“We’ve been fair attendants all our lives, now it’s up to our children.”

The historic Easter Fair, organised by the Busnelli Family, is coming back. The family has a very long tradition in travelling shows. “We grew up in village fetes.”

They have always been fair attendants; their father was, and their grandfather before them. They are Busnelli Family, more than 20 people who grew up and who have remained in the family business for decades. Over the last few days, they have been setting up the traditional Easter Fair, which will be in Tradate for two weeks. “We’ve always come here, since it was in the square in front of the Town Hall,” say the brothers Luigi, 62, and Nando, 59. Today, they are heads of the family. They have bumper cars, merry-go-rounds, swing rides, bungees, a giant boat, a whole variety of attractions. But that’s not all; they also organise the fairs on behalf of other fair owners, about 30 families have set up their attractions in Piazza Mercato. (In the picture the oldest attraction: the swing ride.)

The three brothers (there is also Angelo, 57) are the reference point for all fairs. If you ask about famous people who have fairs, everybody will point them out. They live in Mozzate, the town that lies along the “Varesina” trunk road, but spend the whole year travelling around Lombardy. “Our father taught us that the heart of the family was born and grew up in village fetes, and we’ve continued along this path,” the two brothers say. “We aren’t nomads, it’s our job that’s nomadic; we live in Bollate and Mozzate. Sure, we’re on the road all year round, but we’re like market traders; they set up their stalls once a week, we come back once a year.”

When we met the two brothers, they were preparing the advertising posters for the Funfair. “We’ve handed over setting up the rides to our children,” they explain. “We take care of the administration and bureaucracy.” They have no regrets about the lives they have led; they were the typical children that continually changed schools, following their parents to the fetes, they did the same with their children, and they are doing the same with their grandchildren. “We’ve tried to make them stay at home, maybe with an aunt, but following your parents and experiencing this kind of work gets into your blood,” explains Luigi with a touch of emotion. “The most satisfying thing is seeing people having fun, families that come back, and the new friends you can make. Sometimes, and this has happened to us, you might even find your future bride. There’s a real community, around the fairs, and that’s what keeps us going.”

The current economic crisis has also been particularly difficult in this sector. “You can see that everybody’s got less money,” Nando continues. “We’re trying to get through this period by doing promotions below cost, like this year. By making this sacrifice, we’re trying to keep the fete and the tradition going, always in collaboration with the councils.”

“It’s tough, but we keep going,” adds Luigi. “Some have thought of selling up and looking for a more stable job, but in the end, they didn’t make it and came back. Our job is one that you do with passion, which you can also see in people having fun. We all grow up together and often we meet friends from the year before. We grow up in the Funfair because we are the Funfair, we and our friendly customers.”

Redazione VareseNews
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Noi della redazione di VareseNews crediamo che una buona informazione contribuisca a migliorare la vita di tutti. Ogni giorno lavoriamo cercando di stimolare curiosità e spirito critico.

Pubblicato il 31 Marzo 2012
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