Fairground

Pat Collins Showman

The scenic dragons were in the fairground in the 50s and 60s the organ was the centrepiece of this huge ride and played merrily to attract patrons to the fairground, the ride was scrapped
but the organ was saved, restored and travels to shows all over the country.

A ride known as a 'Speedway', wooden bikes instead of waltzer type cars. Wallis' Fair (based in Towyn, near Rhyl) had one of these (right) which H&S would have shut down in an instant if it were today. They would go quite fast and I actually fell off on one occasion (my own fault I might add). I had to 'rescue' a girl in Towyn in the summer of 1966 because it was going so fast that the centrifugal force was making her lean the wrong way and she was having problems holding on. If you look at the image you can see the metal 'safety rails' upon which I would actually ride, legs locked behind the central bar, leaning over by as much as 50 degrees to counter the centrifugal force. Stupid? I suppose it was.

The Jets. These appeared around the same time as the de Haviland Comet, the worlds first jet passenger airliner, the same year I was born, 1949. Note: The word Comet on the nose

Wall of Death!