Punk Robbers At The Fair

By Sam Staffen

When I broke into the games in the carnival things were certainly different. And I only started working games back during the end of the 1989 season. That was not that long ago. Through the years many of us carnies have raised a family. And for the most part the carnival has been good to those who have stuck and stayed and made it pay. Getting paid seems to be getting harder and harder and sometimes nearly impossible.
So when I am sitting in these events which still have thousands in attendance and it sometimes seems impossible to get a dollar or two, it gives me much time to think. Why am I not getting money at this spot when I did three years ago? How did this happen? Most people would say it is the economy. Others would say it is the overall image of carnies. But in my experience and from my polling of the actual customers I have come to find it is mainly do to a practice that was forbidden when I broke in.
When I broke in it was regularly known that nobody working games would beat a handicap, pregnant woman, or a child out of any significant amount of money. You were supposed cut them loose after the original game was done. Whether it be two dollars or five dollars. Cut them loose. If you were caught working any of these three types of people you were lucky if you did not get an whooping and then ran off that midway by the other games people.
Due to rules changes at most major events the games are ran to be less aggressive on the players. The Carnival owner no longer want the games workers to do some of the things they have been allowed to do in the past. These rules were intended to make the carnival a more user friendly environment. They were instituted, for the most part, by people that have no experience in the games. They are the law makers because they are event committee members or an owner of rides. They certainly were trying to make it better but may have failed.
What has happened is that the old school carnies began finding other professions and many have went to the old school shows still traveling around playing lesser celebrations. What this means is that many of the game concession owners have had to hire what we call green help. Because the old school guys are less apt to be seen, because of the rules changes, at these large events, the green help has less opportunity to learn what they are actually doing. Possibly no one was around to tell them do not beat pregnant women, handicaps, and kids. But nowadays the kids are certainly targeted at the least.
Recently in the Winchester Virginia Apple Blossom Festival a couple old school carnies were talking about all the punk robbers that have infiltrated the amusement industry. They agreed that the tub game they were working was slow this year because of the punk robbers who had worked it at this very good festival the past couple of years. They had this idea because several kids had told them they lost all their money last year in that game. Just as they were getting into the conversation a young man walks up with his girlfriend. The kid would not throw a ball but stated he had been beaten a long time ago. The one old school carnie then asked the young man how old are you. He replied 20 years old. The carnie then asked what is a long time ago, maybe two or three years. The kid inferred much longer and restated a long long time ago. Theses two veteran carnies began to laugh emphatically because this meant he was beaten out of all his money at a very young age. He had been a victim of a punk robber. Carnies used to tell the kid he had to bring back mom and dad to play for the big prizes.
Punk robbing has been a major discussion recently amongst long time game workers. The governing bodies making these rules changes should at least have to get the opinion of an experienced game operator. In every other field companies are required to consult a field professional. In the carnival they do not seemed to be required to consult anybody. Which means the rules and regulations changes are derived from people who are ignorant to what actually happens behind the counters. Many old school carnies realize these regulators are just that ignorant.
I created the web site http://uscarnys.com/ The web site was first published for use on the internet on February 4, 2008. Already USCarnys.com boasts arguably the best free listing of bonafide fairs and festivals on the internet. USCarnys.com has 48 pages of fairs and festivals which you can find all the pages on the home page in a drop down menu. There is a merchandise page with several vendors, a carnivals page with nearly 80 links to different carnivals web sites, a contact page, an employment page, and the home page to go with the 48 pages of fairs and festivals listings. You will find this site truly informative and a very helpful tool for anyone who does anything in the outdoor amusements. Come check out USCarnys.com now!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Staffen

Drug Addicted Carnies Need Rehab Resources Too

In my chosen profession known as the carnival to everyone there is quite a few drug addicts. It's just the way it is mainly because most carnies receive some amount of pay everyday no matter what they do. If you work rides and food and other salaried positions you are given a draw everyday. If someone works games, known as agents, they generally get paid commission based on what they bring in. In any event you get money at the end of the night right after the carnival closes for the day. That night you will see plenty of activity around the bunkhouses where all the help sleeps. Some just don't tend to sleep at night until they have no money left which is usually more towards morning. On a big night the people who work the games general have more money as they usually get paid their entire commission nightly. The people that work salary jobs have a payday where they receive what they did not get in draws through the week. Either way when the addicts have a bunch of cash they will be up normally until daybreak. Quite a few people in our business compare these addicts to vampires. Whenever the carnival is near a neighborhood that has a multitude of drug dealers it is real easy for the addicts to get their dose of what they like. Some even get fronts. For those that don't know, a front is credit. A large majority of carnies who get fronts are the agents. The reason an agent can get a front is because he generally takes some of the money, as he receives it from the customers, as the day progresses. He will then take that money to the local dealer and ask for a little extra with the story that he still gets paid that night. Obviously some towns have better fairs than others. Sometimes the dealers from that town makes a ton of money off of these carnies. Matter of fact they have made so much in the past that some of them actually followed the show to the next town. Some of these dealers have actually wound up joining the carnival because of that one time burst of income. I have heard that people that do cocaine, a.k.a. crack, are often chasing the original feeling that they experienced from their first time. I have been told that after that original high, or feeling, they never actually experience it again quite the same way. Most of the dealers that sell crack generally make money, no matter how good the fair or festival is, because of the individuals that are still chasing that original feeling. The dealer that follows the fair to sell is also chasing, but he is chasing that original pile of cash. Many people don't realize every show that plays big fairs has a drug policy. As a matter of fact they even have random drug tests. Mainly for insurance purposes as it lowers their ride and midway insurance that they conduct some testing. They sometimes will use these tests when someone has done something recently, that makes them undesirable. Then they give that person a test, that they most likely will fail, as a method of firing the individual at hand. Most shows don't worry so much if an agent is on hard drugs because he isn't operating rides. They are generally very concerned when they get word of a ride personnel on some form of illegal substance. Quite a few larger shows will carry a school for the kids that travels with the show. The show hires a teacher and the teacher travels with the show giving classes to school age children whom parents travel with the show. There are currently no types of rehabilitative programs traveling with the shows. The current rehab consists of prodding the participants in an effort to embarrass and alert them of their problem. This isn't working as well as an education would I don't believe. With a good program carnivals could possibly keep these narcotics from making their way into show peoples mouths, noses, and veins. I personally know several people in my business that have been on hard drugs. These people found ways to quit. Some have went to treatment centers in the off season and others found it in themselves to quit. Every one of them will talk about when they quit and will include what positives quitting has brought. Most of the programs that help people quit hard drugs are ran by former abusers. Maybe that is what the large carnivals should do. Get the guys and gals that they know are rehabilitated to spend some time with the current users every week. I created the web site http://uscarnys.com/Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Staffen

Carnival Games Policies Are Now For The Weak Minded

The rules are changing and I don't really know why. The games are quickly becoming a clerk position and I don't know why. Seems as though they want everybody working the games to play it just like the sign says and I don't know why. Somebody please tell me soon. It doesn't matter to me though, I just want to know. There was a saying a long time ago that people still use today, to endure...to adapt...and this too shall pass. That saying is how I approach the ever changing carnival game regulations. Even though I have broke in working games as strong as I could, I haven't lost a step with each regulation implemented by fair commissions and Carnival show owners alike. I do know quite a few of my peers that have been greatly affected. In my field of study, build-up oriented games, I began working what is widely known as a collection. The collection is when you get a player to play and then pay. Basically the collection has been omitted from the regular running of all the shows that are playing the most major fairs and festivals. There have been major set backs at the choice games too. One way of getting money then is now not allowed now because the shows are allegedly making it a better environment for the patrons of these said events. These people making these drastic rules changes have never worked the games for sure. The guy that spends the most money usually went to fair looking for the carny with the biggest bite. Those players tend to realize if they get beat for enough money they will get a prize. I have noticed quite a few emails from people telling me I won the lottery, someone died and they want me to help them with all the money the person left and they will pay me a large sum, or someone may just want me to run great sums through my bank account for great riches in return, and other internet scams as well. They are all identity theft emails. I don't bite at all. I even have fun with these people telling them things like my name is Gunnar Nemecek and I am from Steal, ID. Get it. One thing I have noticed is that, for the most part, these emails come directly from the United Kingdom. They have a Nigerian flavor many times, as well, but are still directly from the UK. This tells me that the UK allows this type of scam. This also tells me that they may allow these scams because the people of the UKs' general philosophy is that if you fall for it you should learn from it. That they also feel you should be smarter and that it should teach you a lesson. In America we don't share that philosophy as a whole. We believe that these characters should be nipped at the bud. In return Americans are the easiest target for these internet scammers because they are so protected by all of these laws. They have become weak minded to the point that actually believe that there is no way that's a scam because it's against the law. They can't get away with it. Why? Because they are coddled by American law. This brings me back to carnival games. I know a guy in Lafayette Georgia who was ripped off for all of his money, then his jewelry, and then his car in a carnival game back in the 60's. He will tell you that this carny fleeced him good. He will also tell you how it changed his entire outlook on life. This guy now owns a store, nice home, his wifes' successful catering business, a large bank account I am assuming, and is always sporting very expensive jewelry. This guy will tell you that if it weren't for being ripped off he wouldn't have what he has today. It made him stronger and smarter and, most of all, it taught him how to approach financial matters for the rest of his life. This is a true story and the guy owns a little store heading north on 27 out of Lafayette, Georgia, on the right, if you verify the authenticity of this story. This is really what carnival games did for people when we carnies were allowed to rip off the public. Being flim-flammed made the person smarter and way more on the guard for every venture in the future. You will even hear former customers say to each other things to the effect that that sales pitch sounds just like that carny at the fair. They may be looking at cell phone plans or car tires or really anything in every day life. The bottom line is that it is only the small time players that actually complain about the games. Complaints are only a small factor for the rules changes though. The larger spenders don't generally complain. Some are just too embarrassed to admit they were beaten out of that much by a carny or anybody for that matter. But for the most part, and I am speaking from a whole bunch of experience, they want to hear your lines. If someone took a poll of all adults leading lives outside the carnival, and asked them, yes or no, do you think that carnival games are rip-offs. The general answer would definitely be yes. I would figure that nearly everyone who has ever played carnival games would say yes, maybe 99.9%. So when they play it's kind of like those people that jump into the barrel of snakes, except now all the snakes are not poisonous. They continue to play and the people have no idea, generally, that there are all these rules changes making them less apt to get beat out of their money. Some people argue that the rules changes were for bettering the image of carnies. That theory is flat bull. These people working the carnivals have to gain a better overall look, which is why their is a dress code. Whether or not a person gets beat for large cash and jewelry has so very little impact on the overall image of carnies. The people just don't realize, Hey! I didn't get beat for $60 in any game this year, any impact at all in the rules changes. They still call the games rip-offs. I hopscotch from show to show almost every year. I see all types of game policies. When I first dropped in on a show called Pugh, owned by Jeff Pugh, they didn't have any real carnies working their games. As a matter of fact their ad in a business magazine, at the time, they stated that they had the most stringent game policy in America. The show went under and the route was taken over Jeff Pughs' brother-in-law. Since I first walked on that midway and showed that carnies could rip off the public, while at the same time, not being a menace off the lot, they now have real carnies in most of their games. The shows' name changed to Mid America, owned by North American Midways in care of Danny Houston, but the general game policy changed to go on ahead and get em', just don't get a complaint. Their route continues to be one of the best in the country for the games. But they did transform from one philosophy to nearly the entire opposite philosophy, with no impact in proceeds or attendance at their fairs and festivals. I created the web site http://uscarnys.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Staffen

A really good SEO

Recently I came accross a SEO that gave me some very good advice on how to clean up my site. I am a complete beginner at web site building I just started building mine on February 1 of this year. This SEO let me have it. Told me my site was unhealthy. I had no ideea why. I had to pay a small price but got some very good info as to what was wrong with several areas of my site. I was then inadvertanly reading an article through Web Pro News about bad SEO tactics and realized that it was the same stuff this SEO was telling me I was doing wrong. It was ironic that I got second opinion backing my SEO's claims. The company my SEO works for is PRO-Webs.net. I will be applying this link in my links on this blog and also my blog at carnys.blogspot.com.