Reithoffer carnival at Brockton Fair

Is there anything more astonishing than the deployment of plastic arts, light and motion in Reithoffer Shows’ carnival at the Brockton Fair? It offers a mix of speed and danger and sex that comes electrifying alive on a warm summer night. The Florida-headquartered Reithoffers are a carnival dynasty dating back to 1896 when Julius Reithoffer founded his show with the purchase of a steam-driven carousel.

We happened to be at the fair yesterday for some unrelated research. Thanks to the folks at the Brockton Fair and Lynch’s Towing in Brockton for their kind welcome.

Brockton Fair, 600 Belmont St., Brockton, Massachusetts, July 1 to 12, 2009.

Photos by The New England Journal of Aesthetic Research.