FARROW AMUSEMENT CO. RETURNS TO THE MIDWAY

No fair would be complete without a midway.

Farrow Amusement Co., of Jackson, Miss., has been providing carnival fun at the SEMO District Fair for a number of years.

For the second year in a row, the midway at the SEMO District Fair will be open eight days, beginning Sept. 7. The fair itself runs for seven days, beginning Sept. 8

Mike Sievers, vice president and general manager of Farrow Amusement, said the carnival used to open on Monday. "A couple of years ago we opened on Sunday and then last year we opened on Saturday," said Sievers.

Sievers said that opening on Saturday in advance of the fair itself allows the carnival to attract "some additional crowds."

He said, "It's kind of a way for people to take a sneak peak and see what's coming together."

Farrow will bring about 75 rides and games to this year's district fair, about the same as last year, Sievers said.

"We will have a couple of new rides," he said. "One is called Wipeout. I think the name is symbolic for the action of the ride; it does a 360-degree circle and rotates within that circle.

"It's not for the faint of heart," he said.

Sievers said Farrow has had that ride since early August and it has proved to be a crowd-pleaser. "It's been received very well. We just finished playing a state fair with it and it was one of the top five rides of the (Indiana) State Fair."

This year's carnival will also feature a new bumper car ride "that's much bigger than the one we had last year," said Sievers. "It has many more cars on it; it's got a bigger floor."

Single tickets will cost 55 cents each. A sheet of 20 tickets will cost $10, he said.

In addition, there will be three special promotions during fair week.

On Sunday, Sept. 8, fairgoers can buy $7 wristbands that allow them to ride any of the midway rides from 1 p.m.-6 p.m.

On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Farrow will offer the Midway Special Moonlight Madness promotion. Fairgoers can purchase $8 wristbands and enjoy all the rides from 5 p.m.-11 p.m.

On Friday, Sept. 13, fairgoers can ride any of the rides at a discount of one less coupon per ride.

Farrow Amusement operates in 15 states in the Midwest and Southeast. Carnival workers are on the road about eight months out of the year.

Sievers said the company employs about 400 people to operate its games, rides and food stands.

Even in today's high-tech age, the midway remains popular. "I think they all like the mystique of it and the romanticism," said Sievers. "Fairs are an opportunity for people to come together and enjoy themselves."