10 - TETON COUNTY FAIR Jackson Hole News&Guide Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Samuel and Julie Broetsky’s children and their families are involved in the business, and Frazier Shows also has many longtime employees from outside the family.
Julie Broetsky, left, helps Ginny Miller, right, celebrate her 42nd birthday after all the carnival lights are off. “We are like a big family,” Miller said.
Frazier Shows makes 38 stops in 42 weeks during carnival season. Most members of the Broetsky family live in trailers when working the circuit. Their next stop after the Teton County Fair is in New Mexico.
Seven-year-old Stephen P. Broetsky plays Frisbee with
Carnival company makes communit Family has been engaged in the ride and game trade for decades, drawn by the unconventional way of life. Text by Findley Merritt Photographs by Alexandra Mihale
S
tephen Broetsky cannot pinpoint exactly why he has stayed in the carnival industry for more than 40 years. The 61-year-old owner of Frazier Shows gazes at the whirling carnival lights while struggling to formulate an answer. His business annually entertains Teton County fairgoers with rides, games and greasy food. “I call it the ‘pull of the carnival,’” he finally says, with a grin. “You either love it or you hate it.” Broetsky and his wife, 57-year-old Julie Broetsky, are-third generation carnies who run and own the Arizona-based company with their family. Two of their children, Andrea and Stephen T., are now married and raising their families on the carnival circuit, and the other two, Bryan and Ashley, are involved in the business, too. Stephen Broetsky, a New York City native, took a summer job at a carnival bingo stand in 1969 after a friend convinced him it would be a good way to
make some extra cash. Although his family had been involved in the industry, Broetsky got his own introduction to the carnival world that summer. He was immediately drawn to the unconventional way of life. “Even now I’m at a loss of words,” he says. “It was the camaraderie of everyone who worked there.” He met and married Julie when he began working for her parents’ carnival, and the two worked their way up the East Coast carnival circuit. “She didn’t like me at first,” he says. “But she came around.” They finally had the opportunity to work the West Coast circuit when they bought the 35-year-old Frazier company — opting to keep the name of the established company. One woman started working for the Broetsky family when she was 10 and eventually became a member of the carnival clan when she married Stephen T Broetsky. The two of them have two sons, Stephen P., 7, and Cash, 1. Jan Broetsky says she tries to maintain a sense of normalcy at home. While her husband works the circuit, she stays in Arizona with the boys during the school year, and they join the rest of the family during the summer. “At home, it’s bed at 8 p.m. and up at 7 a.m.,” she says. “It’s more like a vacation for us when we come out here.” Frazier Shows employs 80 people,
including the family members, who mainly work in management positions. The senior Stephen Broetsky says there is very little turnover among his workers because he’s offering more than a job — he’s providing a way of life. He says people join the circuit for their own reasons, which sometime include fear of confinement in an office cubicle. “I didn’t want to work in a skyscraper,” he says. “I like being able to wear shorts and a T-shirt to work.” But most are simply looking to make a pay check and travel. During his time with the carnival, Broetsky has been everywhere from Washington’s San Juan Islands to Chicago to the Superdome in New Orleans. He prides himself on paying his workers above-industry wages and offers day care and housing during the off-season for those who need it. The carnival industry operates for nine or 10 months out of the year. Frazier Shows stops touring for two months during the winter to evaluate rides and work on maintenance. The traveling season generally resumes in February. “We know it’s a good ride if people get sick,” Broetsky chuckles as he explains the ride-evaluation process. Broetsky wishes people wouldn’t prejudge carnival workers. “People think that most carnies are toothless and uneducated, but we have all kinds of personalities and educated char-
Bryan Broetsky, Julie and Stephen Broetsky’
acters here,” he says. “I’m trying to proje the best image I can.” He remains focused on fostering healthy family environment for everyo and providing quality entertainment f thrill-seekers. Members of the crew will travel to Ne Mexico after they’re finished with t