| Hello everyone. My name is Harriet and I'm going to be your midway reporter. I will be keeping you up to date on what's going on on the east end of the fairgrounds both on the midway and behind the scenes. I will be posting information about all your favorite rides and some little known facts about each. I will be highlighting the ride of the day which will be the ride
that did the best the day before. I will be posting pictures to accompany each article. The rides come in to the fairgrounds on the Monday before the Fair. They should start arriving around 6:30 AM. I'll be there and will give you an inside look at what it's like the first day they arrive. Until then, click below to visit my site! Harriet's Midway Page
 Reithoffer's Carnival
Click Here To Visit Their Site
The aristocrat of show business on the biggest midway in the East.
  One day the East side of the Fair is empty and the next it has the population of a small town. It generates enough electricity to light Rupert
and becomes a world of its' own. It becomes Reithoffer's Carnival...the aristocrat of show business on the biggest midway in the East.
Organized carnivals appeared around 1939 or before. They were located in the section where there had been sideshows and freak exhibitions. One of these shows was closed down in 1907 by the sheriff; an alligator show. There were complaints about the "hideous noises." The carnivals were popular, especially
for the children. But there were times when they did cause criticism. Then the directors were more careful in choosing when contracting the ensuing years. Various Carnivals Appearing at the Fair through the years were:
1948 - Endy Brothers Shows - which were unloaded at the railroad siding at Market and 7th Streets.
1951 - King Reid Shows
Prell's Broadway Shows - which boasted 45 rides, 20 great shows and 75 concessions.
1965 - James E. Strates Shows
In 1970 three carnival companies were bidding for the 1971 contract. By secret ballot Pat Reithoffer won.
Now Reithoffer as..
over 50 rides and attractions generates over 24,500,000,000 Watts of electricity uses 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel a day in its generating plants
uses over 10 miles of wire to run the amusement section of the Fair spends $100,000 in the Bloomsburg area and brings with it 76 trailers The Following Is From "The Ride of a Century" compliments of Reithoffer Shows.
It all began in 1896 with a merry-go-round -- a wood gobbling steam-driven carrousel with wooden horses carved in Germany, that had to be dismantled, loaded onto horse-drawn wagons, and pulled to a new fair every week. The carrousel became the first ride purchased by Julius Reithoffer, a Pennsylvania general store owner from Germany. And with it, Julius began the Mighty Reithoffer Shows, an enterprise
that was to become America's longest running carnival show, the ultimate in traveling super thrill rides, and a dynasty of show business fun.
On the Move - The Early Years
In the early 1900s, just getting rides from site to site was an adventure. Julius Reithoffer moved equipment on wagons rented from farmers on the spot, negotiating at each location from horseback. As the show grew in rides and
dates, Julius turned to railroads to keep the show moving. But  still, the going was slow. Equipment had to be taken apart, loaded onto horse drawn wagons, pulled to the rail yard, loaded onto baggage cars, then hauled by wagon from the destination rail yard to the next show's site and reassembled. It was a huge job, made only slightly easier in
the following years when Julius began loading the wagons themselves onto the railroad flatcars. And the number of flatcars needed kept increasing. In 1916, Julius added one of the first merry-go-rounds manufactured by Mangels of Coney Island, featuring spinning tubs called teasers. There also was a Venetian swing, a narrow "boat" hung from a bar and propelled by passengers as they pulled on the ropes. The Mighty Reithoffer Shows was riding high.
A New Generation...Of Innovation
The Mighty Reithoffer Shows grew, and so did the Reithoffer family. By the time sons Patrick (the oldest), Julius, Jr., and Edward reached their teens, they were old pros at the business, and able to lead the show onward after the death of their mother and retirement from carnival life of their father.  This
second generation of carnival showmen decided to make a revolutionary move: they took their show off railroads and onto newfangled gasoline-engine trucks. This innovation allowed the show to go beyond the rail lines, so it could expand over a larger territory and grow in size. While other shows were confined to 10-20 wagons, the Reithoffers acquired their own fleet of 50 solid rubber=tired Packards, and were ready to roll. Then came the
Depression, and with it the demise of many American carnivals. In another farsighted move, the Reithoffer brother pared down the show to focus on rides, and divided it into units. The idea permitted the carnival to play a good number of dates simultaneously and economically - and provided the strong financial footing needed to weather the nation's economic storm.
A Reithoffer Post-War Blitz
When Pat, Sr.'s son returned from World War II, a veteran Air Force pilot, he took the family business to new heights. Pat, Jr. began by starting his own carnival with the purchase of an Eli Bridge Company Ferris Wheel and an Octopus. With the death of his uncles, he merged with the original show...and the Reithoffer tradition really took off. Within ten years after leaving the military, Pat, Jr. had expanded the show to ten separate units
with five rides each. His purchase of Army surplus trailers and trucks helped provide transportation, and the route continued to grow, first south from the northeast then west. The show began playing large fairs, some with an attendance of half a million. Pat, Jr. invented the idea of centralized ticketing, and grew the show to include the hottest rides of the time - first, the scrambler, Tilt-A-Whirl, and Roll-A-Plane, then in the 60's, the Paratrooper,
Meteor, Flying Coaster and Loop-O-Plane. Then, he had his really big idea. Pat, Jr. was among the first in the carnival business to recognize the opportunity of adapting carnival's super rides to traveling, which were previously anchored in theme parks. With the Super Himalaya, he began buying supers in Europe, and mastering the dizzying logistics of trailer-mounting and transporting Gigantic rides to shows. To this day,
action-packed super spectacular rides are what separates Reithoffer from the rest.
America's Super Spectacular Modern Day Carnival
Today, a forth generation of Reithoffers is running the show. Pat, Jr.'s sons Pat III and Rick each work the show's two main units, with Rick's wife Marianne, Pat, Jr.'s wife Bette, sister Jan Stoorza , her husband Jack, and assorted children working in the office. Along with traditional touches, such
as the Gavioli band organ built before World War I in Italy and brought to the US in 1974, and a 1904 sixty-foot antique carrousel, the show is known for lavish, super spectacular rides unavailable anywhere else in the country. The high-speed, bump-filled Raupen Bahn ride...the 120 ton Rainbow...the Magnificent 10,000 bulb lit Tornado...the wind-battling storm-like See Sturn Bahn ride...the 40-foot high, twisting, zipping Flitzer coaster...and the unique
Flip'N'Out give carnival goers of all ages exclusive, action-packed thrills they never forget. Together, both show units share over 150 different amusement devices - including standard and kiddie rides - with some super spectaculars costing more than a million dollars each. And because the units can swap rides between them, there's always something new and amazing when a Reithoffer show comes to town.
Decades Of Delight
Imagine playing some fairs for over 50 years running. Or working with the same people for 25 years...or even 40 years. That's the kind of solid, dependable organization Reithoffer is. Its experience, professionalism, and emphasis on the newest and most exciting equipment has made it a trusted partner for many large shows year after year after year. Behind that expertise is an extended family of committed amusement business professionals who
make this complex, technologically advanced traveling city work. One of the show's units - Pat III's orange unit - even provides accelerated Christian education for 22 show family youngsters so the children can accompany their parents on the road.
Ahead...A Future Of Bright Lights And Fast-Paced Action
After 106 years, Reithoffer Shows now play over 40 dates a year, some attended by over one million people each. And their fleet has grown to 50 tractor trailers. As the oldest and most respected organization in the industry - and with a fifth generation of Reithoffers already in training - the Reithoffers are shaping the future of American carnivals. Now, as ever, they're the ticket to ride. Visit the 147th Bloomsburg Fair and take the Ride of a Century. |
