By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Built and supported by show people, the Gibtown Showmen’s Club and nearby Carnival World Museum stand as testament to the deeply rooted history that connects show people to Gibsonton and to the greater Riverview and Apollo Beach communities.
According to Lee Stevens, a well-known figure in the carnival and circus worlds, “There was nothing here, save for fish hawks and a few local businesses” when show people, decades ago, began to migrate to the area, once known as the tropical fish factory of the world.
Lifelong showman Lee Stevens is executive director of the Carnival World Museum and twice past president of the International Independent Showmen’s Association.
Putting food on the table was a primary concern during the Great Depression, which led to food items as prizes at the carnival midway.
“They were very happy we came here and assimilated into the community,” Stevens said. “We’d go out on the road to make a living. We’d come home with our pockets full and spend our money here.”
To the naked eye, carnival life is a “wonderful, wonderful spirited life,” Stevens said. “We don’t answer to anyone but ourselves.” But the traveling, hauling, hawking and performing take their toll as well. As Stevens put it, “It’s a very hard, hard way to make an easy living,”
Dedicated as ever to his trade, Stevens is a board member and twice past president of the International Independent Showmen’s Association (IISA), which opened its headquarters and exhibit hall in 1966 at 6915 Riverview Drive. The current president is Alex Arnold.
With vast indoor and outdoor accommodations, the showmen’s club provides facilities for gatherings, meetings, events and a wide range of club and community events, including the 2026 Gibtown Showmen’s Circus (Jan. 17), which follows the annual Gibtown Motorcycle Rally (Jan. 9-11). The rally features live entertainment, stunt shows, refreshments, merchandise and parking spaces for more than 10,000 bikes and vehicles.
The Gibtown Showmen’s Club is home as well to the annual Super Extravaganza and Trade Show in February, with more than 300 vendor booths and exhibits, featuring such things as rides, food supplies and equipment, concession trailers, electrical supplies, novelty items, plush toys, jewelry and more. As noted in promotional materials for the 58th annual trade show (Feb. 10-13) to a worldwide membership of trade association members, “If you are in the carnival industry or related amusement business, we are the place to come and do your shopping.”
Event center and outdoor facilities, including waterfront settings, are available to rent for banquets, company picnics, quinceaneras, fundraisers, weddings and more. Past bookings have included East Bay High School reunions and the lighted boat parade, once run by the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce.
Across the street, at 6938 Riverview Drive, sits the 54,000-square-foot museum, which Stevens said is set to double in size in the near future. Following the death last year of Doc Rivera, Stevens stepped into Rivera’s role as executive director of the International Independent Showmen’s Museum. Stevens’ first order of business was to change the name to Carnival World Museum to better reflect the building’s mission: to preserve the history of American carnivals and traveling shows. The museum is open Thursday to Sunday, noon to 5 p.m., with paid admission for adults and kids.
Painted clown canvas and extensive miniature replication of a carnival midway are in view at the Carnival World Museum.
It’s hard to overplay the splendor and historical significance of the exhibits and especially so to anyone who has a deep interest in circus, carnival, and fair and festival entertainment. Among the outside sights is the spring-powered cannon that hurled Edmondo Zacchini some 20 feet, earning him the moniker, “the Human Cannonball.”
Inside, with its expansive spaces and towering height, sit a gift store, carousel and one of the country’s first Ferris wheels, dating back to the turn of the 20th century. Also showcased are old-fashioned photo booths, antique wagons and trailers, a Depression-era “country store,” expansive miniature models of old-time carnivals, burlesque costumes, hand-painted equipment and canvases, Kewpie dolls and so much more.
Ample library space allows for a study of rare and historical documents, photographs, videos, memorabilia and artifacts related to carnivals, circuses, sideshows, Wild West and early traveling shows, donated in great part by the very people who lived the showman’s life.
Count among them Lee Stevens, who worked as a clown and animal trainer and moved into the food concession business.
His many shows throughout the years included those featuring baboons, a leopard, cockatoo, macaws and snakes. One could say he was born to live the life, as in his own words he describes himself as, “the proverbial boy who ran away from home and joined the circus.” He married Judy, a pre-med student who came to love carnival life as much as he did, and they raised two boys who lived the life as well, and graduated from Riverview High.
LInda Chion Kenney photos
Inside view of the 54,000- square-foot Carnival World Museum, owned and operated by the International Independent Showmen’s Association, off Riverview Drive in the greater Gibsonton community.
Stevens continues the life through his work with the showmen’s club and museum, and his weekly associations with board members and show people who meet at the club for board meetings, events, fundraisers and community affairs. Earlier this month, for example, the club hosted its annual Christmas party for students with special needs. Members are working now on baskets to deliver Christmas meals to those in need. The IISA Children’s Christmas Party is set for Dec. 20.
“I know it sounds hokey, but I really believe that we are touched by God to do what we do,” Stevens said, about a showman’s life. “Why else would you deal with the weather, the accidents, the highways, the heat and the cold? When it’s all said and done, it’s because we love to be out in front of people. That’s what we do. We bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people.”
For more on the Gibtown Showmen’s Club, the Carnival World Museum, upcoming events and event space rentals, visit www.gibtownshowmensclub.com/, call 813-677-3590 or visit the museum at www.showmensmuseum.org/. For group tours, call 813-671-3503.