Biz Buzz: Hard not to smile when every day is a carnival

Call Rick Larson a "carnie," and he isn't offended in the least. That's exactly what he is: A carnival company operator from Armona who's been in the business in some capacity since the age of eight. On a sprawling property off Hanford-Armona Road, the 54-year-old Larson presides over American Traveling Shows, an operation with as many as 50 employees, complete with bunk trailers with narrow berths for each. He has 26 rides, the trucks to haul them around in and a ton of other equipment he moves up and down the Central Valley, plunking it down at fairs and festivals for a week's stay at a time.