Homemade Carnival Rides

Homemade Carnival Rides FARM HOME Novelty Items 33-1-41 Here's a photo of three carnival rides that I made using teddy bears and old side delivery hay rake wheels. The rides are mounted on a home-built trailer that I pull behind my 1945 Farmall A tractor. A slogan on back of the trailer reads, æLet's all bear our freedom', as I made the rides the year of 9/11. The rides are a big hit at area parades and antique tractor shows where they're enjoyed by the young and old alike. Kids love it when they see the teddy bears in motion, accompanied by calliope music playing out of a boom box on the trailer. I've gone to at least 50 wedding anniversaries and parties, and people always smile and grin from ear to ear when they see me coming. The rides include a ferris wheel, carousel, and swing. The ferris wheel is belt-driven by a small steam engine (out of a popcorn wagon) that's operated by an air compressor. A small Honda generator is used to operate the compressor and boom box, as well as the other rides. The bears all ride in homemade wooden chairs made from white oak that I cut down on our farm. The chairs on the carrousel go up and down just like they do on a real carrousel. A big golf course-type umbrella forms the carrousel's roof. Each ride mounts on a separate wooden frame that rides on four metal wheels. (Pat Becker, Pat's Old Engine Shed, 117 N. Second St., Waterford, Wis. 53185 ph 262 534-5713; pbmb@tds.net)

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