COCOA CREAM PUFF CURBSIDE PICK UP BEGINS TOMORROW

Cocoa Cream Puffs presented by Sentry

What: Curbside Pick Up of Cocoa Cream Puffs, Peppermint Brownies, and Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Dates: Friday, Dec. 11 – Sunday, Dec. 13
Times: Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis – please enter at Gate 5

Wisconsin State Fair and The Original Cream Puffs® officials are excited to debut the all-new Cocoa Cream Puff. This specialty Cream Puff features silky smooth cocoa-infused cream between the freshly baked puff. Only the new cocoa flavor will be available on these select days, in 3-packs and 6-packs, Dec. 11 – 13. Original Cream Puffs will not be available.

Blue Ribbon Brownies get a holiday make-over as well with a peppermint infusion and festive sprinkles. The new Peppermint Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies will be available in 3-packs for curbside pick up Dec. 11 – 13.

Pre-orders for Cocoa Cream Puffs, Peppermint Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies are strongly recommended to guarantee availability. These festive treats make a great gift bundled with 2021 Fair tickets, now available for the lowest price at WiStateFair.com.

Additional ways to gift the gift of the State Fair this season:

• State Fair Tickets and Bundles – including the lowest price admission tickets for the 2021 Fair

• FairWear and Gifts by TSMGI – including an ugly sweater mask and cream puff scented candle
• State Fair Ornament benefiting the Wisconsin State Fair Park Foundation – collectable “Stickin’ it to 2020” ornament
• State Fair Main Stage tickets – shows on sale now include Skillet, Chris Young, Brothers Osborne, Boyz II Men, and The Beach Boys
• Virtual Vendor Marketplace – includes over 300 vendors – many of which are local or Wisconsin-based

In Memory of Rene Piche
1936-2020

A self proclaimed farm boy, Rene Piche was far from simple in the ways of business. An icon in the concession industry, he mentored many and paved the way for concessionaires to follow. At 20 years old he purchased his first french fry trailer for $1500 and slept on the floor for several seasons before getting a camper. Blessed with an articulate way with words and an unwavering work ethic, by the height of Jacks Fries, he had 17 joints on the road playing multiple fairs and locations simultaneously.

Rene had three children with his first wife Elsie Piche; Jeanne, Rene Daniel, and Mark who all grew up in and worked the family business. After the death of his first son and divorce from Elsie, Rene married Judy who became the love of his life, and in suit became the father of her son Bradly. Rene also outlived his only daughter Jeanne. He leaves behind two siblings, Jeanne Renaud and Morris Piche and many nephews and nieces. He had six grandchildren: Gary, Crystal, Hunter, Alec, Alyssa, and Amber.

As his friends and family know, he had the ability to make you feel like the most special person in the room. His genuine spirit was a gift to us all who knew him and leaves us with a multitude of wonderful memories, funny stories, and wisdom he was happy to share. He will be greatly missed. 

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Saturday, December 12 at 1pm at the Club on Treasure Island. The care of Mr. Piche and his family has been entrusted to David C. Gross Funeral Home in St. Petersburg.

From the desk of Vanessa Gagne:
ANIMAL ISSUES LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

December 3, 2020

UPDATES

The Big Cat Public Safety Act, H.R. 1380 is being voted on this week by the U.S. House.  Please get your opposition letters in to your state representatives. 

A volunteer was seriously injured at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, the ‘sanctuary’ owned and operated by Carole Baskin.  The volunteer may lose her arm.

Christina Fay, the Great Dane breeder from New Hampshire, lost her case in the N.H. Supreme court suing for invasion of privacy and illegal search and seizure. 
Supreme Court rules against Great Dane owner

IN THE NEWS

Pushing Elephant “Personhood”

Netflix ‘Tiger King’ Crime Tale Fuels Bid to Curb Big Cat Owners

Dade City’s Wild Things must pay PETA $399,000, judge rules

PETA gets judge's OK to inspect Tiger King Park

Mayor’s highly touted Office of Animal Welfare barely functioning

Chimpanzee sanctuaries are under fire. Can a new science-based tool improve ape welfare?

Michigan’s Carnivals, Circuses, and Fairs: 1890s-1960s

The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation Announces Inductees for the Class of 2021 After Conducting Global Outreach

SARASOTA, FLORIDA – November 23, 2020 - The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation announced today the Class of 2021. The announcement follows an extensive global nominating and voting process.

“With this class of inductees, The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation embarks on a global quest to honor the best of the best. It is our goal to grow the stature of this award and make Sarasota a premiere destination for the worldwide circus community to gather on an annual basis,” said Bill Powell Foundation Chair. 

The Circus Ring of Fame Class of 2021 inductees are:

1. Galaxy Girl, Tina Winn – Seventh generation extreme aerialist who performs dazzling gymnastic routines at heights of up to 130 feet in the air. Tina Winn has been performing for multiple decades and began her training in the circus arts as a child with her family. 

2. Nik Wallenda, King of the High Wire has crisscrossed the globe with never-before-seen death defying acts. As a direct descendant of the original Wallenda troupe headed by patriarch Karl Wallenda, Nik carries on multiple decades of family tradition of spectacular aerial artistry and death-defying thrills. 

3. George Carden – Prominent multi decade circus producer headquartered in Missouri who has raised millions of dollars for charitable causes through the work of his circus and sponsoring organizations.

4. Willie Edelston – As the 1941 National YMCA Ring Champion, Willie Edelston had a love for performing. He signed with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as a trapeze artist and continued this work for multiple decades on numerous shows. For more than 50 years, Willie volunteered at the Sailor Circus. Hundreds of students have benefited from his coaching. He taught flying trapeze, rings, tumbling, and hand-balancing.

5. The Richter Family - One of Europe's premiere multi-generational circus families. They are best known for their elephant, horse and exotic animal and human acrobatic productions. The Richter family all began performing as young children. They come from multiple generations of circus performers. Besides performing amazing acrobatic feats with horses and elephants, these performers are noted for the training and care of their animal companions. Their animal acts embrace the concept of humans and animals working side by side in the circus arts.

The new inductees to the Circus Ring of Fame will join the 150 who have been honored since 1987. All of those who have been recognized have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus. The annual ceremony, traditionally held in early January, will be delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions on public gatherings. Updates on the ceremony will be posted on the website and social media pages.

About the Circus Ring of Fame Foundation - The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the core purpose of recognizing the highest of achievement in circus arts and culture. 

Social page: https://www.facebook.com/circusringoffame

Website: www.circusringoffame.org

For more information contact: HARTLINE Communications at: 813-494-7768 or melinda@hartlinecommunications.com

U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices*(dollars per gallon)full history XLS

				Change from
	11/16/20	11/23/20	11/30/20	week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.441	2.462	2.502	0.040	-0.568
East Coast (PADD1)	2.487	2.506	2.540	0.034	-0.519
New England (PADD1A)	2.552	2.558	2.575	0.017	-0.503
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	2.684	2.705	2.743	0.038	-0.503
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.337	2.365	2.400	0.035	-0.528
Midwest (PADD2)	2.339	2.359	2.404	0.045	-0.578
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.180	2.210	2.254	0.044	-0.525
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.490	2.515	2.540	0.025	-0.701
West Coast (PADD5)	2.990	3.007	3.040	0.033	-0.664
West Coast less California	2.686	2.713	2.742	0.029	-0.640
California	3.240	3.253	3.288	0.035	-0.672

*prices include all taxes

From the desk of Vanessa Gagne:
ANIMAL ISSUES LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

November 19, 2020

UPDATES

Animal welfare report: The COVID curveball
Animal welfare experts like Temple Grandin shared information and insight at the 2020 Animal Care & Handling Conference, held virtually last month.

Amherst (Massachusetts) bans exotic and wild animals at future shows
“Bahl-Milne wrote in a memo to her colleagues about the importance of adopting the bylaw, referencing Beulah, the elephant that died at the Eastern States Exposition in 2019…”

Canceled Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Will Cost City, Communities $110M

IN THE NEWS

In the West, wild horses are an out-of-control problem — and ranchers and animal rights activists are locked in conflict over their fate

Jim Wells County negotiating major new economic development
This new primate breeding facility in Texas would shift away from a dependency on China to supply primates for animal testing.

Resurrecting a rule shelved in 2016 could tackle horse-soring head-on, says HSUS

Dear OFMA Members,

Having had the experience with COVID-19 this present year, as have all the other fairs, has been very trying. I have been extremely frustrated, to say the least, at the position the Governor of Ohio has taken regarding our industry, which includes carnivals, fairs, festivals and any other associated business such as the food and games.

There needs to be a remedy to this situation and I have a plan that I am going to propose to OFMA (Ohio Fair Managers Assn.) and GOSA (Gtr. Ohio Showmen's Assn.). The problem came to light as 2020 developed and the Governor shut down our industry. He originally shut down both the portable amusement rides and the amusement parks. Eventually Cedar Fair, aka Cedar Point, and Kings Island, filed a lawsuit against the State of Ohio, and it was determined that the parks could open with regulatory guidance. However, the portable rides were not allowed to operate.

The inequality is what infuriates me. After being in business for 53 years, I have enough experience to handle the problems that may arise. The Governor, on the other hand, made the decision that I did not have the ability to do what Cedar Fair could do and would not allow our industry to open. I know there is nothing Cedar Fair is doing that I could not do and it’s unfathomable that the Governor would not allow us to open without an explanation of what we could not do. This is totally unacceptable.

My proposed plan would be as follows:

Come January 1, 2021 I am going to try to open at the mall in Steubenville, Ohio, and request that the rides be inspected by the State; we will at that time know if the “new norm” is what it was last year. If that be the case, our organizations need to be pro-active and be in position to file a lawsuit against the State of Ohio as was done in the past by Cedar Fair. I have been in contact with a couple of law firms at this time but I have not made any commitments to hire an attorney. Going forward we need to get commitments for funding from any and every party associated with the industry.

I am reaching out to all parties to make a commitment to assist in the financial cost in this endeavor. At this time the cost is undetermined. I fully understand the hardship of not working this year has created for our companies. We are not able to sustain another year of not being able to operate. You won’t have to worry about 2022, our industry will be dissolved.

Looking for support, comments and constructive criticism that might help our issue. Below is my contact information.

Eric Bates
Bates Brothers Amusement Co.
Cell – 740-412-916-9210
ericjbates@prodigy.net

U.S. On-Highway Diesel Fuel Prices*

				Change from
	10/26/20	11/02/20	11/09/20	week ago	year ago
U.S.	2.385	2.372	2.383	0.011	-0.690
East Coast (PADD1)	2.461	2.444	2.450	0.006	-0.600
New England (PADD1A)	2.574	2.556	2.554	-0.002	-0.488
Central Atlantic (PADD1B)	2.648	2.646	2.645	-0.001	-0.600
Lower Atlantic (PADD1C)	2.311	2.284	2.296	0.012	-0.623
Midwest (PADD2)	2.262	2.246	2.261	0.015	-0.711
Gulf Coast (PADD3)	2.146	2.131	2.132	0.001	-0.663
Rocky Mountain (PADD4)	2.324	2.324	2.372	0.048	-0.831
West Coast (PADD5)	2.920	2.920	2.937	0.017	-0.821
West Coast less California	2.537	2.541	2.572	0.031	-0.863
California	3.235	3.231	3.237	0.006	-0.777

*prices include all taxes

From the desk of Vanessa Gagne:
ANIMAL ISSUES LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

November 5, 2020

UPDATES

Exotic zoo owner cleared on charges, but he says 200 animals taken in raid have died

Denmark Will Kill All Farmed Mink, Citing Coronavirus Infections
Government officials said on Wednesday that a mutation in the virus could interfere with vaccine effectiveness in humans.

Festus-area facility to give up chimps after settlement with PETA

IN THE NEWS

Animal Rights Activists Protest HSUS Board Chair Susan Atherton Over Cruelty at Project Chimps

Other animal rights activists are turning against HSUS and their management of the chimpanzees in their care at Project Chimps.

New DuPage fairgrounds lease prohibits events — other than the fair — in which animals are used or sold

Colorado's pioneer yak ranchers treat their majestic animals like family

‘I’m very heartbroken:’ 50 birds, two monkeys stolen from Kissimmee exotic pet store

Take A Walk On The Wild Side

The 22nd District Agricultural Association/ San Diego County Fair (22nd DAA) expects to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) seeking a master operator who can provide 100% of all rides, games and food currently in its Fun Zone and Kid Zone midway areas (Midway). Through the RFP, the 22nd DAA is seeking a single operator to provide and operate a high quality midway. Not only should a single operator provide the latest and most popular midway rides, games, and food and beverage concessions, but should also provide related equipment including, for example, a fully proven and operational electronic ticket or redemption system "with an operational iOS and Android-based mobile phone app, contactless payment ability, ticket booths, rest areas, benches and plant material, umbrellas and full-time personnel trained and experienced in management, safety, marketing, public relations, and promotions, etc.

Read full text of Intent to RFP