Hello again, I hope you have had a good week and are looking forward to a fun weekend.
I promised to share more about my days in the carnival business. This post was actually sparked by a friend who is an accountant thinking back to her first calculator.
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You see my dad was very personable. He just knew how to talk to people. So, we often booked events that required more rides than we owned.
Since we had lots of family members who owned rides, we always expected that we would come up with the equipment somewhere.
In 1983 we had booked the Pasadena Texas Strawberry Festival. A huge event to which we had promised at least six more rides than we owned.
We weren’t able to get any of our relatives to show up, so at the last minute my dad decided that we would go visit Ray Cammack. He was the owner of Ray Cammack Shows now known as RCS Incorporated.
At that time I still had a fair amount of vision, and I’m glad I did because I saw things that week I had never seen in the carnival world before.
As you know my family didn’t own a lot of rides. But even our relatives the Wagners and Crouches didn’t have anything as grand as Cammack did.
Coke Machines On Their Midway
While we were waiting to meet with Mr. Cammack, my dad offered to buy me a Coke. I thought he was going to go to one of their food stands.
Instead he handed me some quarters and pointed out some coin operated vending machines.
While Vending machines and kiosks have become common place on most larger midways, I had never heard of such a thing in Texas in 1983. In fact it would be several years before things like that would become common.
Having His Fuel Delivered
If that wasn’t enough, just imagine my shock as a 50 foot semi truck fuel hauler backed down his midway.
Cammack was such a big time operator that he didn’t send his drivers to town to gas up before leaving for the next town.
He had someone come out and fill the trucks on the midway.
Just in case you are wondering why the truck was on the midway it has to do with some of the older rides.
Back then rides like the Ferris wheel, rock-o-plane, paratrooper were left hooked up to the trucks that hauled them.
This was because it made it easier to get them level and keep them that way.
Problem With Spectacular Rides
Thankfully they agreed to help us out a little. They sent three rides a bumper cars, a Spyder, and a hurricane. Which yet again shows just how big a show they were.
At that time any one of those rides would have been a spectacular attraction on any midway in America.
We were excited to have them, but these rides did create a problem.
Back then we sold tickets for a quarter each, and our rides would take two or maybe three tickets each.
Cammack’s rides rated four tickets each. Plus, they were the real draws. People lined up all weekend long to ride them.
Plus those rides were high capacity rides. They could hold twenty eight to forty eight people each. They were also rides that could be loaded and unloaded quickly.
To show you how many tickets they took in Mr. Cammack sent the ride operators with metal trash cans that were chained to the ride control boxes.
Handling The Money
All weekend we sweated how we would handle settling up on Sunday night.
When we booked an event, we agreed to pay the organizers a percentage of the gross from ticket sales.
And when you booked an independent ride owner, they expected to also give the show owner an additional percentage of the tickets they rode.
They would count their tickets and turn them in at the end of the week. And usually the show owner would spot check some of the ticket bundles to make sure they weren’t trying to pull a fast one.
We never worried about that with Cammack. First, because he had an excellent reputation. And second, because his help didn’t count their tickets. They just left them in those barrels.
Dad’s Solution
My dads solution was to have me sit in my Grandmother’s Impala behind the rides and count all our tickets.
His plan was that we would count our tickets and then pay Cammack on the difference between how many we had and the total sold.
Ticket Scale
Once again that week I was surprised when Mr. Cammack showed up on tear down night with an ticket scale.
I wasn’t in the trailer where they settled up because young people weren’t allowed around when the money was being counted.
But I heard Mr. Cammack asked them if we were going to use our scale or his like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I can imagine the expression on my dad’s face when he had to admit that we not only didn’t own one but hadn’t ever seen one used.
I’m sure he handled it with his usual awe shucks approach and grinned at them about it.
My dad never let too much bother him. And in truth we were just happy the week ended so well.
The tickets had been weighed in a couple of hours, and they had settled up. We didn’t end up with all that much money for our troubles.
Hey the people with the thrill rides usually end up with all the money.
Still, it was funny how me and him booked so many events over the years that other show owners thought we had no business signing.
We listened to people, told them mostly the truth, and apologized when we came up short.
It’s something what memories stick with you. I know I enjoyed getting to go with my dad to visit Cammack.
RCS Became The Industry Standard
It’s no wonder that they turned out to be the mighty RCS that now provides the carnival for the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo along with many multi-county and even state fairs.
I’d like to say we knew them when and that our small show once booked Cammack on our midway. But in truth they were already on their way to being the corporate industry leader they have become.
And maybe this next year I’l make it down to the Stock Show here in Houston and get to meet some of the current owners.
Share Your Memories
Hope y’all don’t mind my digging up some old memories. As challenging as things were, I always felt like we were building something.
Since then I have traveled a long ways to finally end up as an author, blogger, speaker, publicist, and host of What’s Your Excuse, and founder of The WYE Network.
But it’s a big part of who I am. Those experiences and the lessons I learned from my dad and others in the family shaped me into a positive hopeful story teller who loves helping other people.
I hear these stories and the honest way I tell them is why people have fallen in love with me.
I recently interviewed my new friend Tyler Watson VP of Sales Dan-O’s Seasoning.
He confirmed my belief that telling our stories honestly and openly only make us more compelling to potential customers or clients.
I hope you will decide to share your stories openly like I have.
If you aren’t ready to do that, then maybe you will at least share them with me.
Thanks and take care out there, Max