words. Today warrants more. While I do not personally know young Cpl. Nicholson, I feel as though I do…Your column was spot on from the heartfelt commentary readers should learn of his bravery and courage and the commitment of his family and community…and that he and so many others still have a very long battle ahead. After the welcome home parades, I pray we never forget!”

http://www2.tbo.com/news/opinion/2012/feb/13/memeto1-fair-offers-fun-farming-fried-food-ar-358134/

WBCA Carnival Ride Malfunctions

Posted by admin on Feb 13, 2012 | 0 comments

What was supposed to be a night of family fun turns scary as several people are trapped on a carnival ride for a while.
It happened earlier this evening at around seven when a ride called “El Chango” got stuck due to problems with the engine.
Guests traveling at a high rate of speed while hanging… suspended from a reinforced harness..were caught in mid-air at the WBCA carnival, which opened just last night.
Rescue crews were on the scene for at least an hour and worked to bring all riders down safely.
“They conducted a rescue operation and one by one they were removing each and every one of the riders fortunately there were no injuries. They were up there for a little while, of course they were cold..a little scared obviously, but fortunately no injuries and no transports. After being evaluated they were sent on their way.”
Although riders were stuck on this ride for a while, it didn’t seem to stop others from enjoying the activities at the carnival.