Meet the State Fair's ride guru, who only rides the carousel

Joe Bixler is the Minnesota State Fair's chief ride inspector.
Joe Bixler, president of International Leisure Consulting Inc. and the Minnesota State Fair's chief ride inspector, stands for a portrait in the Mighty Midway on Thursday.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Joe Bixler has one big job at the State Fair: keeping the rides running safely.

His Seattle-based company, International Leisure Consulting, builds and inspects rides all over the world, and he's in Minnesota every summer.

A lifer in the industry, Bixler, 63, got his start as a carnie, working his way through a variety of jobs.

At the Minnesota State Fair, all rides are small businesses, he said. Each operator can have up to five rides, and that breeds competition.

"They're in competition with their neighbor," Bixler said. "So it's quite often that they are looking for the bigger, the badder, the scarier ride to be able to bring to the fair."

You won't catch Bixler on most of them, though. He doesn't like the extreme stuff, and will only hop on the carousel.

MPR News reporter Tim Nelson caught up with Bixler at the fair's Midway. Hear their conversation by using the audio player above.

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