June 2010 - Amusement Today
June 2010 - Amusement Today
June 2010 - Amusement Today
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RACING<br />
Continued from page 33<br />
decided to cut our fair calendar<br />
to five days in 2009 because of<br />
the financial situation we were<br />
in with no horse racing the<br />
year before. But, then the racing<br />
board decided to move our<br />
racing back to <strong>June</strong> to coincide<br />
with the fair. So, we did have<br />
two weeks of racing, with just<br />
one week of fair last year.”<br />
Because the fair board in<br />
Stockton decided to keep the<br />
five-day fair because of depleting<br />
funds for <strong>2010</strong>, the horse<br />
racing board decided to cut one<br />
week of racing from Stockton.<br />
“They wanted the racing<br />
to go just during the fair,”<br />
Cook said. “Fortunately, for<br />
us, the industry has come up<br />
with some replacement funds<br />
for us. We will survive this<br />
year, but it is very much up in<br />
the air for next year, our future.<br />
Without horse racing, we are<br />
no more.”<br />
The replacement funding<br />
actually comes through a state<br />
agency, she said, in which the<br />
industry supplies funding.<br />
And, there are other changes<br />
in California racing fairs.<br />
The Solano County Fair,<br />
Vallejo, Calif., won’t even have<br />
horse racing at its fair in <strong>2010</strong>.<br />
And, after making that announcement,<br />
the Solano fair<br />
announced new dates. It will<br />
run <strong>June</strong> 23-27, in contrast to<br />
July 22-26 in 2009. This way<br />
the fair will not overlap with<br />
the California State Fair, Sacramento,<br />
set for July 14-25 this<br />
year.<br />
In addition, the fair board<br />
felt these days will fit better<br />
with school calendars, Junior<br />
Livestock programs, Six Flags<br />
Discovery Kingdom operations<br />
and the availability of carnival<br />
operators, as well as food and<br />
commercial exhibitors.<br />
It was a difficult decision<br />
for Vallejo, according to fair<br />
manager Michael Paluszak. In<br />
2009, between 4,000-5,000 people<br />
attended horse races during<br />
the fair. Overall attendance<br />
was 50,000 that same year. So,<br />
they figured that about 10 percent<br />
of those coming to the fair<br />
attended the races. It is a number<br />
that can be overcome, but<br />
not one they wanted to lose.<br />
“The board had the tough<br />
choice between their love of<br />
horse racing, and the realities<br />
of declining attendance, revenue<br />
and horse population<br />
industry-wide, as well as our<br />
own aging racing facilities,”<br />
Paluszak had said through a<br />
written statement when making<br />
the announcement, according<br />
to the local Times-Herald<br />
in Vallejo.<br />
In that same Times-Herald<br />
story, Solano County Supervisor<br />
Barbara Kondylis said she<br />
supported the decision and<br />
was quoted, saying: “We’ll just<br />
have to make do and make it<br />
the best we can. There are fairs<br />
that go on all over Northern<br />
California without horse racing<br />
that are fun and wonderful.”<br />
Yet, horse racing has traditionally<br />
been a big part in<br />
some of the California fairs.<br />
Others with racing include: the<br />
Photos: Dan Feicht / dan@danfeicht.com<br />
Alameda County Fair, Pleasanton;<br />
California State Fair, Scarmento,<br />
the Big Fresno (Calif.)<br />
Fair and the Sonoma County<br />
Fair, Santa Rosa.<br />
Dave Elliott, the California<br />
State Fair’s assistant general<br />
manager of racing events, said,<br />
overall, the handle is in decline<br />
at racetracks nationally, but<br />
the business continues to net<br />
dollars for each including Cal<br />
Expo. The daily gross commissions<br />
for horse racing are in the<br />
$85,000-$125,000 during his<br />
fair.<br />
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LOWERY<br />
Continued from page 33<br />
the carnival industry. They<br />
married in 1960 and had<br />
three children. Other than<br />
Tony, there is another son,<br />
Carroll, Jr., and daughter,<br />
Jacqueline. They have eight<br />
grandchildren.<br />
All three of their children<br />
still take an active role<br />
in the family business.<br />
In August of 2004,<br />
<strong>June</strong> <strong>2010</strong> AMUSEMENT TODAY 37<br />
Lowery Carnival Company<br />
was awarded the prestigious<br />
“Circle of Excellence<br />
Award.” This award is part<br />
of the Outdoor <strong>Amusement</strong><br />
Business Association’s<br />
“Quality Assessment Program.”<br />
The Circle of Excellence<br />
designation is only<br />
given to business owners<br />
who continuously strive to<br />
raise the level of safety and<br />
quality in the outdoor, mobile<br />
amusement industry.<br />
www.ARMrides.com<br />
Your guests<br />
—and your profits—<br />
will soar!<br />
A.R.M. INC. • 1506 FERNWOOD ROAD • WINTERSVILLE, OHIO 43953<br />
ERIC BATES Cell: 412.916.9210 • MIKE GILL Cell: 740.632.6815 • Office: 740.264.6599<br />
email: ericjbates@prodigy.net<br />
email: mike@ARMrides.com
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