Carnies Find County Festival a Joy Ride : Conejo Valley Days: Workers say they enjoy putting on the annual event because the local crowds are so friendly.

For Ventura County residents, Conejo Valley Days is one of those times of year when the carnival comes to town.

For the carnival workers, the event is a chance to relax with a crowd that is friendlier than most, said Jim Butzer, general manager of Show of Shows Inc., which provides the rides, booths and concessions for the carnival.

“This is my third year doing it. It gets bigger each year,” Butzer said, as he made last-minute inspections before the event opened Wednesday.

Despite its size--36 rides and seven game booths--Conejo Valley Days is a fun show to put on, Butzer said. “The people here are nicer,” he added.

Butzer, 65, has been with carnivals for 30 years, and they no longer hold as much pleasure for him. “It used to be fun,” he sighed. “Now it’s a business . . . all rules and regulations and paper work.”

John Everson, who manages the Zipper ride, still finds the carnival business fascinating after five years of being a carny. He said he makes about $175 a week, has fun flirting with the female customers and has learned the value of patience when dealing with the more unreasonable patrons.

“The people out here are a lot friendlier. We play a lot of spots in L.A. and . . . .” He trailed off and rolled his eyes. “The gangs will come in and fight with each other and disturb the customers,” Everson said. “They don’t mess with us.”

Everson, 33, is one of 24 full-time Show of Shows Inc. employees. He works with some of the 18 extra people hired to handle Conejo Valley Days.

Everson lives in a bunkhouse trailer with other carnies in Pomona, where the carnival is based. From about February to October, the trailer is on the road, going from town to town, doing a different show each week. Everson, like other “ride jocks,” has long hours; he works six days a week, from about 8 in the morning to 11 at night.

The hours don’t faze him because, for him, the carnival is “home.” In the off-season, from November to January, Everson continues working at Pomona, helping repair the rides and machinery for the next season.

“I’m learning a lot about hydraulics, painting and welding,” he added.

The most important thing Randy Hague learned from his five years as a carny was the art of selling. Hague, 45, is in charge of the Coke Roll game booth, where customers try to knock two Coke bottles down with a ball.

“It’s kinda like bowling,” he said.

Hague, Butzer and Everson are coming to Conejo Valley Days for the third time. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re true California people here, laid-back and friendly.”

Being a carny, he said, “teaches salesmanship. . . . We’re selling fun.”

Like his fellow carnies, Hague enjoys traveling and meeting new people. The carnival is like one big family and carnies come from every walk of life, he said.

Hague was a 40-year-old vice president of a pharmaceutical company when he decided to join the carnival. “I was in the park one day, and I was interested watching them set up . . . . I’ve been with them ever since,” he said.

Some of the carnies once were homeless, some were ex-convicts who found it difficult to get regular jobs because of their records and others are on the run from alimony payments, Hague said. “For some people, the carnival is a second chance,” he added.

One trend in the carnival industry Hague has noted is the great reduction in drug use. “A lot of shows have cleaned up their acts. We discourage drugs. We have our own set of rules: The first time you get a warning. The second time you get hurt. There isn’t a third time.”

“It’s the school of hard knocks,” agreed Jim Jewell, a “ride jock” for the Round-Up.

Jewell, 24, began his carny career when he was 14. “I was at a carnival, they took all my money, and I asked if they could use some help,” he said.

But don’t call him a carny. He resents the term because of the bad reputation attached to it. Jewell added, “If someone called me a carny, I’d probably punch him in the nose. I’m not a carny, I’m a showman.”

“We do all of this so people can have fun,” he said. “There’s nothing like seeing a little kid with a smile on his face.”