Meet the family behind the rides at the State Fair

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

The State Fair of West Virginia is a family affair. Families raise animals together, attend concerts together, and ride everything from the hobby horses to the zipper to the ferris wheel together. 

It should come as no surprise, then, that the company behind the rides…is also a family. 

Six generations of Reithoffers 

Cruising around the midway each year, folks see the Reithoffer name in lights. It’s been that way since 1896. 

“My great, great grandfather came over from Germany,” explains Suzi Reithoffer, who runs the business now with her brothers. “He started with a small fair and built his way up.” 

Suzi and her brother are the fifth generation of Reithoffers to run the amusement company, and now their children–the sixth generation–are poised to continue the family tradition into the future. 

“We travel nine months out of the year,” Suzi says. “We live together for those nine months and get to see the world. I really enjoy being able to meet people and build relationships is each place.” 

In total, Reithoffer operates 28 large fairs and festivals across the country each year. Suzi and her brother run 13 of them on the east coast while their uncle runs another 15 on the west coast. 

Behind the scenes 

Every fairgoer has a favorite, or dreaded, ride along the midway. 

Year after year, people come back for the Tilt-A-Whirl, Zipper, Ferris Wheel, Hobby Horses, Giant Slide, Wild Mouse, Scrambler, and Swings. And each of those rides undergoes a rigorous safety program in the offseason as well as onsite at each fair. 

“Our kids ride those rides,” Suzi says. “Safety is our top priority.” 

She explains a two-tiered process that allows them to feel safe about putting their kids and kids attending the fair on rides each day. 

“Every day we have an inspection report,” she says. “The workers inspect the rides daily and do preventive maintenance–grease, tightening bolts, etc. We also do yearly maintenance on all the rides like replacing cables.”

“We have a training program in every aspect from safety to set up to teardown. We want everyone to leave with a good taste in their mouth.”

For Suzi, one of the keys to doing that is employing the right people and providing them proper training. 

“We use the H2B program, so a lot of our employees come from Mexico,” Suzi explains. “They come back every year, so they know what they’re doing.” 

The H2B Visa Program allows nonagricultural employers in the United States to hire foreign labor so long as domestic labor is not available and workers from other countries are only here temporarily. Participants such as Reithoffer have to work with the federal government to ensure the proper paperwork and taxes are filed for the program to continue, which the do regularly. 

“Many of our workers have been with us for 20-plus years,” she says. “They depend on us as much as we depend on them.”

While Reithoffer does own and operate all the rides, they also control the other activities within the midway space during the fair. Games and food vendors rent space from them. 

“We’re always trying to make things run a little smoother each year,” says Suzi. “We got a new ticketing system last year. Everything is automated. Instead of paper tickets, you have a card or wristband. That has helped a lot with line times. It’s quicker!” 

Local connections 

After running operations at the State Fair of West Virginia for several generations, you might not expect the Reithoffer family to spend their August in Fairlea. But each year, they do. 

“The first time we came to town many years ago, we didn’t expect the state fair to be in such a small town,” Suzi says of Fairlea. “But we’ve grown to love it. Now we come two weeks early every year to spend time in the Greenbrier Valley.” 

Last year, they walked underneath the New River Gorge Bridge as a family activity in the leadup to the fair. In years past they have gone whitewater rafting as well. 

“We look forward to the local foods and people,” she says. “We get excited for coming back each year.”

While they like to have a good time before the fair opens, once it does they don’t leave. The Reithoffer family stays onsite throughout the fair to ensure operations are running smoothly. 

“We try to do everything we can to make it a good experience for people.” 

That includes utilizing local businesses for their operation. 

“We try to use local businesses whenever possible,” she says. “Factory Tire, we buy all our tires from them each year. Loudermilk Trailer Sales, we get our RVs serviced by them every year. That’s important to us.” 

‘Another 100 years’

As a kid growing up in the Greenbrier Valley, I saved up money in order to buy gate and ride tickets each year at the fair. Those tickets represented more than just a chance to hop on a ride or see a show; they represented a family tradition that was the highlight of the summer for all of us kids. 

 With the 100th edition of the State Fair of West Virginia upcoming this August, tickets are now officially on sale. Early ticket prices include a discount  over what patrons pay at the door. 

“We’re really looking forward to it,” Suzi Reithoffer says. “100 years is a big milestone. We hope to be here for another 100 years.” 

This story is part of a series, “100 Years of the State Fair of West Virginia,” which is possible thanks in part to a grant from the Angus Peyton Fund of the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.