FEATURE ON PHOENIX AND THE IAFE CONVENTION by Andrew Schoendienst
Phoenix, Arizona in 1867 by Jack Swilling, a Civil War
veteran, as a farming community near the Salt and Gila Rivers. It was named Phoenix by Darrell Duppa, a Cambridge-educated pioneer, who believed the city would rise from the ruins of a cotton, citrus, cattle, climate, and copper, until after World WWII, due to the return of military personnel and their families, and perhaps more than any other city, Phoenix owes its existence as a modern city to the introduction of air conditioning in the 1950s.
Every year since the IAFE’s Annual Convention
departed Las Vegas and started moving to different locations, there have been certain memories that people have made when they convene for meetings, seminars and social gatherings that have been vastly different from the past. In San Antonio, Texas, some people were mesmerized by the Riverwalk think more cowboys would have been seen there, but my
friends Nate Janousek, Fun Biz Concessions, and Patrick Sheridan, Alamo Attractions, do not necessarily make me think of Rip or John Dutton. When we went to Indianapolis, Indiana, the Huston Family and North American Midway Entertainment raised the bar for the all-important Raisin’ For a Reason event Foundation, by offering rides and games to the attendees. This has quickly become a tradition of sorts for many of our Fair friends. Salt Lake City, Utah, was an interesting city in many ways. Some attendees were able to segue the trip into a ski trip. I utilized the trek to ask my future mother-in- law, Sharon Sandlofer, for her permission to marry her daughter, Benna. No matter what we utilize our “mandatory” trips for, we are always able to make a vacation out of it.
Coming Together
Yes, we all look forward to doing business and socializing with our partners, our future partners and vendors, but not all interactions are about conducting immediate business between each other. Many networks that are created help improve the Fair and Carnival Industries as a whole. The seminars are great forums to share ideas, and taking advantage of being in the same city is a lot more productive than a zoom meeting. With an OABA Board Meeting being held at the IAFE Convention, ideas will be shared freely right out of the meeting as well. I have a feeling that I might spend time with Cody Cashman from the Red River Fair in Fargo, North Dakota, and David Gordon with the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, Maryland. We might not speak about anything regarding our businesses, and we might not ever do business together in any capacity, but I bet I hope that at the convention in Phoenix this year, we are
toasting and congratulating each other on the successes of the CARE Act (HR 1787) that we have all worked so hard to push through Congress. It would be a perfect place to toast because it were not for our Fair friends. We must never forget what the IAFE and our friends in the Fair Industry have done to get this piece of common sense bipartisan legislation through. I certainly will not forget what everyone has done to try to keep our Family Businesses alive for years to come! Hopefully we celebrate like Darrell Duppa would and rise up together. I hope everyone has had a great season, but more importantly, I hope that everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving with your families, friends and loved ones. Let’s remember what we are them…)
22 OABA ShowTime Magazine • NOVEMBER 2024
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32
