James Franklin CONKLIN

1933 - 2023

JAMES FRANKLIN CONKLIN 1933 - 2023 James Conklin died March 22, 2023, in Brantford, Ontario. He grew up at home in Brantford, at Ridley College in St. Catharines, and on a private rail car with his parents, Patty and Edith, as they travelled across Canada with their carnival, Conklin and Garrett Shows. Patty was a very well known carnival owner and operator who, in addition to playing Fairs and Exhibitions across Canada, provided the Midway to the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto for many years. James, known as Jim or Jimmy, attended McGill University before joining his father in the company. He married the beautiful Norma and they had three children, Patricia, Frank, and Melissa. While they called Brantford home, they travelled extensively, enjoyed skiing at Blue Mountain and relaxed at their cabin in Collingwood. Of course, the children learned the amusement business from 'the ground up." They have made Jim a proud grandfather and great-grandfather. Jim brought his imagination, creativity and vision to both his company, Conklin Shows and the amusement business in general. In 1970, his father, Patty, passed away. Jim took the "reins" of Conklin Shows and revolutionized the industry. Under Jim's guidance, Conklin Shows expanded to play fairs both large and small across North America. He implemented rules regarding ride safety and legitimized game operations. He introduced, Conko, the well known logo, uniformed staff, guest relations centers and training programs. The amusement business is time consuming but, when at all possible, Jim enjoyed many diverse interests. He loved to fish, curl, play and attend tennis events. Rarely without a book, he was a keen reader and liked to share opinions on books and authors. But above all else, he adored his Westies, of which he had 2 or 3 at any one time. After retiring, which really never happened, he became an avid cook, and spent much time collecting, cooking and developing recipes (most very spicy). Jim influenced many lives, and was an inspiration to countless careers. He was interested in what was going on and mentored all to think outside the box. Fortunately he lived independently until the end. He spent his last years actively curating both personal and industry associate's memorabilia to create a North American vintage carnival museum. His legacy will live on and he will be greatly missed. Jim's "last call" will be at the Canadian National Exhibition, Withrow Common Gallery, Saturday May 6, 2023 from 3 to 5 p.m. For those that would like to make an on-line donation in memory of Jim Conklin, click on: https://secure.ontariospca.ca/site/Donation2?4502.donation=form1&df_id=4502&mfc_pref=T or go to the Ontario SPCA website and click on yellow donate button to make a gift in memory of Jim Conklin.