
Why is it that links teds to fairgrounds?
I don’t really know but I’ll hazard a guess that it was a welcome refuge for those who refused to be bludgeoned by society’s expectations for them to buckle down and settle with a wife and a job and conform.
I also think that it’s these working teds at fairgrounds, scrapyards or any other such jobs that did not call for conformist suits who brought the sideburns, the tattoos and the rough edge into Ted style.
Jez Hyde (FBcomm) Sep 2016
THE CARTERS is a family run fun fair of the type found in the 1950`s & 1960`s this type of family fair has almost gone,a lot of the teds worked on this type of fair & this one try`s to give the real feel of a 1950`s fun fair, they drive vintage signwriten lorrys & live in showmans wagons, they play rock`n`roll & fair ground music,they also have the rides & stalls of the time helping to give the right feel, it will soon be gone the freedom of a traveling fair is part of the teds life style, you can see some of their video;s on You tube

Matt Stephenson The Guardian 2008 (26.01.2008) on travelling showmen aka fairground folk.
“Nevertheless, the fact that showmen are still thought of as Gypsies is a constant thorn in their side. The Gypsy way of life, the culture, traditions, struggles and prejudice that go with it are very different from the concerns of showmen – and yet showmen are constantly dragged into those prejudices. If you don’t live in a house then you’re perceived to be a Gypsy. / “We get it all the time,” says Duran. “At Hull, a group of kids were shouting at us in the park ‘Look! There’s the Gypsies! Ha ha! Gyppos.’ / … It’s certainly not that showmen feel that there’s anything wrong with Gypsies: “But we’re not Gypsies,” says Ava, “we’re showmen and we’re proud of it – and no one likes being called something they’re not.” / The name-calling might be a regular irritation, but showmen children are more than able to brush it off. Confidence, sociability and charm are traits you quickly develop when you move regularly from town to town.”
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