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Patrick Carlson is a big burly fellow of
49 years. He's well liked by friends and family, who know him
affectionately as "Bear." He likes children, which is a good
thing, because he has seven of his own.

      
There's just one other thing: he's a carnie.

      
For many, the word brings up images of con artists hustling
children and adults alike out of a hard-earned dollar. People think
of them as travelers without proper homes living out of tents,
possibly in need of a shower.

      
As a veteran of more than 20 years as a carnival worker, Carlson
has heard it all before.

      
"People say we're robbing them," he said, as he manned the
slide at the Kandiyohi County Fair in Willmar. "I say, 'No, you're
giving us your money.' Besides, they're getting something in
return. They get the enjoyment of it."

      
Carlson is one of many carnival workers who moved into town for
the fair. They came in out of Rock City in a caravan of trucks
towing trailers packed with all the amusements of the midway: the
ferris wheel, the tic tac toe games, the space-age Gravitron.

      
Overseeing the whole operation is 3rd generation carnival worker
John Magel, the owner of Magel Carnival Midways. His grandfather,
Leo Magel, started a concession stand on Harriet Island in the 20s.
Just two generations and 80 years later, and his grandson John
Magel is the lord of the midway.

      
You wouldn't know it to look at him. On this day, he was deep
frying corn dogs at the Carousel Grill on the midway with his wife
Darleyne. But the two, along with their sons, John Jr. and Justin,
own all the rides and games of chance at the fair. They employ
dozens of workers to man them. For six months out of the year, they
all live on the road - traveling to fairs around Minnesota.

      
"We're all kind of a big family," Darleyne said.

      
In some cases, that's literal. A lot of the workers are members
of the Magel clan. Nearly all are from the area around Pine City
north of the Twin Cities.

John said that the reputation of carnival workers as
troublemakers isn't representative of the workers who travel with
him.


      
"This is a pretty good crew we have working for us, so we don't
have much trouble," he said.

      
That said, there are still the occasional problems with noise or
drinking violations. That can't be helped, he said.

      
"They just work for us," he said. "We can't control how they
act."

      
Many of the workers have been with them for many years, said
John. People like Patrick "Bear" Carlson and Todd LaPointe, who
came out to operate the tilt-a-whirl when he was just 15. Today,
he's 45, and still travels with the Magels every summer. This year
at the Kandiyohi County Fair, he's operating the spider ride.

      
LaPointe, who lives in northeast Minneapolis, said that living
on the road for half the year can be tough on the mind and spirit.
It doesn't pay well, either. The payoff, he said, comes in the
enjoyment of the kids who go on the rides and play the games.

      
"We're all natural born entertainers," he said. "If you're
not, you shouldn't be out here."

And LaPointe takes his job as entertainer very seriously. He's a
member of an association of carnival workers based out of Florida
called the Greater Tampa Showmen's Association, which meets at
banquets throughout the year, swapping stories and sharing ideas on
how to better entertain and sell to carnival visitors.

It's all part of the job, he said. Not unlike that of a
salesman, or any other occupation for that matter.

      
"We're regular people," he said. "Just like everybody else."

      
Information from: West Central Tribune, http://www.wctrib.com

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Patrick Carlson, 49, has been a carnival worker for more than 20 years. And he's heard it all before.

Carnival workers continue to buck stereotypes

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