European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 10, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday. July 10, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 3 life is one Long festival for carnival family Willi Loh inner at his bumper or ride during a carnival at Peden Barracks in wer Thclma Germany. Home away from Home has its  and Downs storks and Ali Losby Mike Heronemus Wertheim. Germany life fur Willi  is Fesl Innis. Sibling bratwurst. Clinking Token in game Booths and the thumps of his bumper cars being rammed together by a Murii Iii and German Onmi Val gown. Jum As hears. Lowinger s family has provided carnivals for the . Military in Heidelberg for the past 30 years. His carnival will be there Friday through july 20. For the second time this year. It s one of the biggest carnivals Lowinger arranges and this summer features about 80 attractions including 15 rides for adults and children. For 27 years Lowinger has taken a carnival to wac Ryburg. This year the rides game Booths and fond stands he owns and hires will move Onlo Leighlon Barracks july 31 through aug. 10. His carnival has travelled to Peden Barracks in Wcarl him for the past seven years. The first year we were Here at pc Dan liar asks inc americans running the fast Lent ordered the same amount of Beer and cups As they had for eight Days the previous year. They sold out the first Day Lowinger said. And thai was a smaller carnival than he brings now. It s grown As big As it can get Lowinger said. This year he brought his bumper ears an octopus ride two children s rides and about 15 other amusement food and Merchand ise stands to pc Dan Barracks he also has taken carnivals to . Posts in Giehrl mud fur seven years and in Kitzinger fur 12 Jears. Gie Belstadt is the smallest carnival. In Only lasts three Days la Winger said. Hell set up his carnival Ai the Small army Airfield in october this year. Besides . Military Community carnivals lowing or contracts for carnivals in German towns from the Mannheim area Northwest to Wurzburg. I contract for 20 German carnivals  he said. He also lakes his stores and bumper car rides to carnivals he does t arrange. Wertheim Germany spending Highl months of every year travelling from town to Lown is the Only Way to live says carnival contractor Willi Low incr. The carnival season keeps him on the Road and away from his House in wies Loch near Heidelberg from mid March through mid november. Even White he s Home Lowinger contracts to set up Christmas markets in Heidelberg and Wieloch. The Only time we gel Home is Long enough to Check the mail and the Gar Den his wife said. A German Soldier lives in their basement to watch the House and lend the Garden while they arc away. On the Road Home is a specially de signed and built trailer about eight feel wide and 36 feet Long. In is As Comfort Able As Lowinger and his wife can make it and includes a Kitchen bathroom and sleeping room thai can be converted to a playroom. This year the trailer has been modified to expand the living area to about 13 feel wide after the trailer is parked. The to wingers have pulled their trailer from carnival to carnival for 14 years but it has t travelled a lot of Miles he said. Altogether including my two trucks we Only travel about 15,000 Miles a year Lowinger said. The cities Are so close together we Don t have to drive far his wife said. The Lowinger have iwo daughters. Karen. 14, still sleeps in the big trailer when she is with her parents. Her sister Kirsten 16, has a Small trailer of her own. But they Are not always on the Road. When the girls became old enough logo to school they slaved with friends while their parents worked the carnivals. Now that they arc older they attend a boarding school each year until they can join their parents with inc carnival. The girls share inc work running one of the game Booths. Lowinger s Mother helps by running the bumper cars. Although both girls help out now. Their parents Aren t sure whether they will join inc family business full time after graduation from school Kirsten is interested in my parents photography business in Wieloch Gabbi Lowinger said. Karen said she would like to join the carnival after she finishes school Bui her father says she first must learn another profession in Case the carnival business is no Good in inc future. Carnival life has had its  and Downs for the Lowinger family which moved to Germany from Switzerland in 1868. Lowinger said half of inc family became Farmers and the other half went into the carnival and other businesses. An old Book we saw had an advertisement about the new Carousel the family was bringing to a carnival. In 1905 my Mother s parents and my father s parents had a carnival bakery stand Lowinger said. They made and sold "wr,fdn." Berlin ers Jelly Rolls and ice Cream. For the 1935 world s Fuir in Brussels Belgium Lowinger s father look his car Nival business to Brussels for six months. There was no business Lowinger said. He had to sell everything to gel enough Money to get Back to Germany. Then he had to Start All  Between 1948 and 1952, Lowinger s Karen Lowinger 14, helps her father ran � carnival game stand father owned eight lottery games which he look from carnival to carnival. In 1952 he bought the first three Story ghost House Ever seen at German carnivals Lowinger said. It was not Well made so he lost a lot of  in 1976, just before his father died Lowinger bought a new bumper car ride. A father had decided not to have the ride anymore but without bumper cars a carnival is not a carnival Lowinger said. After his father s death times were very difficult for the family he said. Business was much better 20 years ago Lowinger said. He does t make As much Money today because the expense of operating rides is so much he said. A bumper car that used to Cost him 2,000 Marks now costs 8,600 Marks. Lowinger his family and his helpers often must pack up and move in the mid dle of the night in order to reach their new carnival site in time to gel every thing ready for the next festival. Many limes they Only get three or four hours of sleep a night. It is so interesting Lowinger said of carnival life. When you love the Busi Ness you can work 18 hours a  Mike Heron pm us