News: New Carnival Museum in Brantford, Ontario

Jim Conklin, who was part of the Conklin Shows family, is working on a new museum/ fun factory for all of the memorabilia currently held by The North American Carnival Museum and Archives in Ottawa. The grand opening is planned for September. Currently with admission by donation, the "Fun Factory" will include carnival food and a small outdoor amusement park when done. I can't wait to check this out, hopefully on its grand opening.

I still think Conklin Shows ran the best midways at the CNE and at its former permanent park at Maple Leaf Village in Niagara Falls. They also ran the midway at the Stampede. I didn't realize that the company was around since 1916. Wikipedia tells me that they were the largest traveling show in North America until the family sold the business to North American Midway Management in 2004. I rode my first Schwarzkopf coaster at the CNE, the Dopple Looping, that Conklin used to set up along with the Wild Cat and Mark I coasters. It's awesome to see Jim Conklin still doing cool stuff in the industry.

Source: The Toronto Star

Reporter: Jennifer Bain

Photos: Dave Chidley for the Toronto Star

Date: August 25, 2015

New carnival museum in Brantford home to the ‘beautiful and bizarre’

We visit Brantford for a tour of a new carnival museum/fun factory with carnival veteran Jim Conklin.

By: Jennifer Bain Food, Published on Tue Aug 25 2015

 

BRANTFORD—Not content to let circuses get all the love, a new museum celebrates the quirk of carnivals.

 

The Carnival Museum Fun Factory is home to a “beautiful and bizarre” collection of bucket cars, carousels, guess your weight scales, popcorn machines, hand-painted “fat boy” and “gorilla girl” murals, vintage photos, fun house mirrors and even controversial penny arcade machines.

 

“You can come and wander around, have a look, but we don’t have everything in place yet,” says renovation coordinator Jim Conklin, a retiree from Canada’s Conklin carnival dynasty. “We’re about 75 per cent ready.”

Landon Hiebert 9, and relative Gary Mawson check out the museum's main room. The exhibits are in place, but the signage is still being worked on.

 

He’s hoping for a grand opening in September.

 

The North American Carnival Museum and Archives launched in Ottawa in 2008 with charitable status. When it realized it needed a physical space for its memorabilia, it chose Brantford, once the carnival capital of Canada and winter quarters for various carnival companies.

 

The industrial area isn’t zoned for museums, so the Alice St. space bills itself as a “fun factory” and has a party room and small gift shop. Entrance is currently by donation.

 

There will be a small outdoor amusement park and carnival food like candy apples, candy floss and popcorn. Staff are busy restoring, repairing, painting and creating bilingual signage.

 

One highlight is a collection of vintage “digger” arcade machines that were banned here. The coin-activated machines used to be filled with watches, coins and other eye-catching goods that were nearly impossible to win.

 

“These can be operated in such a way that they’re unfair to the public,” admits Conklin. “We’ve turned them into kids’ games.”

 

Jacob and Landen Reidy are photographed by their grandmother at the new museum/fun factory.

 

jbain@thestar.ca

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2015/08/25/new-carnival-museum-in-brantford-home-to-the-beautiful-and-bizarre.html

Jim Conklin poses on a merry-go-round that's being refurbished for the new Carnival Museum & Fun Factory in Brantford. Conklin is the renovation co-ordinator.

Landon Hiebert 9, and relative Gary Mawson check out the museum's main room. The exhibits are in place, but the signage is still being worked on.

Landon and Mawson check out some of the items for sale at the carnival museum.

Conklin looks at games at the museum.

The new museum/fun factory is a small, white building in an industrial part of Brantford.

It's not a carnival without snacks like popcorn.

Jacob and Landen Reidy are photographed by their grandmother at the new museum/fun factory.