Author Archives: Scooter

Sharole started with Conklin Shows in the early 1940s working in game concessions and later operated food. Sharole travelled on the Conklin Shows train in Western Canada to B and C circuit fairs and at the conclusion of the western … Continue reading →

At the conclusion of the Canadian National Exhibition, we at North American Midway pack up our chattels and make our way for the US border to Fairs in Lewiston, New York and Springfield, Mass. Alas, the end of our Canadian … Continue reading →

North American Midway (formerly Conklin Shows) rewards their employees daily for excellence in customer service, appearance and attitude. These employees that are chosen by senior management are rewarded with cash, a letter of congratulations and a pin. At the conclusion … Continue reading →

In 1986 we did a promotion with Becker’s Food Stores. If you purchased any product you received a coupon for any Conklin Shows ride at the Canadian National Exhibition. The deal was “Buy one ride, get the second ride free.” … Continue reading →

During my early years with the carnival and Conklin Shows, they had me drive a truck and trailer between locations. I made my first trip from Edmonton Klondike Days to Regina Buffalo Days in 1977. I thought I was helping … Continue reading →

In the Mid 1980’s I was working in the administration office for Conklin Shows. That office did a little bit of everything from accounting to payroll to general show administration and it was the call centre for the entire operation. … Continue reading →

For a few years I dated a girl from Brandon, Manitoba.  Brandon was our first stop in Canada and we often found a number of employees there who wanted to get the hell out of town, and the Carnival was a … Continue reading →

In 1985 Bruce Springsteen’s massive hit album “Born in the USA” dominated the airwaves across North America.  In the heat of Springsteen’s 1985 tour, the CNE hosted Bruce two evenings, Monday, August 26th and Tuesday, August 27th at Exhibition Stadium. … Continue reading →

In 1998, the Canadian National Exhibition offered several promotions on a single day, which also happened to be Chinese Day.  On the middle Saturday of the fair, if you had bought a medium pizza at Pizza Nova you got into … Continue reading →

Conklin Shows owned and operated the ever infamous “Bavarian Beer Gardens” at the east end of the Alpine Way at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds. This German-style beer gardens was a popular meeting place, and a great place to get … Continue reading →