{"id":150517,"date":"2026-02-10T19:02:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/150517\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T19:02:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:02:09","slug":"eastern-states-exposition-announces-showmens-park-walk-of-fame-during-tampa-outdoor-amusement-industry-gatherings-amusement-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/150517\/","title":{"rendered":"Eastern States Exposition announces Showmen\u2019s Park Walk Of Fame during Tampa outdoor amusement industry gatherings \u2013 Amusement Today"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>ESE\u2019s Eugene Cassidy offered opening statements and introduced the inductees.<\/p>\n

RIVERVIEW, Fla. \u2014 The greater Tampa Bay region is long recognized as the home and winter quarters for many of the nation\u2019s amusement operators, concessionaires and performers. On Tuesday, it served as the backdrop of an exciting announcement for an initiative honoring the individuals, families and organizations whose leadership and ingenuity have shaped one of America\u2019s most impactful entertainment sectors\u00a0 \u2014 the fair industry.<\/p>\n

Eastern States Exposition (ESE), producer of The Big E, hosted a press conference at the International Independent Showmen\u2019s Association (IISA) Museum, announcing Showmen\u2019s Park, a permanent walk of fame to be installed at its West Springfield, Massachusetts fairgrounds. ESE leadership introduced the inaugural class of inductees and shared details of the installation, with the ceremonial unveiling of the inductees\u2019 stones scheduled for Opening Day of The Big E in September. The press event aligned with the opening of a new exhibit in the IISA Museum on Eastern States Exposition.<\/p>\n

Inductees named during the press conference include Johnny and Tina Doolan of Doolan Amusement Co.; Joie Chitwood, Jr., of Joie Chitwood Thrill Show; Bob Commerford, of R.W. Commerford and Sons; Bob and Bea Negus of Conklin Shows; Fred Pittroff, creator and manufacturer of the Giant Slide; and North American Midway Entertainment.<\/p>\n

The announcement coincided with annual industry gatherings in the Tampa region, taking place February 8-13, including events hosted by the National Independent Concessionaires Association (NICA), the Outdoor Amusement Business Association (OABA) and the IISA. Collective membership of these organizations exceeds 8,000.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Johnny Doolan during today\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiverview, Gibsonton and the surrounding areas have long been home to the American midway,\u201d said Lee Stevens, two-time past president of the IISA and executive director of the IISA Museum. \u201cThis community has served as a base for generations of showmen who play fairs around the country and beyond. The stories of the showman, from all facets of the industry, are preserved in this museum. It\u2019s fitting that this announcement takes place here, in a region that truly understands what it takes to build a fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay region\u2019s connection to the fair industry extends beyond heritage. It remains an active hub for the operators, suppliers and service providers who work fairs across the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people walk through a fair, they see the lights, the rides, the food, the entertainment, the clean facilities, but they don\u2019t always see how interconnected it is. You can\u2019t unplug one piece of the equation without compromising the entire event,\u201d said Joe Potillo, past president of the IISA and owner of Potillo Specialty Service, Inc. \u201cFairs represent billions of dollars in economic activity across this country, and that impact exists because of all of us. Showmen\u2019s Park isn\u2019t just about honoring history; it\u2019s about recognizing the foundation of an industry that supports communities nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Joie Chitwood Jr. during ceremony.<\/p>\n

ESE generates more than $1.2 billion in regional economic impact and represents one of nearly 1,400 annual fairs nationwide contributing more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy, according to the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE). ESE\u2019s main event, The Big E, is recognized as the largest event on the East Coast and the fourth largest fair in North America.<\/p>\n

Media are invited to attend. Interviews and visuals of inductees and industry leaders will be available. Drinks and hor\u2019dourves to be served following the brief speaking presentation.<\/p>\n

The above information is embargoed and may not be published, broadcast or distributed prior to Tuesday, February 10 at 1pm ET.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ESE\u2019s Eugene Cassidy offered opening statements and introduced the inductees. RIVERVIEW, Fla. \u2014 The greater Tampa Bay region…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150518,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-150517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}