Funtastic

In May of 2009 I visited Portland for a few days. The city was holding a big event called the Rose Festival over the Memorial Day weekend. Included in the event lineup was a carnival at Waterfront Village. I walked over in the late afternoon to check it out.

When I arrived the carnival was still being set up. As I strolled around on the bright green grass I felt something was missing. I saw no mechanically dubious rides oozing hydraulic fluid. I saw no apathetic acne-faced teenagers ready to man them. There was no odor of stale deep fryer oil hanging in the air. Where was the seediness? This place seemed to be carnival perfection. The rides were squeaky clean. Scurrying about were scores of busy personnel wearing crisp uniforms. I had wandered into the world of "Funtastic Shows."

Everything from the rides to the cardboard garbage cans was branded with the Funtastic logo. All the Funtastic employees in their Funtastic uniforms were readying the carnival for operation; preparing it for a night of orderly, clean, wholesome family fun.

When I returned to San Francisco a few days later, I looked up the Funtastic Show corporation on the Internet. On their website I found the following piece information which I will quote here.

Ron Burback, founder and owner of Funtastic Traveling Shows, has created one of the safest, most widely respected and fastest growing carnivals in the west with his five point formula of Professionalism, Efficiency, Fairness, Service and Entertainment. By "taking the cleanliness and stability of the amusement park and putting it on the road," Funtastic is "Just possibly... the world's finest carnival.

Later that night I returned with my wife to relax in a panic-free environment.