Midway Memories: Hubert

Hubert called the other day.  He was real upbeat.  Most of the time he calls when he needs cheering up.  Lois died a few years back, he is lonely and can see the cemetery where she is from his home.  He has made all his final arrangements and we will be notified if he dies. He doesn’t like to talk about Carnival life anymore…but he does talk about Lois, his neices in Iowa, fishing and life in Oklahoma.

I understand that Hubert was different when he was younger.

He had a wife named Wanda and two children. One day Hubert caught his wife with another man. Hubert had a gun and he shot Wanda in the leg.  Hubert went to prison. They got divorced.  Hubert was estranged from his children…and as far as I know he still is.

Hubert married Lois after he got out of the slammer.  Hubert went back out on the road.  He was the best “Wheel Man” you could find.  Far Guy worked the top of the wheel for him, a very dangerous job.  They were with Merriams for years. Lois worked in the Office and was in charge of the Ticket Sellers.  They left Merriams in 1971.  They went over to Midway of Fun.  We went to vist them in Winter Quarters near Detroit Lakes Minnesota.

After a few years they bought a Swinging Gym and went independent.  I am not quite sure what happened next…somehow they were bilked out of a bunch of money.  They retreated to Oklahoma.  I lost touch with them for a number of years.  Then one day I wrote a letter to the Cafe in a small town near where I thought they lived, the mailman happened to be in the Cafe and dropped the letter off for them…the phone rang later that day.  We had a wonderful phone visit…and many more after that!

Lois asked me to help locate Hubert’s children.  I helped to locate them, they wanted nothing to do with their father.  That made me sad, and it made Lois sad too…but there was nothing we could do about it…we never told Hubert of the search or the outcome.

In my opinion those kids are missing out on knowing a better version of their Dad.  Time is getting short as Hubert is now in his 80’s.

A photo I took from on top of the Slide in 1970 or 1971.   The Trabant is out in front. The Boss is at the controls.  On the left is a Side Show, Swingin Gym and the Wheel.  On the right is the Office Trailer, Kenny’s Joint (Darts), unknown joint and the Hot Wagon. This photo was taken in Schuyler Nebraska with a little Swinger Polaroid Camera.

Midway Memories : Double Wheels

Back in the hay day of carnival business having two popular high rides was a big deal.  They could been seen from a long ways away which made for good advertizing and the capacity was fairly good.  A good wheel man was very important. 

Promotional photos were taken so a booking agent could show the Fair Board the double wheels.  We think this is Far Guys Dad in the photo.

Waukon Iowa

The wheels would have a first man, a second man and sometimes a third man..and set up help.  Men who worked the wheel over the years were Perkel, Jerry Leper, Billy Grover, Dale Merriam, Ron Zwald, Stan the Black Man, Hubert Heeren and Virgil Landgraft. Perkel was a tall guy the spitting image of John Wayne, and he had a good sense of humor.

Hubert Heeren was one of the best wheel men ever.  Far Guy worked the wheel on set up/tear down day/night.  I would find a spot out of the way, settle in and watch.  Far Guy worked the top.  Which meant he would climb up one of the towers once it was set and raised and then balance on the top and attach all the spokes.  There was a series of ropes, the spoke was assembled on the ground and then the ropes were pulled and it rose to the center where Far Guy put in the bolts. He would slide down the cable, put together another spoke and climb up the tower and pin another spoke in place until they were all in place. It was a dangerous job, but with Hubert in control all the time injuries were minor.  Far Guy used to call it fighting the pig iron.  I learned alot by watching…and didn’t get involved other than to get them water and once in awhile searching for a cotter pin in the dark.  Far Guy fell out of the top once, hit his shins, ribs and head and bled all over in Staples Minnesota, Lois (Hubert’s wife) helped doctor him up and that was the last time he ever set up a wheel. ( Hubert calls us every once in awhile, he lives in Oklahoma and is a widower…when he gets lonesome he calls us.)

Half of the wheel seats were taken off each night and covers put on over all the seats.  If the weather turned stormy the seats would come off and four ropes were tied from the wheel to trucks. 

Sometimes that didn’t work.  Columbus Nebraska 1956

Hubert Heeren, Al Merriam, Dale Merriam and Marvin Henderson.

This wheel had the old wooden seats.  That is possibly Hubert Heeren in the photo.

The wheels were a total loss. New wheels were purchased.

This is Northfield Iowa a number of years later.   Eventually one of the wheels was sold, with the advent of other more exciting carnival rides.

When I was about 12 years old, Far Guys Dad told him to take me on some rides.  Needless to say he stood there with his hands in his pockets and his head down and mumbled “You don’t want to go on any rides do you?”  Far Guy says he said “You wanna go on some rides?”  I said “No” “No thanks.” But I relented and went on the Ferris Wheel with him.

So we have a wheel seat in our yard.