What is the Windy City difference you may ask? Listed below are just some of the things that sets our amusement company apart from the rest:

First and foremost, safety is our number one priority. Each day, rides are inspected prior to opening by one of our trained ride supervisors. In addition to our internal inspections, rides are also inspected weekly prior to opening by local municipalities; annually by the State of Illinois and by our insurance company. We go through great lengths to ensure our customers safety on our equipment and throughout our midway. On the midway, you will find signage reminding our customers to be safe and encourage parents to measure the height of their children with our Bee Size Wise system so that they know what rides they can ride safely. On the ground, electrical wire and water hoses are safely covered with industrial cable protectors to prevent against tripping and helps keep the midway looking neat and organized.

Being a local company, we do not travel more then 50 miles from our home base in Aurora, Illinois and our season lasts about 6 months. During the off season, we work vigorously on our equipment in our Aurora, IL based maintenance facility to ensure it is in top condition for the up and coming festival season. Equipment is thoroughly inspected to ensure it is in good mechanical, electrical, and cosmetic condition. Our capabilities include welding, electrical, hydraulic systems, sandblasting and painting, and more. Many times, rides will be fully rebuilt from the frame up in accordance with the manufacturers specifications.



Windy City Amusements is 100% family owned and operated by Tony & Ruth Salerno, and their three sons Anthony, Mark, and Michael. Having lived and worked in the Chicago area for over 35 years, our family has staked our reputation on providing the highest quality amusement services to events throughout Chicagoland and beyond. Our success can be measured in the number of events we have continued to service each year, providing quality service and safe, clean exciting rides. At each event, a member of the Salerno family will be present to oversee daily operations and ensure smooth operation.



Since 1977, we have carefully studied the amusement industry and learned what rides are most popular and profitable. We have a ride inventory of 50+ attractions and own duplicates of some of the most popular attractions such as the Himalaya, Zipper, Tilt-A-Whirl, Dragon Wagon, Rio Grande Train, and Carousel. Other attractions can be rotated between units to ensure each event receives something new and fresh each year, resulting in an increase in ridership.



As with any business, but more importantly with a carnival midway provider, our employees are the key to our success. Most customers only have interaction with our employees, never meeting the owners or managers under normal circumstances. All WCA employees are trained in the safe operation of rides, proper employee conduct and our dress code. Employees must wear a WCA uniform, hat if desired, and other WCA apparel such as jackets and sweatshirts. In addition, all of our employees must display the WCA ID tag around their necks for easy identification. Our employees must present a neat, groomed appearance at all times. Long hair, piercings, foul language and inappropriate conduct are immediately disciplined. Our supervisory staff and the Salerno family all walk the midway checking on employee appearance and conduct. We know our employees well by being on the midway ourselves. Our supervisors and managers, with decades of experience on the show, know the rules and how to enforce policy.

Drug testing is also an important way we insure good conduct and keep quality employees in a family-friendly environment. Each employee is drug screened prior to employment and random rests are administered after hiring. By keeping our midway drug-free, we solve many of the problems that can be found on other carnivals midways.

Another major difference between our company and our competitors is that our employees DO NOT reside on the midway after closing each night. Employees are provided with permanent housing with modern amenities (similar to a college dorm) and are provided with transportation to and from work. This provides our employees with a greater standard of living and ultimately allows us to recruit greater quality employees.



In 2009, we implemented a midway beautification program. Such program consisted of adding more benches to the midway, automated ticket booths with ATM machines, uniform "Bee Size Wise" ride height signs and measurement sticks, and LED lighting. Such amenities will help enhance our customer's comfort level and ultimately enhance their experience at one of our events.