Life Of A Carnie At The Red River Valley Fair
Over in West Fargo, it’s the fourth day of the Red River Valley Fair.
Carnivals and fairs wouldn’t be around without the hard workers, carnies.
They’re here from the crack of dawn setting up and don’t rest until well after midnight.
“There is a lot of work that goes behind the scene. A lot of time, people think that we just show up and start cooking. Well, that’s not true. There’s a lot of work that happens in the winter as well,” says owner of the Minneapple Pie, George Atsidakos.
Atsidakos says it’s a year-round business with seasonal pay.
He travels from May through November selling handmade deep fried apple pie, topped with cinnamon and vanilla ice cream.
And rolling into the Red River Valley Fair this year brings back sweeter times.
“And the exciting thing about this fair here is that last year we were filmed on carnival eats, which is on the food network channel and shown all over the world,” says Atsidakos.
At the fair, excitement fills the air.
“I think it’s just kind of growing up, you’re used to the fair. I always look forward to it during the summer. I know it’s going to happen. That’s the high point of summer for me,” says Red River Valley Marketing Coordinator Katy Stenerson.
But for this carnie, summer is just the half way mark.
And hiring extra hands is difficult to come by.
“Traveling help is hard to find actually,” says Christie Exendine.
Traveling 11 months out of the year is all she knows now.
But life on the road for more than a decade can be a bonding experience.
Exendine explains, “It’s more like a family. We’re all like a family. If somebody needs something, the other one will help them out. We’re used to it, you know.”
And the perks of the job outweigh those stressful moments.
Exendine adds, “You get free travel, free rent, free water, free electric; you get to see the world and get paid to do it, so why not?”
“The fair life is our life,” says Atsidakos.
The Fair is open from 10 am and closes at midnight from now until Sunday.
