After the hectic Gala month of June, July is a bit quieter for fairs with some lasting just about the whole month such as Braehead and Glasgow Green. Starting in the first week of July and ending in the last weekend, both fairs are open from 12pm till 8pm, 7 days a weeks which can be long and tiring, especially if the weather isnt up to much and after writing in last July's review that it was one of the hottest on records, this July has went on record to be the wettest in over 200yrs! Scotland was not hit as bad as parts of England but still more rain fell than normal resulting in a lot of grounds being softer than usual.

As mentioned before, Glasgow Green was open for the duration of July on a different section of the Green this year which resulted in a change of layout. 5 Machines were present at this years fair with Chance Hanleys Skydiver, Joe Richard Whites Twist and Asa Taylors popular Waltzers on first time visits. Taylors Waltzers replacing John Whites who has retired. Trevor Smiths Dodgems and Sheldon Johnstones Superbob joined them to bring a nice compact family fair with a good array of supporting equipment including 3 Bingo Stalls! The weather was overcast when I visited and the ground was very soft due to rain the previous few days. About 10 miles away, Hiscoes presented their summer fair at Braehead Shopping Centre with the usual array of Hiscoes rides and joining them were Eddie Pinders "Indys Trail" Funhouse and Randall Taylors Gallopers which are now a regular site at the Shopping Centre with Hiscoes. Trade was said to be slightly down on last year.

At Johnstone Park in Alva, the 151st Highland Games took place on Saturday 14th, with the fair opening the Wednesday before. A clash of dates with some fairs meant there was a lot of gaps on the ground mainly in the Juveniles and side attractions. 5 machines were again present including regulars Justin Codonas Waltzers and John Batemans Rock'O'Plane. Jensen Codona also made a return visit the the fair with his "Street Dancer" Miami but also brought along his "Sizzler" Twist. Troy Taylors Tristar was the 5th machine back after a years absence. A few showmen I spoke to said that trade had been good up until Friday afternoon when the weather changed for the worst, and the Games day itself was 'reasonable'. Some of the smaller attractions at Alva pulled down after the games to head for the Games Day at Burntisland on the Monday. The fair at Burntisland had been growing over the weeks and had a few changes in the line up this year. Unfortunatley the Games were actually cancelled on the Monday morning due to non stop rain from the early hours. The fair went ahead but an announcement on the radio that morning saying the Games & Fair were cancelled resulted in trade not being what it should have been. New to the fair this year were John Wheatleys "Speed Buzz" Fun Factory, John Irvins Bungees which were open at its first fair and a very attractive set of Chair'O'Planes belonging to Hornes Pleasure Fairs but on loan to Ervin Gamble who was presenting them for the duration of the fair. Warren Taylor made a welcome return to the fair with his Pony Express & "Crazy Frog" Jumper which seemed to be pulling in the riders. While Joe White is in Ireland with his "Hellchaser" Ghost Train, his position was occupied by Damien Batemans Round Up which has attended the games before. John Evans Waltzers, Clarks Chair'O'Planes and Graham Sedgwicks Superspin were all missing from this years fair which meant ride duplications were kept to a minimal.

The Slater family presented a very well laid out family fair at Kelso's Croft Park for about a week in mid July. This is the first time I have visited a Slaters fair and was very impressed with the standard of equipment. Rueben Slater opened with his colourful Rock'O'Plane, Challenger ride and traditional Dodgem track, Martin & DC opened with their Round Up, Miami and Jumper which was the only ride in the centre of the ground. Jimmy Slater presented his "Wipe Out" Waltzers and regulars on the Slaters run, Craig & Cameron McKay had their Ghost Train & Skydiver at the fair making a total of 9 large rides. As the night went on the fair got busier with Waltzer and Dodgems getting a good share of the riders. Other fairs happening towards the end of the Month included Airth & Inverness Highland Games, Peter Fair in Rathven and Gullane.

A couple of Waltzers have changed ownership, John White retired at the back end of last year and his Waltzer has been bought by Cumbria based Showman David Taylor who has plans to update the ride. David has already opened with the Waltzers at a few fairs down south including Barrow. Michael Stirling is wanting a change in career which has resulted in all 3 of his rides being put up for sale. His "Hellchaser" Waltzer, which was purchased in 2004, have been sold to Peter Sedgwick who has opened the ride on the Central Pier at Blackpool. Derek Slaters "Showtime Madness" Funhouse, which was a regular at the Meadows, was sold to a Showman in Ireland after Galashiels. Billy White has purchased a second Toyset, which is open at Burntisland for the first time in his ownership. The ride was origianally owned by Charlie Strand, who is Billys Uncle, so the ride has made a welcome return to the family after spending a number of years with other Showmen including Jimmy Graham. The second Toyset Ernie Wilmot has purchased is a fold up version which is also operated by remote control and will eventually replace the current model when it is sold. The building up and operating of the ride will be a lot easier for Ernie compared to the Jacksons build up model that he has had for almost 50yrs!