provided by Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo
Talley Amusements Ride
Enraged bulls. Tamed horses. Long-haired rock stars. People in boots and Stetsons as far as the eye can see. These things converge but once a year, and when they do, it can be a tad overwhelming. This Stock Show season, we did the grunt work and put together this guide to help you along. From what to wear, who to see, and where to be, we answer all your questions to ensure you’re not getting roped into the wrong rodeo.
THE FAIR
Life’s a Roller Coaster
A chat with Talley Amusements vice president Mary Talley.
Running the midway at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo isn’t all fun and games — take it from Mary Talley, the woman in charge of the whole operation.
Talley is vice president of Talley Amusements, a Fort Worth-based company she runs with her husband, Tom. Or, as she puts it: “I decide where we’re going to go, how long we’re going to be there — and he executes.”
It’s a match made at the top of the Ferris wheel, really. Long story short: Her family was in the carnival business; his family was in the carnival business. In almost-“Romeo and Juliet” fashion, their families’ companies were competitors — that’s until 1995, when Mary and Tom formed a company all their own. Today, Talley Amusements runs carnivals in California, Tennessee, and Ohio, as well as Texas. They also own the Texas Star in Dallas’ Fair Park.
Mary, a “Fort Worth girl” as she calls herself, grew up around the Stock Show and has run its midway since 2003. She still appreciates a good 140-foot plunge down the Mega Drop. But when it comes to grounds layout, hiring ride operators, and keeping everyone safe, she’s all business.
FW: Where do you keep all the rides when it’s not carnival season?
Mary: They’re all portable. If they’re not trailer mounted, then we mount them on semitrailers. Like, we bought a 33-meter wheel in 2018. It came from the Netherlands in, I don’t know, seven or eight containers; and we had to rack this machine onto trailers so we could transport it from one location to another. We have a property we’ve pretty much outgrown on the north side of Fort Worth.
FW: Where do the rides come from?
Mary: My big Ferris wheel over at Fair Park is Italian. We have rides from England. Some rides are built in the U.S. We’ve got some from Germany. So, Germany, Italy, and England … In Germany, it’s built a lot heavier. That’s why we buy carnival rides over there, because they’re built heavier and usually have a much more spectacular appeal. They’re the Bentley of amusement rides.
FW: What’s your process when building the midway at the Stock Show?
Mary: [My husband, Tom] knows all the dimensions of everything, how tall things are, and how much swing that it has. My husband’s done it so long he doesn’t even have to use a measuring thing anymore. He can just step — because he knows how many feet his step is. He lays them out himself, then brings all the rides in and sets them up.
FW: It’s easy to assume, “Oh, you run rides. Everything’s fun.” But what’s the most challenging part of the job?
Mary: Labor. And the reason is because our business is transient in nature, moving from one location to another. We work nights, weekends, and holidays. I’ve never had the Fourth of July off my whole life. Holidays I’ve not worked in my life are Thanksgiving and Christmas, so every other holiday we work. So, when we try to find U.S. workers to take the jobs, nobody wants to apply because they don’t want to be away from their families.
So, we’ve been using a program with the Department of Labor called H-2B guest worker program ... We hire foreign nationals legally and bring them over here the right way. The cap has already been met for 2020. For the whole year, only 66,000 visas are given out by the Department of Homeland Security — not only for carnivals and circuses but for forestry, landscapers, the seafood industry. The cap was completely met in six weeks when it opened up on Oct. 1. I got lucky, and I got my visa approval Nov. 8. It’s a real problem right now.
FW: Are your kids in the carnival business too?
Mary: Yes, ma’am. My fifth generation are working. I have three daughters. My oldest daughter … her husband manages my Texas Star and the other Ferris wheel and works in the shop. He welds; he does all kinds of things. My middle daughter is in the food and ride business, so she has independent rides and some food stands. Then my youngest daughter owns a couple of amusement rides, and she’s been operating them and helped pay for her college at TCU. It’s definitely a family affair. Everybody comes together and works out there as a family.
FW: What are the challenges working together as a family?
Mary: You know, it doesn’t really bother my husband and me. I mean, like any marriage, if you spend a lot of time together, you’re going to have differences of opinion when you’re married and then you have the business. I have my own way of seeing things; Tommy has his own way of seeing things. We usually end up coming together and compromising. But generally, we’re usually on the same page because we want the same things. We want to offer a better product than anybody, and we’re trendsetting.
FW: Okay, enough with the challenges. What’s the most fun part of the job?
Mary: Traveling. Being able to see so many different places. Like, we do the San Diego County Fair. We set up the carnival across the street from the ocean. We’ve watched the sunset for 30 days, and we got to be around that beautiful town called Del Mar, California. It’s beautiful there.
FW: What makes the Fort Worth Stock Show different from other carnival events you run?
Mary: It’s my hometown, so that makes a big difference. I really enjoy working with the Stock Show officials. [Ed] Bass is the chairman of the board, and he is just as nice as he can be. I’m excited about Dickies Arena, and I’m hoping it brings more people. I’ve been asking him to build a bigger arena, probably since 2005 or ’06. It’s come to fruition, and I’m so proud for them.
FW: Got a ride that’s your personal favorite?
Mary: Mega Drop, probably. It’s not as popular to ride, but it’s the tallest piece out there. It’s 140 feet tall. It really looks good when you’re coming down from Lancaster, and you get over there by Farrington Field at nighttime. It’s a really beautiful sight at night.
5 Most Popular Rides
1. Ferris Wheel
2. Wave Swinger
3. Fast Trax Slide
4. Carousel
5. Starship 2000
New Rides for 2020
Sky Liner: A 100-foot-tall swing tower.
Downdraft: Thrill ride in which riders travel in a circle while descending.
Orbiter:Thrill ride in which the center spins at 24 revolutions per minute while the seats spin at 26 revolutions per minute.
The Story of Talley Amusements
Late 1800s: Tom Talley’s family owns a business running portable roller rinks.
1910: Bill Hames (Mary Talley’s great-grandfather) runs a merry-go-round pulled by a real horse, charging a nickel a ride.
1930s: Hames trades his horse-drawn merry-go-round for a steam-powered one and continued to add more rides. The Fort Worth Stock Show asks him to run the carnival. Around this time, Tom Talley’s family also begins adding rides alongside their roller rinks.
1990: Buster Brown (Mary Talley’s father) dies in a car accident, and the family sells the business.
1995: Tom and Mary start Talley Amusements.
1996: Tom and Mary get married.
2003: Talley Amusements partners with Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo to run the midway.
Spot these five animals on the Stock Show grounds:
Polled Hereford Cow, Mustang Horse, Dorper Sheep, Barred Rock Chicken, Goose
Pro tip: Animals are on property at different times, but the best days to see these five are between Jan. 24 – 26 and Jan. 31 – Feb. 2.
