Carnival Workers
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Gypsyjoe#1
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Carnival work is a lot of hard work unless you are working a trailer game another words a gype joint. Allso a lot of long hours. Used to work for Goodings Million Dollar Midway.
I was a carny for a while. Sort of. When I was 13 there was a carnival in our town for a few days and on the last night one of the carnies who had been running a game asked me and two other kids if we wanted to make $5 each helping to take down and load some tents. This was back in the 60's so $5 then would be like about $40 now. Anyway, we helped them for about an hour or so and it was pretty hard work. Then the guy who hired us said he needed to take a leak and then he would be back to pay us.
We waited around for about 15 minutes then started asking some of the other carnies where this guy was. They told us to go over to this one trailer and then the person at that trailer said to go over to another trailer and ask for Hank. So we did and the lady there said that Hank had to go to a store or something,blah,blah and we should just wait. Pretty soon there was nobody around and all the overhead lights were turned off. We tried knocking at the lady's trailer again but got no response and the lights in her trailer had also been turned off. Lesson learned!
We waited around for about 15 minutes then started asking some of the other carnies where this guy was. They told us to go over to this one trailer and then the person at that trailer said to go over to another trailer and ask for Hank. So we did and the lady there said that Hank had to go to a store or something,blah,blah and we should just wait. Pretty soon there was nobody around and all the overhead lights were turned off. We tried knocking at the lady's trailer again but got no response and the lights in her trailer had also been turned off. Lesson learned!
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Was this because you were moving from one place to another?
That's too bad
Gypsyjoe#1
Well-known member
What do you mean, about the long hours?
Gypsyjoe#1
Well-known member
I worked the cat rack or the pool table joints and drove truck when I worked for Goodings Million Dollar Midway and could tell you some great stories about being a carny.
When we worked the joints there would be kids hanging around who had no money but wanted to ride the rides or play a game (we called them lot lice) we would play games with them like tell them we would give them $5 if they would ru a arrand for us. We would send them to Joe to get some greased light bulbs or a bucket of steam, Joe would send them to somebody else. They would run around for a hour or so trying to find the bucket of steam, finally come back to you and tell you they couldn't find it so you would give them their $5 but it kept them out of your hair for a couple of hours and they still got to do something. Carneys are not all bad people I always wanted to help the kids and this was a fun way to give them $5 to ride the rides.
There are tricks to win most of the games but if you don't know the tricks it is pretty hard to win.
When we worked the joints there would be kids hanging around who had no money but wanted to ride the rides or play a game (we called them lot lice) we would play games with them like tell them we would give them $5 if they would ru a arrand for us. We would send them to Joe to get some greased light bulbs or a bucket of steam, Joe would send them to somebody else. They would run around for a hour or so trying to find the bucket of steam, finally come back to you and tell you they couldn't find it so you would give them their $5 but it kept them out of your hair for a couple of hours and they still got to do something. Carneys are not all bad people I always wanted to help the kids and this was a fun way to give them $5 to ride the rides.
There are tricks to win most of the games but if you don't know the tricks it is pretty hard to win.
GoingMobile
Well-known member
There was a guy who was usually high as a kite or passed out and sleeping in the bushes near where I lived. We went to the county fair and saw him operating one of the rides. I've never gone on another ride after seeing that. I don't think the standards for employment are all that rigorous. It might be quite the experience to participate in though.
Yeah I'd love to hear some of your stories. I got a job offer waiting for me once I finish school to wrench on their equipment. Its not what I imagined I would be doing, but it meets everything I want except I'm positive the way isn't the greatest. But it would let me travel, housing/parking would never be an issue, it would provide the social connection I want and it would let me work on a variety of engines and motors.
That's too bad, some lost soul out there combating their demons.
Jeep Freak
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When carneys slough in or out. That means setting up all the rides and booths. It is generally done in one day. Setting up or tearing down, so it makes for a long day.
If your talking about actually working a ride or a show(booth). Then your day begins at sun up and generally ends around 10 or 11pm. Keep in mind this was in the 80s.
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Do you know what their travel schedule is for this year? Man, I would go for it just for the experience! Have you checked any other type forums for info on the job? It doesn't have to be your last gig though.
I think they start in Florida and travel up the east coast and end the year in the northern states, NY or maybe even further north. I'm really likely to take it, just for the experience, and I think it would also really further my skills as a mechanic. I haven't seen that much information on the mechanical side of things, I mostly have heard/read stories about the concessionaires and the ride operators.
I will be sure to post on the forums about the experience, keeping in mind I won't be done in Florida until late July. I want to try and get my CDL A in the meantime, but they changed the laws recently and made that much tougher to do.
GntlStone
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I worked as a carney in the summers of 2019 and 2021 for All County Amusements out of Long Island, NY. Mostly from Queens from the Hamptons.
It can be awesome or it can be h*ll depending on the customers and the weather.
Set-up& breakdown are PHYSICAL! Wear a backbelt & gloves. It's a wide variety of machines and movements. Lots of gears and hydraulics.
I got the job initially to confront my social anxiety through immersion in crowds. To good success.
But I've always liked to learn how and why things work.
It'll be a great learning experience, for sure.
It can be awesome or it can be h*ll depending on the customers and the weather.
Set-up& breakdown are PHYSICAL! Wear a backbelt & gloves. It's a wide variety of machines and movements. Lots of gears and hydraulics.
I got the job initially to confront my social anxiety through immersion in crowds. To good success.
But I've always liked to learn how and why things work.
It'll be a great learning experience, for sure.
Thanks for the post. If you don't mind me asking, what job did you perform for the carnival you were on? I ask because I kind of get the idea that where people may have an assigned task or role/job, they also just kind of do what needs to be done. I don't know if that's true or not, so wouldn't mind hearing more about your experience if you want to share.
GntlStone
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I started out as a ride operator.
The way they started workers out first on non-mechanical rides (slides, bounce house), then mechanical kids rides, then adult rides.
After the first 2 weeks I started out helping with break-down. Initially easy stuff like wrapping cords, hanging fences on the disassembled rides, trash pickup. Then helping with mechanical disassembly. It's often a matter of just jumping in to do what needs to be done (once you know what to do).
You'll find that what takes 2 days to put up only takes about 4 hours to break down.
I'm willing to answer any questions I can.
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It was a long time ago, but I once worked for the Carson and Barnes Circus. At the time it was (one of?) the last big tops still around. I imagine it couldn't be THAT different from Carnies.
I helped put up and take down the Big Top. Me, a bunch of other guys, and the elephants. I loved those big guys!
Anyway, I was at the bottom of the social totem pole and was seldom allowed to forget it. We were heavily discouraged from having our own transportation. And the company store gave us easy credit. All designed to make us less independent. The first day there, we had a fistfight in the mess tent.
It was a learning experience, but not one I would want to do twice.
I helped put up and take down the Big Top. Me, a bunch of other guys, and the elephants. I loved those big guys!
Anyway, I was at the bottom of the social totem pole and was seldom allowed to forget it. We were heavily discouraged from having our own transportation. And the company store gave us easy credit. All designed to make us less independent. The first day there, we had a fistfight in the mess tent.It was a learning experience, but not one I would want to do twice.
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