Eddie LaMay - 1939

Eddie and Grace LaMay ran a carnival cookhouse in the 1920s. One fall day, according to the story told at the Showman's Museum, the couple stopped their trailer by the Alafia River, in the sleepy village of Gibsonton, for what they thought would be an hour's rest. Eddie cast a fishing line in the water and immediately caught several fish for dinner that night. Moments later a group of locals came walking toward the trailer and the couple figured this would be the end of their stay. But the townspeople greeted them warmly and ever since, Gibsonton has been a gathering place for local show people. Pictured is Eddie at his restaurant, Eddie's Hut, in 1939, located on what is today US 41, in Gibsonton, slightly north of the today's Gibsonton Road. Photo used with Permission of International Independent Showman's Museum.