The Bill Lynch Show was a carnival that was the largest in Canada during the 1940s. The Carnival was run by business man and philanthropist William Lynch (1903–1972) of

McNabs Island McNabs Island (formerly Cornwallis Island) is the largest island in Halifax Harbour located in Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. It played a major role in defending Halifax Harbour and is now a provincial park. The island was set ...

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

. The Carnival toured the Maritimes for decades. The Bill Lynch Show was first established on McNab's Island in 1920. There was one ride: a

merry-go-round A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...

. He moved the business from the Island and began touring rural Nova Scotia in 1924. In 1928, he added a second ride: a Ferris wheel. The following year he brought his show to Halifax for the first time. By 1956 the Bill Lynch show was massive, towing 27 railway cars of rides, games and performers all around the Maritimes. Lynch hired acts such as The Turtle Girl, The Tattooed Man, The Worlds Fattest Couple, and conjoined twins Ronnie and Donnie. Lynch allowed disabled children to ride for free. Donations were made to various children's charities. Lynch shows was broken up into Maritime Amusements and Carnival Time in 2003. After 52 years in the business, Lynch died in 1972. Clarence Reid eventually took it over and ran it for another twenty years before he died in 1995. It is currently owned and operated by John T. Drummey, former controller for Bill Lynch Shows for about 20 years.

References

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Sources

Tiffany Thornton.Carnival man: Looking back at the life and legacy of influential Halifax businessman Bill Lynch. Halifax Magazine. April 2, 2014
* A. Walsh. Under the Electric Sky : the legacy of the Bill Lynch Shows. Pottersfield Press. 2010. Culture of Nova Scotia Culture of New Brunswick Carnivals in Canada Sideshows 1920 establishments in Nova Scotia Festivals established in 1920