Scooter Korek marks 50 years on the KDays midway: 'I love every minute of it'
The vice-president of North American Midway Entertainment has spent half a century running the carnival circuit—and shows no signs of stopping.
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Gregg "Scooter" Korek has spent 50 consecutive summers running the KDays midway—and his passion hasn't dimmed since the day he walked into a job line on Calgary's Macleod Trail in 1977.
Korek, vice-president of client services for North American Midway Entertainment, oversees midways and fairs across North America for eight months of the year. "Every day I'm waking up and entertaining 100,000 people," he said. His career began at the Calgary Stampede straight out of school. "I'm driving down Macleod Trail in Calgary, I see a big, long job line for the Calgary Stampede. I wait in line, get a job with the Stampede, come back the next morning and I'm actually working for the carnival," he explained. What he thought was a summer gig became a lifetime.
Over five decades with the entertainment company—through mergers and name changes—Korek has watched the industry evolve. The mechanical rides "have gotten so much better over the years," he said. His favorite, the Wave Swinger that sends riders in swings soaring around a carousel, is also marking five decades on the job this year. "That ride is only halfway through its life. I think it's going to outlast me, for sure," he joked.
KDays manager Melinda Quan, who has known Korek for 25 years, credits him with shaping the fair industry and giving generations of Edmontonians an incredible experience. "This isn't work for him," she said. "This is just something he really, truly enjoys."
For Korek, the answer to when he might retire is simple: "I'm going to stick around until I don't like it anymore. And guess what? I woke up this morning, I love every minute of it."
