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PRE-FAIR EVENTS
page 5
MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012
A 25-year tradition comes to an
end at the Logan County Fair
I
This year a 25-year tradition came to
an end. It wasn’t exactly something
anyone wanted to see happen, but
circumstances made it impossible for
Luehrs’ Ideal Rides to provide the carnival
for the Logan County Fair. Instead, the
carnival is being provided by Tinsley’s
Amusements.
Mike Maske, board secretary for the
Logan County Fair Association, talked
about this change recently, saying the fair
board was sad to see it happen, but they
understood Luehrs’ needed to do what they
thought was best.
Maske said the board was notified by
Luehrs’ last year that another fair they
attend annually in Indiana had changed its
dates, so there was a conflict in scheduling.
Luehrs’ Ideal Rides is a third-generation
carnival, started in 1956 by Hub and
Winnie Luehrs. Today it is owned and
operated by their grandchildren Lorelei and
Andy Schoendienst and Jean and Joe Clair.
With over 50 years of carnival
experience behind them, the Luehrs’
group has built up a number of returning
customers who want their rides and
amusements as an ongoing part of their
fair. Logan County was no exception.
Maske commented: “These folks are my
age, I grew up with them, and we’re going
to miss them.”
But Maske said it was understandable.
The fair in Indiana is a larger event and
meant more money for the amusement ride
company. They had to go with it.
What was somewhat unexpected, though,
was the fact that the owner of Luehrs’ was
dedicated to helping the fair board find a
decent, respectable replacement.
“Richard Tinsley of Tinsley’s Amusements
was a good friend of Luehrs’. They met with
us last fall, and we pounded out a deal to have
them come this year in place of Luehrs’,”
Maske explained.
From a fairgoer’s viewpoint there will be
practically no difference in what they see in
amusements, Maske said.
“They (Tinsley’s) are clean and respectable.
Their rides are in good shape. For the public,
they won’t be able to tell the difference except
for the name,” he said.
Maske said the board and Luehrs’ did what
they had to do.
“We worked our way through a tough
situation,” he said. “We hated to see them go,
and they hated to go, but there are no hard
feelings. We’d love to have them back, and I
think they’d like to come back if the schedule
would ever allow it.”
[By NILA SMITH]
2012 LOGAN COUNTY FAIR. A special editon of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com July 31, 2012