Showman’s League Rest Graves provided to carnival workers

On my walk through Glendale Memorial Gardens in Toronto, I came upon a unique and moving site — the final resting place of men and women from the Canadian chapter of the Showmen’s League of America.

The Showmen’s League was established to foster harmony, fraternity, and camaraderie among those in the amusement profession — the people behind the midway lights, the thrill rides, the barkers, the cotton candy, and the magic of the carnival.

At Glendale, dozens of carnival workers rest beneath the shadow of the Showmen’s Rest monument, including none other than Patty Conklin, often called the godfather of Canadian amusement. As the founder of Conklin Amusements, he was the visionary behind much of the excitement at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), most famously The Flyer— a legendary roller coaster that thrilled riders from 1953 until its demolition in 1992.

Though Showmen’s Rest monuments exist elsewhere — the largest being in Southern Memorial Park in Miami, Florida, flanked by solemn elephant and lion statues — this Canadian version carries its own quiet dignity.

One grave in particular stood out to me: Allan “Rocky” Yenson.

Rocky, it seems, was the man behind the Scrambler Ride at the CNE — a wild tangle of metal arms and swinging carriages, twisting like an octopus with a vendetta. For many of us, the Scrambler was a rite of passage: it started off slow, then spun into chaos, making your stomach lurch and your cotton candy seem like a poor life choice.

I imagine Rocky, standing near the controls, watching the terrified, thrilled faces of riders stumbling off his creation, knowing he gave them a memory they wouldn’t forget.

Bless all the carnies, showmen, and workers who brought wonder, joy, and just the right amount of fear to our lives. Their legacy lives on in every scream from a midway ride and every laugh echoing through the fairgrounds.