NOTE: This page uses cascading style sheets (CSS) to present the content in the best possible manner. If you are reading this message, then you do not have a standards-compliant browser or CSS (or JavaScript) is not enabled in your browser, and the page will not appear as the designer intended. Please visit The Web Standards Project for details and for information about how to upgrade your browser.

 

Butler has plenty of mechanical thrills, fun

By Richard Hanner
News-Sentinel editor

The Ring of Fire is coming.

So is the Vortex, the Starship 2000 and the Zipper.

What sounds like an invasion of science-fiction monsters is actually an assemblage of mechanical thrills and fun.

They are all coming to the Lodi Grape Festival and Harvest Fair courtesy of Butler Amusements, which has been setting up and operating the festival’s midway for more than two decades.

Rides comprise the traditional centerpiece of the midway, and Butler is planning to bring more than two dozen of them to the festival grounds at the corner of Lockeford Street and Cherokee Lane during the festival’s Sept. 18-21 run.

Butler divides the rides into three categories:

• Spectacular rides, typically those that provide the highest decibel levels, include the Ring of Fire, Spin Out, Himalaya, Zipper, Starship 2000, Crazy Train, Vortex, Wave Swinger and Kamikaze.

• Major rides and shows coming to Lodi include the Tilt-A-Whirl, Scrambler, Carousel, the Eagle 16 Ferris Wheel, Kite Flyer, Club Fun and Rock-N-Roll.

• The Kiddie Rides on hand will include the Wacky Worm, Dragon Wagon, Big Foot Trucks, Cycle Jump, Dizzy Dragon, Noah’s Lark, Rio Train and Surf City.

Butler Amusements runs multiple traveling units simultaneously on the West Coast during the summer season. The company provides carnivals for 100 different events each year in states including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona.

Because of Butler’s size, it is able to swap out rides from event to event, so there is always something new on the midway from year to year.

The company has grown steadily from its beginnings in Austin, Minn. and is now the largest carnival company on the West Coast.

George “Bud” Butler and his son, Earl “Butch” Butler spent weekends and summer vacations running carnivals in the Midwest. Over time, the carnival business went from part-time to full-time and the operation moved to California.

Currently, Butler’s administrative center is in San Jose and the firm’s winter quarters are in Santa Nella. Their rides alone reflect a capital investment of more than $25 million.

Beyond the rides, Butler provides games and food for midways. Games have evolved from basic offerings with little more than a wooden frame, canvas backing and a stool for the operator to bright, decorated attractions with a variety of prizes.

Food remains fairly traditional, with corn dogs, hot dogs, pizza, cotton candy and nachos.