{"id":410731,"date":"2026-07-24T12:44:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T12:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/410731\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T12:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T12:44:09","slug":"who-are-the-carnival-workers-at-the-california-state-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/410731\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the carnival workers at the California State Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Abridged version:<\/p>\n

From self-described \u201cthird-generation carnies\u201d to college students selling deep-fried Oreos to earn some cash over summer break, the workers behind the California State Fair come from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

The fair is fueled by a vast fleet of cooks, custodians and ride operators, including a group of over 300 workers who travel for nine months of the year across the western United States.<\/p>\n

Many workers said the best part of their job is seeing the smiles from attendees. The most difficult part is avoiding the drama that comes with living in close quarters with colleagues. <\/p>\n

Grinning behind a white handlebar mustache, Craig Tidwell dares a young man to send a dart flying into the belly of a Labubu-shaped target. If it lands, the moment will become one of the best parts of Tidwell\u2019s day. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The tip of the dart skirts the edge of the target. After a brief moment of anticipation, Tidwell sees the dart tip had landed in the white space. The man leaves empty-handed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst part is having to tell people they lost when they thought they won,\u201d Tidwell said.<\/p>\n

His eyes begin scanning the midway, filled with rides and game stands, and he returns to the familiar search for new players.<\/p>\n

\"ManCraig Tidwell watches as a player throws a dart at the game booth he manages during the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

This summer marks Tidwell\u2019s 16th consecutive year working the California State Fair, as one of hundreds of workers who travel the country operating rides, games and concessions for Butler Amusements<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\t\tSign Up for the Morning Newsletter<\/p>\n

The Abridged morning newsletter lands in your inbox every weekday morning with the latest news from the Sacramento region.<\/p>\n

Despite the 100-degree heat, the unbreaking chorus of screams coming from rides and a mix of laughter and groans from the games, Tidwell keeps coming back. His kids are grown up now, and the job allows him to see friends across the country.<\/p>\n

During his days off, Tidwell said he rolls the dice \u2014 for Dungeons & Dragons, that is.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a geek. \u2026 I try a new adventure each year,\u201d Tidwell said.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a collective imagery in America of the kind of person who works the carnival. A walk around the California State Fair, however, reveals more than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

\"FairThrill-seekers drop 90 feet on the Supershot Drop Tower at the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian) <\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m a drifter\u2019<\/p>\n

Troy Campbell knows how to work all of the fun houses, the zipper rides and the Ferris wheel, plus the dart and ring toss games. After five years of traveling, he can do it all, but his game of choice is the \u201cwater race.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my game,\u201d he said, with a headset and microphone perched neatly behind his ears.<\/p>\n

For most of the year, running the water race stand is the most consistent part of Campbell\u2019s life. He operates the stand for nine months of the year, and what he does with the rest is up to him. During the winter months \u2014 when carnival season lies dormant \u2014 he goes wherever he wants, sometimes staying with his sister or visiting his kids who are now in their 20s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a drifter,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cI don\u2019t own a house, I don\u2019t live in an apartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

After years of working in the automotive industry, he found that the carnival life allows him to explore new cities and make time for his hobbies like photography and martial arts. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m divorced, I have nothing going on. \u2026 I get to travel, I get to meet cool people,\u201d Campbell said. \u201cYou know, it\u2019s an interesting lifestyle. It\u2019s hard at times, but it\u2019s completely rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ManTroy Campbell explains the rules of the water race to participants during the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

\u2018The worst part is, your family misses you\u2019<\/p>\n

When asked what working the state fair is like, Byron Allen had one word: \u201cJuicy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Allen is spending most of this fair season within the confines the lemon-shaped concession stand that sells fresh-squeezed lemonade.<\/p>\n

When business slows down for a moment, he\u2019s eager to greet his fellow fair workers with a grin. In total, a crew of about 300 people maintain the rides, run concession stands and operate games at the midway overseen by Butler Amusements.<\/p>\n

The same crew travels across California to sprawling fairs in Idaho, community carnivals in Arizona and everything in between.<\/p>\n

Allen\u2019s introduction to the work was more than a decade ago in his hometown of Bakersfield. A friend suggested it as a good way to make money, but he quickly found a strong camaraderie among his fellow carnival workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fell in love with the carnival,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Life on the road isn\u2019t for everyone, but it suits him.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst part is, your family misses you,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"ManThe summer heat keeps customers lining up at the lemonade stand where Byron Allen works during the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

\u2018Everyone comes out to the state fair\u2019<\/p>\n

Hector Maldonado sees it all from the cashier box at the Pepe\u2019s dessert stand at the fair\u2019s main food court.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s seen sheriff\u2019s deputies and fair attendees alike line up for deep-fried Oreos, cups of strawberries and cream and piles of miniature pancakes topped with chocolate sauce.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe get a lot of people from the cannabis expo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Maldonado is currently on summer break and earning money over the summer before he returns to work on his engineering degree at Cal Poly Humboldt.<\/p>\n

He said working the fair has become a surprising source of connection. Many of his coworkers are here on a work visa program, and it gives him an opportunity to speak Spanish with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being part of the community,\u201d Maldonado said. \u201cEveryone comes out to the state fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Selena Servantes is the second generation of her family to work the corn dog stand for Milo\u2019s. The concessioner has been a feature at the California State Fair since 1970. Her mother used to run the stand, and then Servantes took over in 2014 after she passed away, eventually becoming a manager.<\/p>\n

Servantes is based out of Pilot Hill \u2014 a small community about 10 miles from Auburn \u2014 but she spends March through October traveling the carnival circuit. With her team of 12 staffers in tow, she travels across small communities in Northern California and also makes the trip out to the Colorado State Fair.<\/p>\n

Along the way, she travels in her trailer \u2014 known as the \u201cbunk house\u201d \u2014 and makes a routine of cooking up tacos on her Blackstone grill for the staff. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fun,\u201d Servantes said. \u201cIt feels like home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WomanManager Selena Servantes takes an order from a customer at Milo\u2019s during the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s what carnies do, they make traditions\u2019<\/p>\n

Most of the year Rachelle Castro provides security services for Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento. Each year when the California State Fair schedule comes out, though, she makes sure she blocks out the dates in her calendar.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a third-generation carny,\u201d Castro said.<\/p>\n

Her mom used to operate the \u201cturning bears\u201d ride in the Kids Zone, and years back her grandmother was part of the custodial crew on the fairgrounds. Castro secured her first job with the fair, then as a ride maintenance worker, in the Kids Zone at 19. Now in her 30s, she\u2019s the head of cannabis security.<\/p>\n

\"WomanRachelle Castro oversees security inside the California Cannabis Exhibit & Experience during the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian) <\/p>\n

The California State Fair debuted on-site cannabis consumption back in 2024, and since then it continues to be one of the higher profile exhibits at the fair. <\/p>\n

\u201cFrom a security standpoint, I haven\u2019t had any issues that wouldn\u2019t happen anywhere else,\u201d Castro said. \u201cThe same issues that happen here happen in the wine garden every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, the new cannabis lounge has been calm, with smiling attendees excited to try out cannabis in a more public place.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest thing is making sure people aren\u2019t dehydrated in the heat,\u201d Castro said.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleInside the California Cannabis Exhibit & Experience, visitors dance beneath a screen broadcasting Midland\u2019s live performance during the California State Fair on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian) <\/p>\n

During her breaks, Castro is eager to check out the \u201cnew and shiny\u201d offerings the state fair has each year. This year, one change is to the monorail script as it cruises through the canopy near the cannabis exhibit.<\/p>\n

Castro and her six-person \u201ccanna-crew\u201d that oversee the cannabis lounge are trying to make it a tradition to ride the monorail together each year. When they hear the script say, \u201cDo you smell that?\u201d as it nears the cannabis exhibit, they all crack a smile.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Carny\u2019 is its own family. \u2026 That\u2019s what carnies do, they make traditions,\u201d Castro said.<\/p>\n

\"CaliforniaRiders take in a sunset view of the California State Fair from the Sky Ride on July 21, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

Felicia Alvarez\u00a0is a reporter\u00a0for\u00a0Abridged\u00a0by PBS KVIE\u00a0covering accountability.\u00a0She\u2019s\u00a0called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health\u00a0care\u00a0and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Abridged version: From self-described \u201cthird-generation carnies\u201d to college students selling deep-fried Oreos to earn some cash over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":410732,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-410731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410731\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/410732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}