By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
It’s summer and with the hot blowing breeze comes something special to western Kansas – fairs and carnivals – and the first of the season in Hays begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. at The Mall, 2918 Vine.
“It’ll go until about 11 p.m. on weeknights and then perhaps midnight on Friday and Saturday — it just depends,” said Katie Dorzweiler, property manager for The Mall. Originally, Dorzweiler believed the carnival would begin earlier, but with the intense heat predicted in Hays this weekend, the carnival will not begin until later in the evening.
Rickey Moore, owner of Moore’s Greater Shows, added that it was best for children not to come to early during the heat, and so the carnival opening time was pushed back, encouraging safety.
While the intense heat may stifle a bit of the fun, Dorzweiler said bringing these kinds of events to Hays is important.
“When it first began, they did have carnival and different festivals and things here to promote for the community,” she said. “The Mall is neighborhood and community and so this is the hub of Hays, and Hays is the largest city in western Kansas and so, when everything that I do, every action I take I think about what is the brand, what is our personality and so I think of family and community activities. And so when Moore contacted me … it felt right aligned with what I wanna stand for here.”
Having a carnival might bring people out to The Mall, but it’s set up and run completely independently from The Mall operations, with no expense to bring the carnival here.
“They foot all the cost. They have generators that power their entire production,” Dorzweiler said. “We do offer water and things of that nature for fire hazards or anything like that but, we don’t provide any electricity, we just provide them the property and so, yeah, it’s pretty low maintenance. It takes up a good portion of our property, but it’s really really fun for families, so it works out.”
As fun as the carnival is already, Moore, who is working on site during the carnival, made the carnival even better for Hays residents this year.
“He normally sets up one specific day that’s wristband night but for our community and making it more fun and more interactive for all the families involved he’s making it wristband every night so they’ll be available Wednesday through Sunday,” Dorzweiler said.
“We’ve got quite a few rides for the family,” Moore said. “They’ll really enjoy it.”
For Moore, carnivals are more than a business, it is a way of life.
“We have been in the business, our family, for over 90 years,” Moore said. “My grandfather was in the business. He started it in 1920-something, then my father, now it’s me and then hopefully my kids will take over.
“I’ve been coming to Hays off and on for 30 to 40 years,” he said. “Hays has always been a nice town. I like Hays.”