Meet the 'Carnival Girl'
Phyllis Horne has done well for herself.
She's a worldly traveler, having visited Hawaii, Brazil and the Philippines.
She's owned a grocery store, a gas station, a firewood business and storage units.
She's been a real estate agent.
Today, allegedly retired, the Coeur d'Alene woman manages her own rental properties and lives in a well-kept home that's filled with pictures of family and friends. Her backyard is close to art work, showcasing flowers, plants, manicured green grass, and a picture-perfect patio.
Yet, Horne comments that "it needs works."
"I like being busy," says the 70-year-old who enjoys the movies, barbecues with friends and water aerobics.
Success hardly seemed assured when Horne was a teenager. She was homeless at 14, fleeing an alcoholic, abusive family. With no job, she slept under a bridge for a time.
Salvation, of sorts, came when she discovered the Long Beach Pike, an amusement park next to the ocean in California. She would stay for 10 years, operating and buying her own concession stands, before going on the road with the carnival for another 13 years.
"New town all the time, new place. I was in charge of fun," she said. "That was my job, having fun."
And she made money. Plenty of it.
"I was a single woman and a mother and I bought a house. Not bad in the 1950s," Horne said, smiling as she sat in her bright, comfy living room.
She married at 22, had a child, and divorced. She left the carnival life when she decided her son needed a stable home, so she took a few classes, studied, and became a Realtor, as well as striking out into her business ventures.
But Horne never forgot life as a carnie. In fact, she treasures it. She wants to share it, too. It's why she wrote a book, "The Carnival Girl." (available locally at Hastings and at www.thecarnivalgirl.com)
No, it's not all fun and games. There were still difficult days. But it was there, on the road, Horne learned lessons that changed her life - for the better.
She'll think of those days when she visits the North Idaho Fair this week, and wanders through the carnival. She'll remember what it was like.
"It's a good feeling. As far as I'm concerned, all the rules I learned out there took me through my whole entire life as far as being disciplined, working hard, and putting it together."
Where did you live growing up and what led you to the carnival life?
Mom was a gypsy. We moved every year, I went to a different school every year.
She just got bored and thought it was greener on the other side, so we were always moving. Just like she had five husbands and we moved on from that too. We lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Wyoming, California, Oregon, Idaho, Oregon. All over.
What did you think of that as a kid, moving so often?
It was normal life. I didn't know any different.
What was your mom's influence?
I came from an alcoholic family. I was ready to leave home early. I left at 14 years old. I was looking for something different in life. I wasn't happy where I was or what was going on. When I left home, I tried to get a job, I couldn't get one. I had to live under a bridge for a little while. I wasn't too far away from Long Beach Pike (an amusement park). That's where I started the carnival business. The carnies took me in and gave me a job, and it was on the Pike.
How was it?
I liked it. By the time I was 18, I got my own two concessions. They sold them to me because I paid more than anyone else, but I didn't care. I made more money than I ever thought of. Who cared if I paid more? I stayed there for 10 years, then I went on the road for another 13 years, traveling with the carnival.
I made good money. There was no reason to move on. It was hard work, 14-15 hours a day. You had no time for life. That was your life.
Were you pretty good at getting people to stop and play the games?
Oh, absolutely. I was a good barker. It was fun. I was in charge of fun. It was my job. The more fun they had, the longer they stayed, the more money I was paid.
Why did you stay with carnival life so long?
You were free. It's a free life. That's a good feeling. You just had to work all day, then you were off. You were done, so it was nice. We got to go to nice restaurants, we lived in the best hotels, it was a free life.
I made as much as attorneys, doctors, all those people. But nobody knew that, that we made a lot of money at the time and I don't know what they make today. I'm sure it's different today, because today, in every business, everybody has their hand in your pocket.
What kind of people join the carnival?
Many people join the carnival for different reasons. Some join it because they're in trouble. Some join it because they need to get out of town. Some just like to travel. A lot of them, it was the race track, because they played all the race tracks. We played all the big fairs.
Are carnival games a scam? Can you win at them?
It's no different than a 5 and dime store. You go into a 5 and dime store, you buy something for a dollar, and they paid a quarter for it. It's the same thing. They have it all set up to where you spend a dollar, you get this size prize. If you spend $2, you get this size. If you spend $3 you get this size. They couldn't stay in business if they didn't do that because nobody would win anything and nobody would play the games. People remember from year to year.
Were people in the places you visited with the carnival glad to see you?
Sometimes, we were the only thing that happened in that town for the whole year, at least when I was in it. We are talking 55 years ago. I'm talking the 1950s, 60s and 70s. We were the only thing happening so they loved it. They used to stand at the gates and wait to come in.
What places did you see with the carnival?
Mostly California, Arizona and Nevada. I traveled eight months out of the year, then I was off for four. You're in town a week, you pack up and go the next place. I had my son, he went with me starting when he was 3 years old.
How did you care for your son while you were with the carnival?
I put him underneath the stand and let him sleep with a pillow and blanket while I was working.
Why did you leave the carnival life?
My son was getting older and I thought we needed to have a more stable home. That's why I left. I figured he was going to get in trouble, of course, he got in trouble anyway. That's what boys do, but he didn't really every get in very much trouble. He's a great son.
Are there other books out there on carnival life?
Hardly anything. If there are, I don't think any of them paint the good side of it. They come out with this bitterness and they talk about all the bad things. There's bad in everything and there's good in everything. You just have to make your own world, wherever you are, your own life.
Of course, I believe in God. He's been my partner my whole life. I wasn't always aware of that but as I got older, I had wonderful angels and every time I called on them, they helped me.
What do you want folks to know about your life as "The Carnival Girl?"
People really don't know what the carnival life was about. We were like a big family. Everybody watched out for everybody. We had lots of rules. It probably doesn't look like that, but the bosses and the owners tell you how it is and if you don't play the game right, you're out the door. There's no welfare out there.
There's a lot of honesty and integrity going on. People just don't have any ideal. I really enjoyed writing the book because I wanted to show people how good the carnie life was. It may be different today, but I'm talking years ago, that's how it was.
How did you make the transition from homeless teenager to successful businesswoman?
I had no fear. I figured I could have anything I wanted. I just had to work for it. I found out it isn't how much you make, it's what you do with it. That's the secret of any success in the world, is what you do with it.
I just think if you're honest and honorable and you believe in God, you're just going to do good. That's just how I always thought. And it worked.
So, no fear?
People just have fear. That's what stops people from having a good life, is fear. What stops everybody is fear. I had no fear. Nobody told me I couldn't do it. So I just thought I could. I just kept thinking that way. And it always worked.
In Person: Phyllis Horne
Family: Son, Brad, five grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren.
Education: Did not graduate from high school. Some college classes later.
Number of hours on average you sleep in a night: 8
Number of hours on average you work in a week: I work all the time.
Favorite movie: "Water for Elephants"
Favorite book: Mine
Favorite music: Country
Quality you admire most in a person: Honesty, integrity
Any one thing you consider your greatest accomplishment: Giving everything over to God. That brought me more peace than anything else.
Person who most influenced your life: My mother and my boyfriend. I didn't want to be like my mother, and my boyfriend gave me more good advice about life and living and how to get along in this world than anybody.