By Khalida Sarwari
When the doors open for the annual Santa Clara County Fair on Aug. 2, one of the first things that guests will see is a banner announcing the fair’s dedication to “Butch” Butler.
Butler, who died last year at the age of 69, was the president and CEO of Butler Amusements, a family-owned and -operated company that provides the carnival for the Santa Clara County Fair. He was also a resident of Campbell.
The 2012 fair, taking place at the county fairgrounds in San Jose from Aug. 2-5, will celebrate the spirit and vision of Butler, according to Steve Stagnaro, director of marketing at the Santa Clara County Fair Management Corporation.
“His leadership made him one of the most respected carnival operators in the nation, and one of the strongest voices promoting improved carnival ride safety,” said Stagnaro.
Butler was inducted into the Western Fairs Association Hall of Fame in 2005 after building a company that now provides the carnival for 34 fairs and more than 80 festivals and events.
But it was at the Santa Clara County Fair where Butler invested much of his time, considering it is his hometown fair.
He got his start in the business at the age of 13, following in the footsteps of his parents, George and Evelyn Butler, who operated a game concession at festivals on the weekends in Austin, Minn., where Butler was born.
In 1967, Butler moved his wife, Mary Lou, and daughters to California and three years later founded Butler Amusements with his parents.
The company made its debut in early 1970 in Mountain View, and by the end of that year contracted its very first fair in Ukiah. By 1975, Butler Amusements was providing the carnivals at 23 California fairs. In the 1980s and ’90s, the company expanded to other states, including Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Arizona and Nevada. Butler Amusements now boasts more than 140 amusement rides that operate in seven states.
Throughout the years, Butler consistently helped promote improved carnival ride safety and game legislation in California. He served in many leadership capacities, including president of the Showfolks of America, Showmen’s League of America and Pacific Coast Showmen’s League, service member director of the Western Fairs Association, member of the board of directors for Preferred Amusement Risk and chairman of its Loss Prevention Committee.
Butler’s motto was “Cleanest Show in the West,” which to him meant having clean-cut employees, a litter-free carnival midway and a safe and customer-friendly environment.
Butler’s family remains involved in many facets of the company’s operation, from unit management and food concessions to office operation and finance. Aside from his family, Butler’s other loves were sports–basketball being his favorite–and charity work. He was known for holding fundraising carnivals and funding public and private academic scholarship programs as well as donating to local 4-H organizations.
The Santa Clara County Fair will run from noon to 9 p.m. on Aug. 2-5. For complete fair details, visit www.thefair.org.
Annual county fair is dedicated to the memory of Campbell’s Butler
