Amusement Attendant

Work description

1. Business history and activities We are a family-owned and -operated mobile carnival since 1995. Our primary business is the operation of amusement rides from early January through the end of October at multiple locations and at small to large events like county fairs, carnivals, and festivals in Texas and the Midwest of the U.S. as listed in our itinerary. As a carnival, we are in the business of operating amusement rides for public use, along with maintaining them for public operation. During our operating season, we are mobile. Carnival workers serve our need to collect tickets and fees; erect, take down, attend and maintain the rides. 2. Explanation of temporary need Our need for carnival workers is seasonal. 2.1. Tied to a season. Our need is tied to the seasons by particular events or patterns. The event season begins in January and runs through the end of October. The specific patterns that tie our business operations to various seasons are: Weather. Seasonally moderate January weather in Texas allows our events to be held outdoors. Warmth facilitates recreational activity and patronage, thereby fostering our contracted events. Some mechanical features of industry equipment are often temperature-restricted and cannot be properly operated during the cold season. The rainy season may also influence the seasonality of our business. As the season progresses to summer, we move north to Colorado, Wyoming, and North Dakota when the weather in Texas is not conducive for outdoor amusements. We then head back to Texas as fall approaches and the Texas weather is more amenable to outdoor events. Calendar lock. As is standard industry practice, our business is generally based upon working the same fairs, carnivals, and festivals each year. Thus, the events in our itinerary have their own pattern because they are contractually immutable: If an event is canceled (e.g., national emergencies, power outages) or we are unable to perform, there are no do-overs for that specific event. School calendar. The seasonal closing, followed by re-opening, of schools. This also influences the availability of volunteers for our sponsors to hold the events. Vacations. The predominance of the public taking vacations based upon weather and school operation. Agricultural events. Fair season (the predominance of agriculturally-themed, planting and harvesting fairs, festivals, and events that are oriented toward the growing season or the seasonal livestock breeding and birthing cycle). Special events. Established holidays, such as events based upon Spring Break, Fourth of July, harvest days, Fall Fests, and Halloween. Preparatory and closing activities. Our season has a time to prepare (train, orient, and set up for the first event) and a time to close (to clean, dismantle, and prepare to move equipment to storage). This is analogous to a farmer seasonally preparing planting equipment and later winterizing it. 2.2. Recurring season. The seasonal patterns undergirding our business operations are recurring and predictable. As is standard industry practice, our business is generally based upon working the same fairs, carnivals, and festivals each year. The work offered is seasonal and the events are for specific periods of time only. Each of our events has its own mini-season. This seasonal cycle is just as recurring as another weather-dependent industry: farmers planting crops in the spring and harvesting in the fall. If anything, our season is even more predictable because it is tied to contractual commitments, not variable weather. The industry could not function if events were unpredictable. Our contracts and itinerary substantiate our seasonal need. Our route varies very little from year to year because, in the industry, it is common to have multi-year contracts. The exact event dates may change slightly because they are anchored by