ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 1996 TAG: 9607030044
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALESSANDRA SOLER STAFF WRITER
``RIDE JOCKS'' RUSH to convert a vacant lot into a carnival for fairgoers to enjoy for a spell, then tear down the attractions for another town's turn.
Every year at this time, 54-year-old Jimmy Roberts moves from his Roanoke Valley home into his car and parks at the Salem Fairgrounds.
He wakes up at 8 a.m., works until about 10 p.m., then catches some sleep, only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again. His reward: a $340 paycheck for 12 days of work.
Roberts, a Roanoke native, is employed by Deggeller Attractions Inc., the Florida-based operation that has been bringing the fair to Salem for nine years. He's one of about 300 ``ride jocks'' - mostly out-of-towners who travel with the carnival - responsible for turning the vacant parking lot behind the Salem Civic Center into a full-fledged fair.
In just three days - rain or shine - he and his co-workers must set up more than 40 rides, trying to make this afternoon's 4 p.m. opening of the Salem Fair. The fair will run through July14.
They worked 14-hours shifts laying down the metal beams that support the ever-so-popular machines that send fairgoers whirling and flying. They'll spend the remainder of the carnival operating the rides to make sure fairgoers get in and out without severe problems - other than the occasional bouts with vertigo and queasiness.
Danny Abner, a licensed, independent inspector, said the men - and women - who set up the rides are well trained and used to the time constraint.
``It's kind of a gift if we get a few extra days,'' Abner said. ``This is their chosen profession, and they're all very accomplished at what they do.''
It takes about seven men or women to set up the medium-size ``Flying Bobs,'' and anywhere from 10 to 15 to set up the giant Ferris wheel.
``They're building an illusion,'' said Abner, who has been in the carnival business 36 years. ``You come in a couple of days early, and all you've got is a bare parking lot. But come in the next day, and you've got a whole carnival.''
Starting salary for a ride jock is less than $200 a week for more than 40 hours of work. Some of them are lucky enough to afford their own travel trailers, while others live in temporary bunkhouses provided by Deggeller.
They travel more than 30,000 miles a year, setting up carnivals in towns along the East Coast, and get a break from mid-November through February. Joseph Fosdick Jr., a native of Miami, Fla., moved to Suffolk about five years ago with his wife and four children. He said he planned on getting into construction, but money was tight and the romance and excitement of living on the edge and traveling attracted him to the carnival business.
``I couldn't find any work, so I decided to try this out,'' said Fosdick, who has been setting up carnivals for a year. ``I like to travel, but my wife doesn't like the idea too much. It's hard on me because I've been with her for a long time and I miss the kids. I know my phone bill is going to be real high this month, since I've called home seven times already.''
Although Deggeller provides its employees with a school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade, Fosdick wanted more stability for his family.
``I don't think it's good for her to come out with the kids and all,'' he said of his wife. ``As long as I keep sending her my checks every week, she'll be fine.''
But Roberts, neatly dressed Tuesday in a pale yellow-and-blue golf shirt and snug denim jeans, stood out from the rest of the carnies. He said he got tired of life on the road and decided to give up traveling full time and live off his disability checks.
``It's a rough life,'' said Roberts, who will operate one of the carousels at the fair. ``You don't take showers; whenever you can you've got to find a creek somewhere or sleep on a picnic table. If you've got a car - like I do - you sleep there, but if not, you have nowhere to go.''
Nineteen-year-old Terry Proof said he knows moving from town to town can get tiresome, but it's what keeps him in the business. ``I got sick of being in one spot for so long,'' said Proof, who quit his job as an assistant restaurant manager a year ago to work for Deggeller. ``Most people don't last more than two months, though.''
Paul Confer has been working for Deggeller for the past two years, and said he wouldn't have it any other way. ``We party as hard as we work,'' said Confer, who's originally from Erie, Pa. ``Before, I was living in Key West [in southernmost Florida], and I didn't have a job or anything. Now I get to travel and meet people. It's great.''
There is no admission fee for the fair at the Salem Civic Center, and discount coupons for rides are available every day except Friday. Hours of operation are 4 p.m. to midnight weekdays, and noon to midnight on weekends and the Fourth of July. Call (540)375-4013 for more information.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN SPEARMAN/Staff. 1. Joel Reslewic (left), Troyby CNBAlexander and James Nelson unload pieces of the merry-go-round
Tuesday for the Salem Fair, which opens at 4 p.m. today. 2. In
pouring rain, Joel Reslewic sets a a merry-go-round horse's pole
Tuesday. color. 3. Rain-soaked Sandra Smith tightens a bolt on a
ride Tuesday at the Salem Fairgrounds.