Defining an Industry
Amusement and Leisure

Amusement Park: an entertainment facility featuring rides, games, food and sometimes shows.

Arena: a central area used for sports or other forms of entertainment and surrounded by seats for spectators.

Attraction: an entertainment offered to the public; spectacle.

Carnival: the carnival made its debut in North America in 1894 when Frank C. Bostock brought their model of an English Fair to the United States. Carnivals are now one of the most popular forms of family entertainment in the country. There are approximately 500 carnivals that travel the United States each year, ranging in size from one or two rides to over 100 portable rides. Most carnivals remain family owned businesses with second and even third generation ownership.

Fairs: the trade fairs of the 20th century, particularly in the United States, were more in the nature of exhibitions than true fairs; various industries, such as the automobile, broadcasting, office-equipment, and textile industries, continue to hold annual fairs to display their latest products and promote sales. A great part of such activity, moreover, was taken over by the regional, national, or international exhibitions and expositions. Some European fairs became exhibitions for specialized merchandise and admitted only those exhibitors who were connected with a particular industry. In the U.S., the most common type of fair was the country or state agricultural fair. These events were originated by Elkanah Watson, a merchant of Albany, New York. Watson organized the first rural fair, the Berkshire County Fair at Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1811.

Family Entertainment Centers: a new generation of amusement facilities that may include arcade games, miniature golf, kiddie play areas, go-karts, bumper boats, batting cages, and children's amusement rides. Smaller versions are little more than large game rooms, while larger versions could be considered small scale amusement parks. Family Entertainment Centers are referred to in the industry as FEC's.

Picnic: an excursion in which the participants carry food with them and share a meal in the open air.

Recreation: refreshment, as by means of agreeable exercise. A means of enjoyable relaxation.

Show: to present or perform as a public entertainment or spectacle. To put on an exhibition or performance.

Sports Complex: an often intricate or complicated association or assemblage of related things, parts, units, etc., forming a whole: a sports complex.

Theme Park: an amusement park in which the rides, attractions, shows and buildings revolve around a central theme or group of themes. Examples include the Disney parks, the Six Flags Parks and the Paramount parks.

Water Park: most water park attractions are devices upon which the participant rides or slides. In many cases, water is injected into the ride path to reduce friction and/or to effect speed control. Water parks also offer specialty pools of varying size, shape, and depth provided for specific types of recreation and as part of some types of rides. Attractions may be built into slopes of a natural or man-built hillsides. Most slides and some pools are constructed on elevated structures.

References

Carnival Facts retrieved from the Outdoor Amusement Business Association Web address http://www.oaba.org

World Waterpark Association, P.O. Box 14826, Lenexa, Kansas 66285 U.S.A. (913) 599-0300 Fax: (913) 599-0520 http://www.waterparks.com

Random House Webster's college dictionary - 2nd. ed., 1997. Random House Web address http://www.randomhouse.com/

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Defining an Industry Amusement and Leisure

Defining an Industry
Amusement and Leisure