Decades of Fun: Celebrating 50 Years with Evans United Shows

Thursday, June 29 Lakeside Vendor Market 5 – 9 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at 5 p.m.

BINGO Tent opens at 5 p.m.

Live Music at 7 p.m.: Sideshow Bob sponsored by

Friday, June 30 Lakeside Vendor Market 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at noon (Wristband Day – $25 from noon-5 p.m.)

BINGO Tent opens at 5 p.m.

Live Music at 7 p.m.: Arch Allies sponsored by

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Saturday, July 1 Lakeside Vendor Market 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at noon BINGO tent opens at noon Live Music at 7 p.m.: County Line Drive sponsored by

Sunday, July 2 Lakeside Vendor Market 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at noon (Wristband Day – $25 from noon – 5 p.m.)

BINGO tent opens at noon Family Fun Day Events 1 p.m. sponsored by

,

&

Live Music at 7 p.m.: M80s with Turn Me Loose sponsored by

&

Monday, July 3 Lakeside Vendor Market 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at noon BINGO tent opens at 12 p.m.

Live Music at 7 p.m.: Casey Muessigmann sponsored by

Tuesday, July 4 Freedom 5K and Kid’s Fun Run 7:30 a.m.

Parade starts at 10 a.m., theme “Decades of Fun” with Grand Marshals The Evans Family

Lakeside Vendor Market 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at noon BINGO tent opens at 1 p.m.

Clear Lake Municipal Band from 8:30 – 10 p.m. sponsored by

Fireworks over Clear Lake at 10 p.m.

Wednesday, July 5 Lakeside Vendor Market 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Evans United Shows Carnival opens at noon

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(Wristband Day – $25 from noon – 5 p.m.)

Decades of Fun

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2 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS 3 WELCOME 4 DECADES OF FUN 5 ROCKIN’ REWIND 6 KAZOOS, PARADES AND PICNICS 7 FLASHBACK FEVER ON THE COVER

Left to right: Stacy Doughan, CLACC President & CEO Alice Hanley: July 4th Celebration Chair Nicole Nosbisch: Honorary Evans Family Member Erin Evans-Phipps: Evans United Shows

A magical moment is captured as the sun sets over Evans United Shows carnival in Clear Lake.

Photo by Randy Park.

Special publication brought to you by

I’m excited you’re reading this year’s “Decades of Fun,” celebrating Evans United Shows. Inside this publication, you’ll find stories and pictures from the past 50 years that will take you on a trip down memory lane.

For 50 years, the Evans family and their carnival have been bringing joy and laughter to Clear Lake’s July 4th Celebration. We are beyond grateful for their commitment to our community, and we can’t wait to show them our love and appreciation.

Clear Lake’s July 4th Celebration is one of my family’s favorite weeks. Every year, my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews travel to Clear Lake to take in the parade, eat carnival food, play BINGO, enjoy the music, and, of course, ride all of the Evans United Shows carnival rides. From a spin on the classic Ferris wheel, to the thrill of being swung over the lake on Freak Out, Evans United Shows’ carnival is the highlight of our time together.

I hope you join us in commemorating Evans United Shows’ 50th year in Clear Lake from June 29 to July 5. We promise it’ll be a celebration to remember! And while you’re here, make sure to visit our local businesses, explore our beautiful lake and experience the warmth and hospitality of Clear Lake. There’s plenty to do and see in our charming town.

All the best, Stacy Doughan President & CEO of the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce

Welcome to Clear Lake for our annual 4th of July celebration! This year we are making special plans for Evans United Shows’ carnival coming to town for its 50th year, so stay tuned. During those 50 years, the Evans family and staff have made friends with so many residents, business owners, and visitors. They feel they are “coming home” to Clear Lake each year.

In a world full of technology, we can still experience a Norman Rockwell moment during Clear Lake’s annual 4th of July celebration. A key part of that old-fashioned experience is the carnival. Of course, it’s great family fun. It’s also a key part of an economic impact to our community that’s estimated at over $10 million during this event.

The Evans United Shows carnival has always been magical for my family. The rides, the lights, and of course, the food. I’ve always joked that instead of the circus, I want to run away and join the carnival…but I could never work as hard as they do! When I was moving away from downtown, Nancy Evans said, “Well Alice, maybe we should just get you a trailer, so you can be part of the action!”

It’s so exciting when the Evans United Shows carnival comes to town! Our community is transformed into a fairy village. When it’s over, they pack up so cleanly and efficiently. A visitor coming to Clear Lake the day after would never guess that we had just hosted a party attended by thousands of people.

It’s been my privilege to be involved in helping the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce organize this great event, one that’s been at the heart of our community for generations. And it’s been a great pleasure to be counted as a friend of the Evans family and their exceptional team.

Again, welcome to Clear Lake’s 4th of July Celebration! Congratulations to Evans United Shows on 50 years in our community. Best wishes for another 50 years of making memories!

Alice Hanley

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Decades of Fun Celebrating 50 Years with Evans United Shows

By Ashley Weiss

There’s no place like Clear Lake for the Fourth of July.

Dozens of lighted and musical carnival rides, concessions and games wrap around City Park in the heart of downtown with the beautiful backdrop of the lake.

“It’s a postcard, the setup, the setting. It’s not like any other event,” said Erin Evans-Phipps, who’s been involved with the carnival her entire life. “Clear Lake’s the greatest. There’s no better place to be on the Fourth.”

Erin’s family, who has owned and operated Evans United Shows for more than 70 years, travels to nearly 10 states across the country for more than 30 events from March to mid-November, including at least seven weeks in Iowa.

This year marks Evans United’s 50th annual year of bringing carnival rides and fun to the multi-day celebration in Clear Lake that has anchored family get-togethers and class reunions for decades.

“Clear Lake’s always been special to us. We’ve made a lot of friends over the years,” said Tom Evans, who runs the family business with his wife, Nancy. “It’s a great town.”

The Evans family is the 2023 parade grand marshal during the celebration on July 4th. The theme of this year’s parade is “Decades of Fun.”

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In the early 1970s, Tom’s parents, Bill and Ruth Evans, purchased several rides from the previous owner of rides seen in Clear Lake during the Fourth of July. Their first year in Clear Lake was 1974.

The next year, Tom and Nancy, who married in 1972, took over the carnival’s operations after the untimely death of his parents.

“It’s pretty impressive to look at what they’ve done over the course of all these years,” Erin said about her parents who were in their early 20s at the time.

“I’m proud of them. It’s a big accomplishment what my mom and dad created.”

Evans United Shows, of Plattsburg, Missouri, was started in 1947.

Third-generation showmen Tom and his late brother, Jim, built and expanded the family carnival business exponentially in the following decades. In 2019, the Evans family mourned the death of Jim. In recent years, Erin, and her husband, Jason Phipps, have taken over many of the day-to-day operations.

Erin only recalls missing two Fourth of July celebrations in Clear Lake since she was born.

She and her younger sister, Emily, spent summers on the road with the carnival and Fourth of Julys in Clear Lake. Swimming in the lake, shopping at the Ben Franklin store, eating at the Backyard Deli, and one of her favorites, enjoying Shirley Temples and onion rings at the Ritz Club.

“We grew up in Iowa,” Erin said. “It’s where we’ve spent every summer of our lives.”

Ann Owsley was their babysitter on the road in the summers. Her mother taught with Nancy. After pursuing a career outside the carnival and helping when she could, she returned full time as Evans United’s office manager. Her son, Evan, is also involved with the carnival. They’ve hardly missed any trips to Clear Lake for the Fourth of July.

Erin, who will be 46 this year, said her dad made sure she learned how to work. Her first job with the carnival was scooping popcorn and packaging cotton candy at about 7 years old, which then progressed to filling up drinks and then working a ticket window.

The bumper cars are where Erin met her “summertime friend” and “buddy,” Jason, who she’s been married to for more than 10 years.

clearlakeiowa.com

Alice Hanley, longtime Clear Lake Fourth of July Committee chair, said she’s honored to be among the Evans family’s wide circle of friends.

“They are generous, caring, and unpretentious, never expecting any praise or recognition. They take great pride in making a positive difference in the community. Evans United Shows makes special memories for kids and grown-ups of all ages,” she said. “It’s been my privilege to help with the Fourth of July celebration and get to know the Evans family. What can I say? I love ‘em!”

The Evans family attributes much of its success and longevity in Clear Lake to the community — the Chamber, the businesses and the people — who have supported them over the years.

“Clear Lake is a true blessing to us,” Cates said. “We have both grown together. As the celebration has gotten bigger, Evans has gotten bigger and as Evans has gotten bigger, so has the celebration.

You guys know how to do it and do it right.”

Rockin’ Rewind:

The Best Songs from 1974 That Still Make Us Move (Based on Billboard Hot 100)

Revisit the unforgettable hits that continue to get our feet tapping and bodies moving. From rock anthems to disco beats, these songs have stood the test of time and remain as energetic and catchy as ever. Get ready to turn up the volume and let the music transport you back to the golden-era of 1974!

“The Way We Were” Barbra Streisand

“The Loco-Motion” Grand Funk Railroad

“Seasons in the Sun” Terry Jacks

“TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)” MSFB

“Love’s Theme” Love Unlimited Orchestra

“The Streak” Ray Stevens

“Come and Get Your Love” Redbone

“Bennie and the Jets” Elton John

“Dancing Machine” The Jackson 5

“One Hell of a Woman” Mac Davis

1 DOZEN EGGS

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Jason is the carnival manager, the one Tom counts on and has put in charge of basically everything, she said.

You won’t see the carnival in Clear Lake without the Ferris wheel, Tilt-A-Whirl Merry-Go-Round and bumper cars. The Fire Ball and Freak Out — Evans’ newest and perhaps its most expensive acquisition — have been popular rides among carnival-goers, as well.

This year, the carnival’s Ferris wheel will arrive with a new LED light package including 16 patterns that Tom said will look great on a ride that attracts people of all ages year after year.

In March 2020, Evans United Shows was forced to pause its operations due to the global COVID-19 pandemic like many in the entertainment industry.

Evans only did six shows that year, and there was no trip to Iowa.

“There were a lot of people in my generation who went out and tried a different venture and left the industry after reassessing things, but I’m all in for the hard work,” Erin said. “We were very fortunate. It was a heck of a year, but we did it and we’re thankful to be back out.”

Erin and Pat Cates, who has worked with Evans United in various capacities for more than 40 years, credit the carnival’s survival to Tom and Nancy’s management.

“It was rough on everybody,” Tom said. “We were open a month and waited for the curve to flatten. We were stable enough to stay in business but a lot weren’t, a lot of carnivals have quit within the last two or three years.”

Cates said the carnival’s contract with the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce for the Fourth of July is one of its longest-running.

Nancy invited Cates, a high school classmate, to spend one summer with Evans United after she lost both her parents unexpectedly. At that time, Erin was in junior high and Emily was in elementary school.

“That year is still going on,” Cates said with a chuckle.

Cates is no longer on the road with the carnival its entire season but instead picks and chooses the handful of events she works and Clear Lake remains at the top of her list.

“It’s like coming home,” she said. “I have so many good friends there. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Cates isn’t the only friend the Evans have convinced to come to Clear Lake with the carnival for the “biggest and best Fourth of July in the United States” over the years. In fact, they’ve had many come and work and return year after year.

1 LOAF OF BREAD

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MEDIAN NEW HOME PRICE

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1 MOVIE TICKET

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Kazoos, Parades, and Picnics: 50 Years of Family Fun

By Rachel Wumkes

The Lovell and Goranson brothers remember the 4th of July celebrations in Clear Lake fondly.

Stepbrothers — John, Tom and Jim Lovell and Steve, Dan and Joe Goranson — grew up on South 3rd Street and they eagerly anticipated the annual transformation of City Park into something exotic and the stuff of dreams.

They would go to the carnival every day, spending hours upon hours going on rides, playing games, and having the time of their lives.

At least until their paper route or lawn mowing money ran out!

Steve Goranson remembers when Evans United Shows first came to town in 1974. “They were a big step up,” he said.

“They had newer rides, better games, and friendlier operators. Plus, they all wore matching polo shirts with the Evans logo!”

Tom Lovell, who owns and operates CL Tel and Woodford Lumber & Home

Kazoo band marching in the 1994 July 4th parade

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with his wife, Jan, spent a few years serving the community on the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce’s July 4th Committee. He remembers being in awe of the carnival operation and all it entails.

“It was neat to see the Evans family business up close,” he said. “They were all just so nice and kind.”

As the Lovell and Goranson children grew up, life took many of them in various directions. But every year they keep the tradition alive, gathering at the Lake to celebrate the Fourth of July.

In fact, their numbers are growing as the next generation is now married and have families of their own.

They come from across the Midwest.

Children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren of the Lovell and Goranson families trek to Clear Lake in hopes of recreating a bit of the childhood magic their parents had as kids.

Apart from Tom and Jan Lovell, who are usually busy prepping the CL Tel and Woodford Lumber employees and their families for the parade, the family has gathered at the intersection of 3rd Street and Main Avenue throughout the years to watch the July 4th parade. Having to be in place long before the 10 a.m. start, there was always a bit of a wait before the first float made its way downtown.

In 1994, Steve Goranson convinced six of the young kids in the family to form a “kazoo band” on Main. They only agreed in hopes of getting their picture in the paper.

Twenty-eight years later and the Lovell/Goranson kazoo band tradition is still in action!

These days, there are usually about 20 marchers who play traditional tunes like “Yankee Doodle,” “76 Trombones,” and “Iowa Corn Song.” They also stop at corners for a sing-along with songs like

Kazoo band takes a picture next to the Ferris wheel in 2013.

clearlakeiowa.com

“God Bless America” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”

In addition to the Big Three — carnival, parade and fireworks — a mainstay of Fourth of July fun for the Lovell and Goranson families has been picnics and parties.

“Our parents hosted a post-parade event in the ‘70s and ‘80s providing refreshments before heading to the carnival,” Goranson said.

Jan Lovell’s family held the pre-fireworks picnic for many years. A tradition she and Tom Lovell have carried on for decades.

“Everyone likes the fireworks, the parade, and the carnival in town over (July 4th),” Tom Lovell said. “But for me, it’s really about the people. Our parents have passed on, but we’ve added the next generation of grandchildren, nieces, and nephews to enjoy the celebration with us.”

A legacy that will live on for the Lovell and Goranson families.

Over the years, Steve Goranson has listened as friends from other places recount their great 4th of July festivities.

He simply smiles, nods and thinks to himself, “That’s cute.”

Because nothing tops Clear Lake!

Find more information and events at www.clearlakeiowa.com

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