"Setup is my favorite part of the job," says Moon, a fledgling cage fighter who won his only fight to date in March. She is the best boss I've ever had.
Corina was clearly hurt by his abrupt departure.
Once on location, the carnies begin their assembly.
| Madison, Wisconsin | USAA Madison writer goes on the road with rough characters, tough bosses and a sense of family "One thing all the Wenzel girls have in common is their father's extraordinary temper.
"For the older carnies, like Zagorski and Erickson, whose bodies break a little more each year, they'll do the work as long as they can.
Then here comes Corina, who sees right away what they can't. "Usually, a person is either your friend or your boss, but Corina is both. You won't find too many people who started a carnival with nothing," says Harley. "Sure, we might get a little loud, a little rowdy, but what the fuck? It was a helluva ride. Still, she's no shrinking violet.
"My dad was so proud of me when I got my own show.
"I was working under the Tilt and he was standing there pushing buttons.
The bartering is incessant, with exchanges like two packs of ramen noodles for a cold water or use of a fridge for a beer or two.
In addition to assembling the rides, we lay more than 500 feet of heavy-duty power lines and connect them to a 250-kilowatt generator, which powers the show. The rides come with numerous built-in safeguards, and any problems are readily detected and fixed during setup. "Today, Tilts are assembled from more than 225 steel, aluminum and fiberglass pieces weighing a combined 32,000 pounds.
"Why they do that to themselves, I don't know.
During his first year with the Wenzels, in 1999, Mark Zagorski, 51, seriously injured his back while improperly raising one of the platforms. "She just has that magic touch," says Zagorski. "Many carnies arrive dead broke.
"Standing in a field or parking lot, Corina forms a mental blueprint of the midway, then directs her sisters to where she wants the rides.
In Beaver Dam, he was accused of backing into a vehicle.
Last year, a pair of carnies cost the Wenzels a spot in St. Paul-De Pere after stealing from the beer tent after hours.
Bam! I'll say this about Harley: He just gets in the way.
But where I expected dangerous men and unpleasant bosses, I discovered instead a unique community of people who slave away their summers for a pittance, and an enigmatic family that provides many of them with far more than just a wage.At the center of it all is Corina, whose particular brand of brains, beauty and brawn leaves her both feared and adored. says Harley. "Brushed off by his family, Harley spends quite a bit of time hanging out with the carnies, cracking jokes at others' expense. Those who broke cardinal rules, like dipping into the money aprons, reselling ride tickets or drinking before work call, could expect a visit from an "enforcer." Corina and Alison laugh when I tell them he says they voted him out.
"You won't find them at carnivals anymore, but I'll tell you what: Every city in this country has one. Everything - cigarettes, beer, blankets, pillows and food - is shared.
"Corina is a bad-ass bitch, hands down," says Jeremy Moon, 25, who started with the show last year. Eventually it became too much for Harley, now 73, and he retired.
"There's no money in it anymore, but what do you do with all you've worked for?" "Ten guys will spend 30 minutes trying to figure something out, doing it every way but the right way.
"Managing carnies requires a drill sergeant's fierceness: shouting orders, hurling insults and punishing those who don't meet expectations.When Corina's father, Harley, ran the show, it was an even harsher place. "But every year people complain about how expensive it's getting. "We're all one big family.
She expects to work for the carnival until she retires. "I currently work for the Wenzel's carnival. "Corina, 35, runs Wenzel Amazements, a carnival based in Allenton, Wis., near West Bend.
"Ten years ago I wanted to kill everybody who worked for me," he says. They do watch us here." "Harley Wenzel, like his daughters, was born into the carnival. "I went to my knees and couldn't feel my legs," he recalls. "Our rides are inspected twice a week, during setup and teardown.
"That thing made some serious money. "The job offers workers a temporary reprieve from the disorder of their lives. It's physical even for a 30-year-old," says Zagorski. "Others think it's a big fucking party, but it's a job.
In Monona, after observing some carnies standing around during teardown, he lamented how easy we have it under Corina.
We really are good people here at Wenzel Amazements.ISTHMUS is © 2020 Red Card Media, Inc. | All rights reserved. "Harley says he's "damn proud" of his daughters, especially Corina, without whom the show would end.
"That would be a true statement," Corina says, laughing when asked about this.
Though the accusation was unsubstantiated, Harley was cited for disorderly conduct after berating the officer.
Harley picked him up.Instead of lavish vacations, Corina and her sisters spend winters driving truck part-time and refurbishing and painting the rides. "Let's just say that if Corina wasn't doing this, there'd be an auction," says her mother, Ann, company treasurer and ticket seller.Corina seldom isn't working. Countless times, my coworkers and I have helped those in need. "We were in Madison, so she had to have known something was going to happen. "All the smoking, drinking and laziness, I can't stand it. "After throwing around steel for eight hours on a 90-degree day, all anyone wants is to get fucked up," says Moon. Both Liz and Alison will swear and holler all day long, while Corina rarely raises her voice. "It is getting harder and harder to do. "Setup stretches over two days. This is a busy spot, so we need you all here. The company was launched in the 1970s by her parents.