"In the field of live home entertainment, I am a god."
Posted on 11/06/2007 11:56:20 AM PST by SubGeniusX
FORT WALTON BEACH — Not everyone thinks it’s all fun and games at the Northwest Florida Fair.
Carnival workers are known for their persistence, but there’s a line and one family says it was crossed this weekend.
"I would never take my children back and that disappoints me. I grew up here," said Niceville resident Kara Lacey. "I was one of the ones writing letters to save the fairgrounds and now I regret that."
Gary Alberry, general manager for Reithoffer Shows, said any complaints are addressed swiftly and Lacey’s were no exception.
"We want people and families to come out and have a good time," he said.
At the fair Friday night with her husband and two daughters, Lacey said her family was berated by fair workers. She said a game attendant chased them down, cursing and calling them un-American after the family bypassed her booth.
"My husband’s a Marine and he spent 23 months in Iraq," Lacey said.
The trouble continued when they passed the dunking booth and the clown inside called her 12-year-old daughter anorexic, Lacey said. Riding the Ferris wheel, they said, they still heard the clown being rude.
"My 3-year-old asked me what a queer was, and that’s unacceptable," she said.
They left after 45 minutes and got a refund.
Fair management maintains all complaints are taken seriously. The game attendant who chased the family down was fired on the spot, and the clown was warned. A camera stays trained on the clown at all times so there’s a record if he says anything offensive.
Butter the Clown defends his reputation, saying the family misheard a remark directed at someone else.
"I’m one of the best clowns in the country and I rarely get complaints," Butter, aka James Wright, said Monday night out of makeup.
He said he doesn’t use profanity and follows a script that hasn’t gotten him into trouble yet. But for some reason, his shtick isn’t going over in Fort Walton Beach.
Wright said he’s never gotten so many complaints in his 14-year clown career as he has in the first three days of the Northwest Florida Fair.
Instead of signing autographs and posing for pictures, he’s been docked so much pay he owes his bosses $10.
"It’s costing me money to be here," he said. "I’ve got mouths to feed. I’ve got to make a living."
The management at Reithoffer Shows Inc. said they’ve heard two complaints and dealt with them, including firing the game worker.
"With us it’s very simple. We have rules and regulations," said Buddy Miller, booking agent. "If they don’t adhere to them, they’re gone."
Cursing is one of those big no-nos.
"If we had heard him say one curse word, he’d be out of there," Miller said.
Alberry, the Reithoffer general manager, said Reithoffer is one of the biggest names in the business within the past 100 years.
"You don’t get that big and large from running a shady operation," Alberry said.
And, they remind fair goers, you’re not supposed to like the clown. That’s why you throw down money to try to dunk him.
"This guy’s good at what he does," Miller said.
The close eye on keeping things family-friendly didn’t stop with Reithoffer. Fairgrounds manager Bull Rigdon said he spoke with the clown.
"That’ll never happen again," Rigdon said. "I assure people that when we receive a complaint, we’ll get right with it."
Can you imagine what unfair workers would do?
Kara says, “You know, kids - I don’t think we’re in Niceville anymore...”
"In the field of live home entertainment, I am a god."
"When Carnies attack"
She said a game attendant chased them down
“When Carnies attack”
Guess she’s never had to face an irate Matre’d.
“Zo, you call dis a Teep?
No, I call it my change, hand it over.”
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