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Bill Lynch knew how to treat people

Carnival promoter did not demean the disabled

Published Tuesday September 9th, 2008
Daily Gleaner

Re: Respect for people with disabilities

Due to the employment of people with disabilities as freaks in carnivals, it’s important not to revive the past deviant association through fundraising at those events.

Bill Lynch, who ran the biggest carnival in the Maritimes for 50 years, showed respect for those with disabilities. He started his carnival business in the 1920s. It was a travelling midway and carnival playing in the cities and towns.

After Lynch’s death the show was owned by Soggy Reid from P.E.I. The Bill Lynch Show had a freak show. It ran into the mid-1960s by my recollection.


But Lynch made sure that people with disabilities were treated with respect, even when it cost him money. I know, because he and his employees treated me with utmost respect. You didn’t have to ask for it: they gave it freely.

Lynch was a savvy man in a tough business, yet he was a generous humanitarian. The Halifax Herald newspaper set up a memorial fund in his name and wrote “As operator of the Bill Lynch Shows, Mr. Lynch was always mindful of the needs of young people, particularly the mentally challenged. Many thousands of young people were given free rides on the midway, but more importantly were the many needy families he helped financially.”

Lynch had a simple way to make people with disabilities feel welcome, but not on display as deviant. He closed the carnival for part of a day so only children with disabilities could attend. He didn’t want someone gawking at children who looked or walked differently or were in a wheelchair after those people might have seen the side show.

Those were special times. We could ride on any ride for free. They gave us cotton candy, drinks and hot dogs.

We were allowed to play the games and see anything we liked – except the freak show.

Today we understand it does not build the self-worth of the person with a disability to be associated with deviancy.

Bill Lynch knew that instinctively.

Stephen Pate
Charlottetown, P.E.I.

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