Strates fair opens Friday in Winter Garden

If you’re a fan of dizzying heights, flashing lights and carnival sights, West Orange County is the place to be for the next 10 days as Strates Shows Inc. brings the Winter Garden Fair to town. More than 30 amusement rides are being set up this week in anticipation of the fair, to be held April 21 through April 30 at 1500 E. Plant St., just west of State Road 429.

There will be carnival rides such as the Giant Wheel, Zipper, Sky Flyer and carousel, plus a Kiddieland designed especially for children. Traditional prize games; attractions; and festival foods, such as funnel cakes dusted with powdered sugar and French fries drizzled with vinegar, are all part of the fun. Guests can enjoy walk-around entertainment on the weekends.

The Winter Garden Fair will be produced by Orlando-based Strates Shows Inc., which celebrates its century anniversary this year.

The Strates company has been part of Winter Garden since the late 1990s, when it set up the Orange County Fair just north of the intersection of West Colonial Drive and Ninth Street, according to Marty Biniasz, manager of marketing, promotions and media relations. When that property was sold, Strates moved the fair to the property on East Plant Street around 2006.

The fair was set up in Hamlin in 2021. However, this year marks the fair’s return to the city of Winter Garden.

“It’s a great place,” Biniasz said of the property on East Plant Street. “Over the past couple decades, that area has become a convergence of multiple communities. … For our use, it’s a blank canvas to create this carnival environment for the community — with the goal of establishing events like this on an annual basis.”

The Strates Shows is a 100-year-old family-owned and -operated outdoor amusement and carnival business. Founded in 1923 by Greek immigrant James E. Strates as the Southern Tier Shows in Elmira, New York, the Strates Shows is one of America’s premiere providers of carnival midways.

The show has called Taft home since 1955. The Strates Shows is managed by the third and fourth generations of Strates family members. E. James Strates is 93 and has been in charge of the fair since 1959, Biniasz said. Jimmy Strates, Jay Strates and John Strates handle the day-to-day operations, and another family member, Nick Strates, is involved too.