Jennifer Geens
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 07/05) - The carnival rolled into town yesterday afternoon.

About a dozen trucks and trailers bearing rides, games and concessions began parking on the gravel beside the Multiplex just before noon.

Shooting Star Amusements, based out of Langley, B.C., made stops in Hay River and Behchoko on their way to Yellowknife. Usually its travelling carnival season runs from Victoria Day to Labour Day, but this year they extended it to the end of September to accommodate a trip to the NWT.

"We knew people who were here years ago who said it was worth the trip up here," said Justin Wagner, whose family owns two of the rides and two game concessions.

"We're finding everybody to be really friendly and helpful," he said. "If it works out, we'd like to come back."

All the rides needed a wash after the dusty trip along Highway 3, but they expected to have them set up, clean and ready to ride by 3 p.m. Wednesday.

The last travelling fair to visit Yellowknife was the Bailey Brothers Circus back in July 2003. That was when a Peruvian trapeze artist in a convoy carrying a six-foot python got on the wrong highway on the way out of town and ended up driving off the end of the Ingraham Trail.

This fair has neither pythons nor trapeze artists, but owner Brenda Medeiros said their most popular rides are The Sizzler and The Spider. Families usually prefer the classic ferris wheel.

The carnival will be in town until Sunday.

Then they'll turn around and head back to their homes in the south, stopping in High Level, Alta., on the way.