Midway News

Do you “Like Us”?

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 00:16:27 GMT

Have you checked out our North American Midway Entertainment Facebook page? Our page is updated all day long and provides our fans with daily posts including breaking news, video and photos. We share the links to our partner websites and post promotional information including pre-sale purchase information, concert announcements and midway discounts. Want to know who our “midway employee of the day is”? We utilize our facebook page immensely for our employee award program, recognizing the midway employee winners and posting their photos. Additionally we use facebook polls to engage fans and promote them to share their midway experience. Like Us TODAY.

Yes, There Will Be A Tennessee State FAIR!

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:00:00 GMT

There will be blue ribbons, sawdust, freshly dipped caramel apples, big green tractors and rollercoasters galore. The Tennessee State Fair has been revived by the newly formed Tennessee State Fair Association, which has plans to make the Fair much as it has been in the years gone by. North American Midway Entertainment and Rockhouse Partners produced the event in 2010 while Davidson’s County local government produced it prior to 2010. There is an attempt underway to have the State take over the fair after 2012 with the TSFA being the producer. The TSFA is composed of the State's agricultural leaders including the Commissioner of Agriculture and includes very prominent business people from around the State. The TSFA was specifically formed to keep the fair alive after the Mayor withdrew city financial support for the Fair in 2009 and announced plans to develop the fairgrounds for other uses. The fair will remain at the traditional Tennessee State Fairgrounds through 2012, while the TSFA searches for a site in the Nashville area for fairs beginning in 2013. The Board’s vision is to make it a true state fair along the successful models set by other states in the country. They are dedicated to preserving and sharing this special traditional event with future generations. “Long Live the Fair” is the 2011 theme and the dates are set for September 9-18^th.

OABA Hall Of Fame Recipient, Jeffrey Blomsness

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 23:08:36 GMT

Jeff Blomsness, CEO NAME has recently been inducted into the OABA Hall of Fame. Jeff served on the OABA Board for 12 years before being elected first Chairman of the new millennium. Jeff has also served on the IAFE Board and is a past president of the Showmen’s League of America. Check out the great video created by the OABA at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpSU7fiFc9I

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:57:12 GMT

April 15, 2011

Dear Partners, patrons and employees,

Keeping our midway safe for everyone is the number one priority for North American Midway Entertainment. It always has been, and it always will be, our most important concern, and we are very proud of our safety record.

To support our commitment to safety we have processes in place that ensure we meet or exceed all regulator and manufacturer inspection and maintenance requirements for our rides.

We have also built an employee training and support system which emphasizes safety above all else. Our employees are trained to Think Safe; Feel Safe; Look Safe and; Be Safe.

As leaders in the industry, NAME is focused on continually improving upon our safety record and our commitment to safety and, as a result, we are further strengthening our inspection and maintenance programs.

New initiatives we’re implementing place our program well above and beyond current regulatory and manufacturer requirements, and make NAME’s program the most robust and comprehensive in the industry.

Here are some of the things we’re doing:

NAME is completing additional comprehensive non-destructive testing (NDT) on every single ride in the company’s inventory. This visual and technological NDT, including X-ray examination, covers all components of each ride, not just those recommended by the ride’s manufacturer, in order to uncover any hidden defects.

All NAME rides will now undergo two separate scheduled NDT inspections each year – a comprehensive NDT inspection as well as the manufacturer’s required NDT inspection.

Any faults uncovered through the expanded NDT process will be repaired and inspected through additional post-work NDT and approved by the manufacturer, and an independent third-party inspector, prior to release of the ride for use.

NAME will contract with an independent structural engineer, when necessary, to review NDT findings and, in conjunction with the ride’s manufacturer, recommend the best approach to repair any faults found as a result of the new NDT testing.

Any new rides acquired by NAME will undergo this comprehensive inspection, including NDT, by both NAME staff and external third-party inspectors, and any fault will be corrected before the ride is put into service.

NAME has contracted with independent third-party inspectors to provide more frequent periodic inspections of NAME rides through the 2011 Canadian and U.S. fair season.

NAME is also adjusting its operations to embrace new rules focused on amusement ride safety that were announced by the regulator in Alberta in March of this year.

Our partners, our patrons and our employees know they can have confidence in the safety of our rides. The new initiatives we’re undertaking are designed to help ensure that confidence remains well-deserved.

Sincerely,

North American Midway Entertainment

Danny Huston

C0 – CEO

Safety= Core Value, Highest Priority

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:21:55 GMT

This month marks the completion of our 3rd version, NAME Employee Safety Training Video. Mike Rinehart, Corporate Director of Safety and Amber Swedgan, Director of Media and Communications worked with Calgary based video production professionals, “Director’s Chair” to update our current training program. Every year new policies and procedures are introduced and need to be included in our programs. It is critical to our success that every employee prior to employment receives safety training. Amusement rides continue to be one of the safest forms of recreational activities. This is the result of the many initiatives taken over the last several years by our industry associations, ride manufacturers, insurance professionals and certified amusement ride inspectors that demand rigorous compliance with operating procedures, extensive training and documentation and investigation of every incident and the sharing of information to ensure that the causes are understood and corrective action is taken. Safety is our core value and highest priority here at North American Midway Entertainment.

The NEW www.NAMIDWAY.com

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:20:48 GMT

Fish Bowls to Whac A Moles, Mini Hoops and Super Loops to Customer Dedication and Useful Information. The big idea behind our new website came from Mike Williams, CEO North American Midway. He wanted to have a universal website that was easy to use whether you were a parent that wanted to plan your visit, a fair executive seeking information, a future employee or a midway fanatic wanting to check out the latest rides. Additionally he wanted to provide our fair partners with equal exposure and advertising including their advance promotions, entertainment and links to their websites. The NAME team of Amber Swedgan, Mike Sievers and Patti McClain worked diligently throughout the season with website design specialists, Ikrave Designs. Ikrave redesigned and redeveloped our previous site allowing us to communicate better with specific target audiences, highlight and promote our unique company features, leverage our social networking through various feeds and really take advantage of the new standards in screen size. Visit our new website today at www.namidway.com

A Whole Lot of New

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 04:45:59 GMT

The Queen City Ex spoiled fairgoers with a whole lot of brand new and a whole lot of "good ole". A brand new centerpiece to the layout was the 6-arena facility, The Co-operators Centre. Tony Diaz, President North American Midway worked closely with Corey Mueller, Vice President, Food and Beverage, Queen City Ex on the brand new layout of Kid's World and Kiddieland. The new Kiddieland proved to be a huge success with an 11% revenue increase over 2009. Queen City Ex attracted over 211,000 fairgoers over the 5 day Exhibition. That number has not been reached since 2001. The attendance on opening day nearly doubled in comparison to last year.

The games were up 1% and midway food concessions were up a tasty 25%. The advance midway ride sale program contributes to a whopping 46% of the total ride gross.

A new family day on the final Sunday offered fairgoers free gate admission and pancake breakfast between 9:30- 11:00 am. Additionally, they honored Seniors with "Everyday is Senior's Day" promotion, discounting the gate by $5.00.

Also new was the "Days of Dinosaur" Exhibit and Saskatchewan Arts Showcase. North American Midway featured a new ride to the midway line-up, a Zamperla Skater. Rocking the concert stage this year was LMFAO, Weird Al Yankovic, Collective Soul and Doc Walker.

North American Midway Entertainment extends thanks to the Queen City Ex for another great Exhibition.

St. Joe County 4-H Fair

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 04:46:36 GMT

A Fair for Everyone! "The variety of people that actually come out here to the county to see it — we got all kinds of farm people, city people," said Mark Tingle, fair board member. "It's just a big ol' community that comes out here, and there are a lot of people that walk through the main gate."

This is the second year the event has been held during the first part of July and even with the heat advisories, the folks did walk through the gate. They walked through on opening night to see the Sheriff's Posse Rodeo – a Big Hit! Also, big crowd pleasers this year were the Demolition Derby and the Tractor Pulls! Other entertainment included the Elephant and Tiger encounter and "Pets Overboard" where all the cast have been rescued from animal shelters and rescue organizations. The popular 3 on 3 Basketball returned gaining the attention of the NAME management staff. For a little fun, the management team skillfully made it to the third round before being eliminated. Better luck next time guys!

This year, the St. Joseph County Fire Department teamed up with NAME and Mike Ayers, Unit Director of Safety familiarize their selves with evacuation procedures on the Crazy Mouse Spinning Rollercoaster and Giant Wheel, in case of an emergency. Safety First!

All Indianapolis Colts fans were on alert as given a huge treat as the "Make it Personal" Tour arrived on the fairgrounds to give the fans an up and personal "meet and greet" session. Go Blue!

State Fairs, Celebrities, and the Stanley Cup

wzacharias@namidway.com (Administrator) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 19:25:54 GMT

It was a difficult decision when Mike Williams, CEO NAME received a call from Cindy Hoye, Executive Director, Indiana State Fair to see if he would like to play a round of golf with Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts, a 6 handicapped golfer/rockstar. Other celebrity visits at this years Indiana State Fair included Ryan Wilkerson, President Haas & Wilkerson Wayne McCary, President, Eastern States Exposition and Frank Conklin.

At the Illinois State Fair, Unit Manager, Pat Repp proudly took the Stanley Cup won by the Chicago Blackhawks for a ride on the Century Wheel. Also riding the Giant Wheel at the Canadian National Exhibition and enjoying the midway games, mini donuts and deep friend butter was Victoria Secret Model, Adriana Lima and Marty and Bucky of Down with Webster.