HISTORY OF LEWELLEN AMUSEMENTS

The announcement came on August 7th 1990 in Salina Kansas “We’re going to start our own show” said Rex. Up until that point the Lewellen family had never ever dreamed that such a thing was possible. We were content to own games and work them on Ottaway Amusements. The family stayed up for hours that night with thoughts of excitement about what could happen. The whole family had a say in the future for the first time. Rex asked the family to brainstorm ideas. Worried that a new show might not last he wanted to name it something that wouldn’t affect the family’s creditability in the event we failed so Lewellen Amusements was scratched from the list of possible names. Rex’s daughter Susan, ten at the time, introduced the show name along with it’s slogan, Hometown Amusements, making your hometown our hometown one week of the year. Rex wanted a new logo and had his son David, twelve at the time, design it.

It was originally thought that the show would have bumper cars and so a bumper car was designed complete with the hometown amusements lettering above it. His wife Dee would sell tickets and a small show of about ten to twelve rides would be born. But that’s not what happened…….

A series of attempts to start his own show were put aside by fear, lack of money, and the young age of his children. Over a period of six years Rex Lewellen tried to buy three shows with proven routes from which to begin. He spoke on many occasions with Toby Nemmers about the purchase of his show. He went as far as borrowing the money to buy Ray Corneilson’s show but never was able to complete a deal.

Frustrated by years of planning down the drain, in 1999, Dee and David organized a small mutiny and proceeded to purchase two kid rides. In the aftermath the decision to finally follow through and start a show was made. With members of the family believing that failure was not an option the name Lewellen Amusements was used. On November 26th 1999 over five hundred letters, informing city officials in the state of Kansas that a new carnival was being started, were sent by mail. The letters enclosed a sheet that explained our intentions to have between six to eight rides and three to four games for “Hometown family entertainment.” The phone rang off the hook for two months and shortly a schedule for our first season was completed. After the purchase of more rides and a generator the show was just about ready to go on the road. David would design a new logo that would represent a ride that the new show would have. The show logo would be a Rock-O-Plane.

Lewellen Amusements opened in Wichita Kansas on Easter weekend in 2000. The show featured seven rides including the Cobra, the Sizzler, the Swings, and three kid rides. The show also had three games and a popcorn wagon. By the end of the first season we had eight rides. Because of scheduling conflicts the route went through a large overhaul before season two. The show added a Ferris wheel, a slide and an obstacle course bounce to bring the ride total to eleven for the second season. Having proved ourselves for two years the Lewellen Amusements carnival added to an improved schedule and added another kid ride the Skyfighter. With the success of the show its size has continued to grow. Each season another piece of equipment was added. We have added a Tilt-A-Whirl, Spider, Gravitron, Merry Go Round and a Go-Gator. Lewellen Amusements now boasts twenty rides and eight games along with our popcorn/cotton candy wagon. Rex helps maintain the rides and good relations with the event coordinators. Dee takes care of all of the company’s paperwork and sells tickets. David gives breaks and is in charge of public relations, advertising and quality control. Susan maintains the food operation by operating the Popcorn wagon. As a family we have built the first new carnival in Kansas in over thirty years. Lewellen Amusements is the fastest growing carnival in the Midwest. With the support of countless Festival organizers and Fair board members we will continue to bring “Hometown Family Entertainment” to a hometown near you.

Lewellen Amusements