The Showmen – a midway journey

Nicholas Coulter-Burns rides the World’s Famous Shows merry-go-round Monday at The Showmen premiere at The Simcoe Strand. 

Chris Abbott

Editor

The Showmen, a RoseLe Studio Film by Daryl Granger, made its debut Monday night at The Simcoe Strand with two showings, and at four other Ontario theatres simultaneously.

The two-hour full-length documentary highlighted the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the thrills, and sometimes spills, involved in running a carnival midway, featuring World’s Finest Shows, a long-time Norfolk County business.

Robinson Street, from Kent to Colborne, in Simcoe was closed from early Monday morning, allowing World’s Finest Shows to set up a mini midway with free rides and games for children, enhancing premiere experience.

“We were hoping for a good weather day,” said Granger, introducing the 7 p.m. show at The Strand, noting the rides were a special under-the-radar addition – they did not broadcast their intentions. “We just let it happen. I’d like to thank World’s Finest Shows for doing that. They head out on the road tomorrow (Tuesday, May 5). Their first date is Mayfair in Toronto… which you will see.”

Granger spent a year with World’s Finest Shows gathering footage for his third award-winning full-length documentary, finishing at the 2025 Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show.

“It’s an amazing show! I’ve always wanted to go see what happens, and they gave me the opportunity. I got to run rides – I trained on some of the rides – I got to cook food, which is a disaster and I ate it,” he laughed. “And then I worked some games. Let me tell you, I’m one of those guys who went past the games, I didn’t want to make eye contact. But when you see what happens, you see the other side.

“With this documentary, I got to see all sides. The Jamiesons have been nothing but spectacular,” said Granger, noting many carnival costs were shared – educating viewers on how much it costs to make rides, transport rides, maintenance and refurbishing, food, fuel and labour costs, accommodations, insurance and safety inspections. Pretty much everything involved in the carnival industry from top to bottom.

“No one knows. No one knows how much this costs or what this expense is. You think ‘Hey, where is all the money going?’ Well, it goes very fast and I’ll show you why.

“It also clears up some misconceptions, and there’s a lot of misconceptions out there. I want to give you the truth behind the midway.”

Granger admitted ‘the showmen’ in his documentary were a little leery at first. He won them over, sharing their stories while experiencing it with them.

“I made some great friends out on the midway – they call me an honourary showman. That’s a bonus.”

Granger said one of the things he loved most was ‘loading The Scrambler.’

“I don’t ride the rides – I’m too big (6’8”) or they’re too scary, like the Merry-Go-Round,” he smiled, prompting laughter. “I fell in love with loading because these kids are so happy, the adults are happy, and you’re just happy about it.

The documentary opened with a lengthy look at the history of modern-day carnivals, going back to Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, and how midways and carnivals have evolved over the decades – the games, the first rides, prizes and more. The good and the bad.

“I hope you learned some things,” said Granger after the documentary’s conclusion.

“They’re looking for some help, the bunks are spacious…” he said, prompting more laughs.

Granger brought Patrick and Stacey Jamieson to the front of the theatre, thanking them for the opportunity and experience.

“It was these two, along with their father Barry, that gave this documentary a chance. I really want to thank you very much, I want to thank all the showmen, everyone who helped build this. It’s important that you understand how reputable midways work… because there’s a lot of variables.”