Inside the Live Reptile Tent: The Twilight World of Carnival Midway

Rating:
Summary: A history of a declining American institution
Review: Hiawatha, the city where I live, has an annual summer event called "Hog Wild Days." It has a midway with games and rides. We go to it every year and ride some of the rides and play a few of the games. Over the last few years, the size of the crowd has decreased and that trend is the point of the book. Only a few years ago, before cable TV, computers and video games, the summer entertainment options were limited. Therefore, the traveling carnival used to be a major event in a city, as much a part of the American tradition as the Fourth of July fireworks and apple pie. Now, a carnival is not the broad-spectrum event it once was, the majority of the carnival activities are for people under 25. In the past, carnivals had a wide spectrum of entertainment, up to and including nudity. My favorite was always the sideshow with the freaks; I still remember the five-legged calf and the bikini clad women standing outside the adults only tent.
This book is largely a photographic record of the traditional carnival midway, with color pictures of rides, games and the occasional sideshow. There is a small amount of text describing the role of the carnival, when it was most popular and how it is now in decline. In looking at the pictures, you can see that very little has really changed in decades. There is a picture of a girl on a merry-go-round and even though it was taken in 1940, it could have been taken yesterday. I have had a personal experience with most of the rides pictured in these pages, some of the memories were of the fear I had when I rode them, but most elicited feelings of nostalgia.
If you are interested in the role that carnivals have had in the history of the United States, then this is a book you should take a look at.


Rating:
Summary: Step Right Up, Folks!
Review: Carnival fans and amusement park historians alike will delight in the many beautiful images of a dying breed - the small travelling carnival and family owned amusement parks. Mr. Brouws takes us up close and behind the scenes, and the many nighttime photos of the midway's dazzling lights are worth the price of admission alone. Mr. Caron's colorful commentary is definitely not your usually tepid "guided tours" that so many other amusement industry books offer, with wild insights and historic tidbits that are sure to amuse. Many never before seen photos appear from other photographers personal archives, bringing a rich sense of tradition to the subject at hand.
The final chapter is dedicated to San Francisco's Playland. Mr. Brouws takes a look back at the Playland of his childhood, echoing sentiments from any of us who have spent their afternoons strolling along those tawdry but always fascinating midways of yesterday. We see the peeling paint, the crooked games with cheap prizes, the worn out rides and run-down fun house. But we also realize why these places captivated us, the simple, carefree fun these places held for us for just a few days each summer. The few photos he did take (with his first camera) before the park disappeared combine with his childhood tales to add the perfect epilogue to this colorful story.

Rating:
Summary: Step Right Up, Folks!
Review: Carnival fans and amusement park historians alike will delight in the many beautiful images of a dying breed - the small travelling carnival and family owned amusement parks. Mr. Brouws takes us up close and behind the scenes, and the many nighttime photos of the midway's dazzling lights are worth the price of admission alone. Mr. Caron's colorful commentary is definitely not your usually tepid "guided tours" that so many other amusement industry books offer, with wild insights and historic tidbits that are sure to amuse. Many never before seen photos appear from other photographers personal archives, bringing a rich sense of tradition to the subject at hand.
The final chapter is dedicated to San Francisco's Playland. Mr. Brouws takes a look back at the Playland of his childhood, echoing sentiments from any of us who have spent their afternoons strolling along those tawdry but always fascinating midways of yesterday. We see the peeling paint, the crooked games with cheap prizes, the worn out rides and run-down fun house. But we also realize why these places captivated us, the simple, carefree fun these places held for us for just a few days each summer. The few photos he did take (with his first camera) before the park disappeared combine with his childhood tales to add the perfect epilogue to this colorful story.