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Pat
Guthrie, founder of Guthrie & Company has a long and
colorful history. It all  started
back when he was just a teen...
Pat
got his first experience working in the carnival business
in high school. In the summer before his senior year, Pat
helped tear down the ferris wheel on Bees Ol' Reliable Show
throughout the summer.
After
graduation, Pat went to work for Bees running a "pitchin'
balls" game. And by the next season was making his
own games and booking them in shows with his brother.
In
1968, Pat purchased his first ride, a Roll-O-Plane and booked
it on Bobby Denton's Gold Medal Shows. In a matter of a
year, Pat accumulated more rides and opened his own show
in April of 1969, Guthrie Shows, in Williamsburg  Kentucky.
That year Amusement Business Magazine said that Pat Guthrie
was the youngest show owner/mgr ever. That year he also
met wife, Pam. His brother Ray, quit school and started
help booking. Ray bought a ride and and couldn't pay him,
so he made him a partner. After Ray came in, the show grew
to about 25 rides. His brother William had the food consessions.
In 1970 Pat
and Pam married and in 1971 he started his family having
his first
daughter, Becky. By this time he had a large show. He had
25 rides and carried 50 or more games and was considered
the little Disney Land of the Coal Fields. People in those
parts had never seen anything like this show. Their show
traveled over old 2 lane roads, getting to little towns
all throughout the coal mines of Kentucky. In 1978, Pat's
second daughter, Julie came was born.
In
1977, his Brother Ray left but Pat kept the show which he
then called Guthries Great American Carnival Company.
In
1981 Pat went to Florida for Christmas and saw a guy with
an elephant and decided that he wanted an elephant for his
show - so he went out one, much to the surprise of his wife,
Pam. From there he started getting into the circus business.
In the 80's he had a traveling circus which moved everyday.
He had a Big Top, animals, 3-ring circus and booked  first
class acts like World Famous Rex Williams and his Elephants.
At first Pat tried doing both the carnival and the circus
together, but the circus never did very well. In fact through
the 80's Pat started selling the carnival stuff to make
the cirus work. But eventually in 89 Pat finally went broke
in the circus - pam went back to teaching school and pat
went to work for his brother who had peachtree rides.
In
the meanwhile (86), bought a trucking company, Guthrie &
CO trucking company. He never sold that company, and that
is the company he has today.
 As
far as the carnival business goes, well, he couldn't stay
away from that for long. In 1999 while Pat was working for
Ray, Pam bought a little train and started booking it on
shows. Little by little, they started accumulated rides
again and started up a new carnival business they called,
Jules and Beck Combined Shows (after their 2 daughters Julie
and Becky). Today, Becky owns and operates the show while
Pat does the moving with his trucking company, Guthrie and
CO.
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