a fairground life

Last week, we had the unusual task of helping another showman set up his bungee tramps on an ice rink! The ice had been removed of course (by six men with sledge hammers and wheel barrows, it was so cold, it had not melted even though it was indoors). Erecting the equipment was easy, the problem was that it was fitted onto a 24ft trailer and this had to be lowered down a narrow set of stairs.
Planning was the key to success, as a result he had borrowed a couple of pairs of ramps from beaver tail trailers. The ramps were setup down the stairs. We pushed the trailer inside and lined it up with the ramps. To make sure it would not run away from us, we pushed in a car to use as an anchor. To this we attached a battery winch and began to slowly lower the trailer down. The length of the trailer proved a problem. We had to keep jacking it up to gain ground clearance then pack up the ramps to suit. Lower the trailer a few feet and then repeat the process. There was only 2 inches of clearance at each side of the stair well and at one point I thought we were going to have to remove the stairwell handrails. Fortunately this was not needed and after nearly two hours the trailer was down the stairs and positioned on the rink. The real problem will be getting it back up again when the gig is over!!!!! Gravity can be a great friend, but an even worse enemy.


Christmas Eve! As the song says, it's the best time of the year. It is also my favourite day of the year, better than the big day it's self. Tonight late late on, us parents will be waiting for the kids to nod off so we can lay out our presents. (Don't worry kids we are always in bed before Santa comes calling! ) A showman's wagon is quite a confined space, so sneaking in items is difficult, especially if the suspension is soft.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!