Korek turns carnival gig into career

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This article was published 11/06/2018 (2644 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Scooter Korek was just a 17-year-old kid fresh out of high school when he walked over to the Calgary Stampede looking for a summer job.

It wasn’t until he arrived for his shift the next day that Korek realized he wouldn’t actually be working for the Stampede, but for the carnival.

Despite the mixup, Korek went along with it. After all, he was getting paid, the fair was an exciting place to work, and there were plenty of girls around.

That was 42 years ago and today, the self-proclaimed “traveller at heart” and vice-president of client relations for North American Midway Entertainment can say he has seen the country and then some, having visited every Canadian province and U.S. state.

“That’s just my buildup, that’s who I am,” he said. “I’ve just been very, very fortunate in my life that I’ve been able to do all that travelling and see all of Canada, and see all of the United States, and a good vast portion of Europe.”

Korek, along with approximately 450 staff from North American Midway, launched their Canadian tour in Brandon this past week for the Manitoba Summer Fair, an event that was expected to draw thousands of people through the gates in its 136th year.

Brandon has always served as the first spot for their Canadian tour, Korek said, and it’s a tradition he says they’re proud to be a part of.

“We love it here,” Korek said. “We’ve been coming here forever and this is a really well-organized fair.”

Korek worked primarily in the ticket office his first two to three years with the carnival, helping sellers, handling money and running pickups — filling a number of roles before landing his current title as vice-president with the company.

After his first stint with the carnival in Calgary as a teenager, Korek was asked to travel with them to Edmonton.

After that, he continued on to Toronto for the Canadian National Exhibition before starting his first semester at Ryerson University that fall.

Korek was again asked to tour with the company down south and after two day classes, Korek decided to follow the carnival for another year, being there for such highlights like the company’s first event in Puerto Rico.

“After that was over, I kind of thought I’d hang around with these guys for a little while, and that was 42 years ago and here I am sitting here today.”

Altogether, the fair will hit 150 dates in North America from March to November, Korek said, attracting upwards of 15 million visitors in that time.

Having been with the carnival for several decades, Korek said what makes him most proud is the attempt to break the typical mould of the carnival worker and instead showcase the smart, educated and hard-working people who represent the company on a daily basis — a small family as he likes to describe it.

“It’s really quite exciting because we’re providing a pretty good summer job for a lot of Canadians who would maybe have a harder time finding a job somewhere else.”

At a time when classic attractions like movie theatres have struggled to bring in people, Korek said the fair industry has managed to do quite well.

“There’s a lot of our population now that is getting their entertainment from computers and from iPhones,” he said. “That’s become a big part of our society and what fairs offer is a slice of real life.”

The carnival wrapped up on Sunday and will head next to the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg.

» mlee@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @mtaylorlee