Carnival operator: moving Corn Palace Festival back to Main Street would complicate layout, safety and power

The Corn Palace Board on a call discussed a proposal to move the Corn Palace Festival carnival back onto Main Street, a location Gold Star Amusement has used in years past. Timmy Bissettin, a representative of Gold Star Amusement, told the board the company would be “hesitant to move back down on the street for multiple different reasons,” citing businesses blocking footprints, fire access, vandalism and generator/power limits.

The discussion matters because board members and local businesses want the festival downtown for pedestrian flow and foot traffic, while the carnival operator says modern ride trailers, fire-lane requirements and security concerns limit what can safely be placed on narrower, updated streets.

Bissettin outlined four primary concerns. First, he said individual businesses sometimes insist rides not block their doors, and shifting one ride can force a “chain reaction” that disrupts the entire footprint. “If somebody comes out and says, you can't walk my business, you've gotta move down 20 feet. Well, if you take 1 ride that's 50 foot long and move it 20 feet, it's a chain reaction on everything that we do on those streets,” he said.

Second, Bissettin said the fire department has required 15- to 20-foot clearances in the past, reducing usable street width and the number of rides that can fit. “When we're on the street, the fire department requires a firelight…when your streets are only so wide,” he said. Third, he reported more vandalism and theft when the carnival was on downtown streets near bars, including stolen signage and damaged beautification items. Fourth, he warned that spreading rides farther down city streets increases generator runs and can leave the operator short of power and cable reach, which would reduce the number of rides they could place; the contract calls for “approximately 20 rides.”

Board members and staff raised possible mitigations. Jason Bates, a board member, said many residents prefer a downtown layout because it historically provided traffic flow and shade for older patrons, but also noted the current lot-based location felt less congested for families. Stephanie Alwine, city/Corn Palace staff, and Dave, the new Corn Palace director, told Gold Star they would prepare a layout showing the new curb bump-outs and available adjacent lots, including a parking lot by the Western Building and Veterans/Park parking areas that might host larger rides or support vehicles.

Bissettin said what the carnival would need to agree to a downtown plan: a preapproved layout showing where fire lanes must run, written sign-off or an understanding that certain business entrances may be temporarily blocked, and security (police or private security with direct police communication) to patrol after bar close to reduce theft and damage. He said private security could be acceptable “as long as they had some way to directly communicate with the police department,” and cautioned that private guards calling 911 often arrive too late to prevent vandals from leaving.

No formal vote was taken. The board directed staff to produce and return a detailed visual layout showing the street dimensions with the new curb bump-outs, proposed ride footprints and potential adjacent lots; staff will solicit a fire-department specification for the required fire-lane width and will present the plan to Gold Star for feedback. The board also discussed reaching out to downtown businesses for advance notice or sign-off and possible staging/parking locations for generators and support trailers.

The board and Gold Star also discussed operational details from past years: whether rides run facing businesses or facing inward, how recent equipment (larger trailer-mounted rides) affects sight lines and flow, and how previous arrangements used side streets for support vehicles. Bissettin said the company prefers layouts that allow people to see rides from a central aisle and cautioned against back-to-back trailer placements that create a visual “wall.”

Board members noted the downtown business mix has changed since earlier eras and that some businesses that previously objected are no longer present. Members agreed to a quick turnaround on the requested layout and to schedule a special meeting if needed before the next regular board meeting to review whether a Main Street plan is feasible.

Ending: The board left the matter open. Staff will return a diagram that includes the new curb bump-outs, marked fire-lane access points from the fire department, and possible adjacent parking lots; the Corn Palace Board and Gold Star Amusement will review that layout and discuss security, business notifications and generator/power staging before any final decision.