For Karen Michael Shea of Danielsville, fairs and carnivals have been a lifelong family career. She learned everything she knows about work ethic and the road from her father.

"I was raised that you can do anything you have to do. You just push through it."Shea was recently awarded the 2015 Pennsylvania Showman of the Year at the state convention in Hershey. The Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association is a nonprofit organization that works to promote the viability, growth and improvement of the mobile amusement industry in the state.To Shea the award is a symbol of all her hard work."It means I've been acknowledged by my peers as a dedicated person working for the state. That's important to me."The Showman of the Year award is given for excellence in the outdoor amusement business, outstanding service to the industry trade association, support of community fairs and festivals and overall business integrity and leadership according to Beverly Gruber, Executive Secretary of the Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association. "Karen embodies all of these qualities."Shea got her start in the food concession business at a very young age by working at the Kutztown Folk Festival in her father's concession stand."Our father started running waffles and ice cream stands when we were kids. Every spring we would hit the road. We would work three different fairs over Labor Day weekend," she said."I remember getting up at 8 a.m. and not getting to bed until 1 a.m. It's the only life I've ever known."Shea recalls her mother working the front of the stands with the children close to her."We worked as a family. It taught us good work ethic."The traveling family never took a break."When dad had a rainy season he would try and figure out something else. My father was always thinking."Now co-owner of Michael's Food Concessions with two funnel cake stands, Shea also co-owns a cotton candy stand with her sister. Shea added the title of mobile office secretary for S&S Amusements, an organization started in 1957 as an amusement industry, to her list of duties.Shea began her own family when she married her husband, Joseph, in 2000. After being laid off from Bethlehem Steel, Shea took a page from her father's book and helped her husband find the carnival business. Joseph now works as a ride inspector."It's just like any other job," she said.Her sisters are still involved with the traveling concessions. Brenda runs a French fry stand while Audrey stayed with the familiar by running an ice cream and waffles stand. Shea's older stepsisters were involved all their lives until retirement."If I retired I'd have to keep busy. I think about retiring, but not as long as I'm still healthy enough to do it," she said. "I don't remember doing anything else."The only break Shea took from the road was to raise children of her own. Her four children and 13 grandchildren help run the stands every fair season."It's how they get their money on the weekends and during the summer."Her two sons Butch and Andrew each operate their own game stands."Games are tough, people come and ride the rides or eat the food and sometimes not play games."Shea said the old stigma of grifting is a thing of the past."People don't do that anymore. We do background checks to make sure we don't get any unsavory characters. We have guidelines and now there are rules. We don't want that kind of reputation."Shea says it's her father who worked as the treasurer for the Pennsylvania State Showmen's Association that got her involved over 20 years ago.According to Shea she has two families, one biological and one professional."Every carnival we play it's like an extension of our family."Shea can be found at nearly all S&S Amusement spots from April until the last fair in Lucerne county. During the offseason Shea works at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Vegetable booth in the Food Court and at Seiple's Farm Pumpkin Patch in the fall.