Has there been any stories on Unsolved Mysteries about traveling carnivals? In my opinion, I think the carnivals are fun, but the workers there give me the CREEPS! Back in the early '90s, we used to have big carnivals in our area. But, one time a girl from our area was raped/murdered by one of the carnival workers and we stopped having carnivals for years. But 2 years ago, they started to come back to town and they are a lot smaller now. And another thing about carnivals that is a pet peeve is their food prices. I bought a slice of pizza a year ago from there and it was 5 dollars! And in my opinion, I think some of those games are rigged. But anyways, is any one else creeped out about anything about carnivals?

I remember a Lost Loves story about a woman who was looking for her parents that were carnival workers/performers.

Yeah, there is the Jeremy Bright case of the kid that disappeared and was last known to be at a carnival. I just read that thread earlier.

Has there been any stories on Unsolved Mysteries about traveling carnivals? In my opinion, I think the carnivals are fun, but the workers there give me the CREEPS! Back in the early '90s, we used to have big carnivals in our area. But, one time a girl from our area was raped/murdered by one of the carnival workers and we stopped having carnivals for years. But 2 years ago, they started to come back to town and they are a lot smaller now. And another thing about carnivals that is a pet peeve is their food prices. I bought a slice of pizza a year ago from there and it was 5 dollars! And in my opinion, I think some of those games are rigged. But anyways, is any one else creeped out about anything about carnivals?

I can see what you mean by getting the creeps. We have out of town carnivals come around here and the workers are pretty scary.

Yes the only two segments on UM I remember offhand having to do with carnivals are Jeremy Bright (who disappeared after attending one) and a lady who was searching for her parents who she believed used to work at one.

There is a carnival that would show up yearly in my home town. They used to have "midnight madness" nights where the carnival would be open until 4am. It attracted the type of people that you would not want to come within 200 yards of.

^ Well as someone who suffers from insomnia, that actually doesn't sound too bad. It would've given me something to do at 2 AM in the morning.

Well, as Austin Powers said, carnival workers were 1 of only 2 things that scared him in the world.

Alot of carnival workers are drifters, that can't hold down a job, and have been in trouble with the Law. Jobs like that, fits them just perfect.

Well, as Austin Powers said, carnival workers were 1 of only 2 things that scared him in the world.

There has been a few bang-on, hit the nail on the head jokes in The Simpsons, about them. The character design for carnival workers was perfect. They even had a nickname for them: "carnies". Sounds like short for carnivores. :D

Besides Jeremy Bright here's a few scary Carnival cases....

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_connie.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/pallett_cinda.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bardin_juanita.html

Carny workers and truckers (or anyone who moves around) who kill, strike me as very difficult to track down and catch. I dont think they would have caught the "Happy-faced killer", Keith Jesperson if he had not made a mistake and killed someone he knew.

Besides Jeremy Bright here's a few scary Carnival cases....

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/potts_beverly.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/s/smith_connie.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/pallett_cinda.html
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/b/bardin_juanita.html

Carny workers and truckers (or anyone who moves around) who kill, strike me as very difficult to track down and catch. I dont think they would have caught the "Happy-faced killer", Keith Jesperson if he had not made a mistake and killed someone he knew.

Yikes! :eek:
Very scary. Carnivals and summer fairs are an "ideal" location for roaming predators, whether they are employed as carnies or not.

There are a few carnies on one of the lost loves segments as someone mentioned - the lady who was searching for her parents who were carnies. The carnies interviewed appeared non-threatening, but it was funny to hear them talk: perhaps I should have put that clip on my dvd.

I remember when I was a kid one of the carniers made a snide comment to me because I couldn't get my door to the Scrambler open. Ahh, the Scrambler. good times. Most of the times I would go to the one in Midland, which is up north, closer to where I was born, but I tried the one here in Ingham County once. The friend I was with didn't want to go on, so he just watched and I rode that one by myself: that one was particularly fast. He said he was suprised I didn't get sick because it propelled you from one side to the other in a mere second he said. :lol:

There are a few carnies on one of the lost loves segments as someone mentioned - the lady who was searching for her parents who were carnies. The carnies interviewed appeared non-threatening, but it was funny to hear them talk: perhaps I should have put that clip on my dvd.

I remember when I was a kid one of the carniers made a snide comment to me because I couldn't get my door to the Scrambler open. Ahh, the Scrambler. good times. Most of the times I would go to the one in Midland, which is up north, closer to where I was born, but I tried the one here in Ingham County once. The friend I was with didn't want to go on, so he just watched and I rode that one by myself: that one was particularly fast. He said he was suprised I didn't get sick because it propelled you from one side to the other in a mere second he said. :lol:

I think carnies are the personnification of the word 'surly'.

We have an amusement park here and the rides are NASTY! The worst ride is the UFO (pst ... don't tell Ed Walters, he might make the trip up here and write another "book") which is the equivalent of spending 10 minutes on a spin cycle, but with the washing machine tilted at a 45 angle. My first (and last time) I rode in the UFO ride, I actually CRAWLED OUT ON ALL FOURS. Classy. :ufo: :barf:

I think carnies are the personnification of the word 'surly'.

We have an amusement park here and the rides are NASTY! The worst ride is the UFO (pst ... don't tell Ed Walters, he might make the trip up here and write another "book") which is the equivalent of spending 10 minutes on a spin cycle, but with the washing machine tilted at a 45 angle. My first (and last time) I rode in the UFO ride, I actually CRAWLED OUT ON ALL FOURS. Classy. :ufo: :barf:

Oh yeah, The UFO ride, that was basically a poor man's version of the round-up. Ahh, the Round-up. Now that was awesome. I wouldn't go on it for years, because it looked terrifying, but finally went on and loved it.

I took one of my nephews on this one ride one time, and the whole time we just couldn't wait to get off, and we kept saying that to each other. As soon as the ride ended, we were like "Man, we are so going on that one again."

Another ride I took him on was that big pirate ship one. We got the seats in the far back. We literally came up off of our seats while the ride was in motion. That was freaky!

Sorry for the off-topic post, but...good times.

One of the greatest lines in UM history came from the Jeremy Bright case.

When discussion what could have happened to him, Robert Stack said, "Perhaps he succombed to the lure of the carnival..."

I remember my wife turning to me and saying, "Just what in the hell is alluring about a carnival? Bad smells? Traveling from town to town on semi? Living in a tent? Carnies with no teeth?" :lol:

I have to admit, that has to be the weakest scenario in the Jeremy Bright story. (I'm not making light of the case, mind you, just the suggestion that he "ran off to join the circus." :rolleyes: )

I think you're on to something Todd. That line was just a good indication of the sloppy police work on that case.
Seriously. I can't believe this case is still unsolved.

I just thought of another addition for this carnival thread. I have read on here, though never seen, a segment about the discovery of a mummified corpse that was being used in a "haunted house" type ride at a carnival. I don't know if this is one of the segments that did not show up on Lifetime, or if people are confused about what program they saw it on. Like I said, I have never seen it.

Two ther carnival segments also came to mind -

The Minnesota Iceman - a traveling carnival exhibit that displayed what some believe was the corpse of a Sasquatch entombed in ice.

I'm pretty sure that tiny mummy that was thought to be evidence of a pre-historic race of dwarves was a sideshow attraction at some point in it's cloudy history.

I just thought of another addition for this carnival thread. I have read on here, though never seen, a segment about the discovery of a mummified corpse that was being used in a "haunted house" type ride at a carnival. I don't know if this is one of the segments that did not show up on Lifetime, or if people are confused about what program they saw it on. Like I said, I have never seen it.

I saw that one on North Mission Road on Court/TruTV. Ew!

A little off topic, but has anyone been watching the Carrier series on PBS? There is a marine on there whose biological parents were carnies. Apparently, they just abandoned him at a carnival when he was 3 years old. Nice. Talk about triumphing over adversity!

I also remember there was a City Confidential episode set in some town where carnies settled when they weren't on the road. It's been a long time and I can't remember any details. I just remembered it had to do with the "human lobster" people.

"Small hands. Smell like cabbage." -Austin Powers