Facility set up for Spring Fling, UA’s annual student-run carnival, starts long before the rides light up and the Oreos are deep-fried. This week, students and campus visitors could spot large attractions like the Ferris Wheel from all around the Student Union Memorial Center and UA Mall.
This year, the carnival will feature around 29 rides, open to attendees all three days. The largest of these attractions will include Mach 1, G Force, Mega Drop and the Ferris Wheel.
The carnival rides will be provided by Ray Cammack Shows, a company that has been contracting with the UA for 35 years. RCS is a distinguished carnival entertainment provider, supplying for events across the country; after Spring Fling, RCS will make its next stop at the Pima County Fair.
“The U of A, the students, the faculty, the staff, do such a great job,” said Chris Lopez, RCS’s vice president. “They are very professional, and it’s partnerships like this that we love surrounding ourselves with,” said Chris Lopez, RCS’s vice president.
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The UA and RCS have formed a close relationship through years of partnership. The relationship they have formed is mutually valued as RCS has expressed its dedication to Spring Fling.
“RCS is family owned and operated, the longevity and partnerships like this is what we really enjoy,” said Lopez. “The amount of years we have put in, it kind of speaks for itself.”
“We have developed such an amazing relationship with them, and they are the coolest people in the world,” said Josler Tudisco, Spring Flings marketing director. “It is such a blast for us to get to work with Ray Cammack Shows.”
As a Tucson native, Tiesco has been attending Spring Fling for many years. His role shifted from guest to team member, serving as a volunteer his freshman year at the UA. Since then, Tudisco has participated as a member of business staff and, this year, as an executive team member. Through this experience, Tiesco has seen Spring Fling from a multitude of perspectives.
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“In terms of set up, it is going to be kind of like it was last year. We are always gonna have the Mega Drop and the Ferris Wheel- those are our staples,” Tudisco said. “Its incredible going to the carnival year after year and being to see all of this come together in different ways.”
Alongside these rides, student clubs and organizations will have booths set up with carnival games and food. Students must submit proposals to attain a stop at the carnival, and they receive a profit based off of their own booth’s success. Many of these booths are recurring, such as Chain Gangs Tucson famous churro booth.
These booths typically feature classical carnival games like a basketball shooting game and squirt gun target practice. Students can win teddy bears and other prizes in these booths.
“People from all parts of campus, clubs and organizations, set up booths. The students get so into it, and they’ll be screaming over their game’s intercom,” Tudisco said.
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