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Remembering Bingo Hauser

Front cover of remembrance pamphlet for Irvin Bingo Hauser, the left side features the Showmen's Prayer and a picture of an older Bingo sitting on a bench advertising WCA, the right side is a black and white photo of a younger Bingo with his lion Simba

“Celebration of Life: The Show Must Go On” Funeral Booklet for Irvin R. (Bingo) Hauser

On September 13, 2015, Irvin R. “Bingo” passed away at the Port Alberni Fall Fair, the last date before heading back into winter quarters. This was the same fair where West Coast Amusements played their first date as an organized carnival back in 1962.

View this video with a transcript: “Remembering Bingo Hauser” (Closed captions available in EN and FR)

An illustrated picture of a cartoon lion mascot, wearing a WCA t shirt and blue jeans, in the background is an outline of a big top tent and Ferris wheel, the WCA logo is in the bottom right corner

West Coast Amusements: “We’re Bringing the Fun to You!”

His love of the carnival was passed down to three new generations of the family. Four generations of Hausers travel over 20,000 kilometers a year across British Colombia, Alberta and Saskatchewan to entertain and put smiles on the faces of fairgoers both big and small. An amazing legacy for a young man who ran away to join the carnival from Brandon, Manitoba in the 1940s.

View this video with a transcript: “Interview with Bingo Hauser, 2012” (Closed captions available in EN and FR)

The carnival industry is continually evolving. Challenges ranging from technology, staffing, transportation and competition from emerging forms of entertainment make it necessary to change with the times. If anyone can navigate the choppy waters which lay ahead for carnivals, it is the Hauser family. They just need to look to Bingo for inspiration, the man who traded fur for iron.

Black and white photo of young Bingo Hauser with lion Simba, both standing upright, Simba has his paws wrapped around Bingo and his mouth around his arm with a couple of sharp teeth showing

Bingo and Simba, 1946

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