Presented by Alan Cowie & Sons Fun Fairs, the Mega Value Fun Park event was back in Huddersfield recently, albeit at a new location.
For a number of years, the Cambridge Road car park on the edge of the town centre has been the location for the fair, and it’s been a popular one, too. However, this year the ground was deemed unavailable, although a new ground was offered at Birkby around a mile away at the Fartown Arena.
Opening from Thursday 4 to Sunday 14 August, the ground, which is actually in a reasonable location, never quite matched up to the previous one for the lessees, with attendances being well down despite a sizeable advertising campaign. With the venue being just off one of the main roads and missing thousands of cars passing by, it failed to attract the numbers of the usual ground, which is in a prime position.
Unfortunately. the move did not seem to benefit either the Showmen or the public of Huddersfield, despite the best efforts of Alan and Jordan Cowie, who brought a good sized fair to he area with plenty of attractions that could be sampled for a bargain £7 for three hours.
The majority of attractions were new, too, and on rare visits into West Yorkshire. Alan Cowie’s own Rage Cage Meteorite was present, as were Jordan Cowie’s tagada and coaster. These were all on return visits, but were joined by three machines you would rarely see in Yorkshire, comprising Marshall Hill’s dodgems, Pleasure Dome waltzer and Ski Jump coaster, as well as Stanley John Cubbins’ Sizzler Twist.
Whether it was the heatwave over the second weekend or the location that was the problem remains to be seen, but judging by the attendance the public definitely prefer the old ground to the new one.
Main photo: Marshall Hill’s Pleasure Dome waltzer on a rare visit to Yorkshire.
