(April 17, 2015) In case you missed it, Trimper’s Rides, an Ocean City Boardwalk mainstay, debuted on the Fox Business Network’s “Strange Inheritance” this past week.
“I enjoyed watching and am glad they did the show,” said the company’s operations manager Brooks Trimper. “It was good exposure for the park and my family.”
The half-hour show is an alternative program featuring people who have inherited out-of-the-ordinary items, and the occasional unintended consequences on future generations.
Viewers have an inside look into the entire inheritance process from appraising to restoring and other times auctioning.
Host Jamie Colby traveled all over the United States and Canada to tell 26 stories on the show’s first season, which debuted on Jan. 26 and was the highest rated show launch in network history, according to the Fox Business website, foxbusiness.com.
In early March, the network announced a second season will begin filming later this year with 26 additional episodes.
“Whether a family business or a forgotten heirloom, viewers have really responded to the compelling and financially surprising stories of Strange Inheritance. We’re excited to bring the program back for a second season,” announced Bill Shine, senior executive vice president of FBN and FOX News Channel (FNC), in a statement on foxbusiness.com.
The Ocean City amusement business has been in the Trimper family since it was built more than a century ago.
The episode primarily focused on Trimper’s 2007 state property tax hike battle, which made its taxes higher than profits and had multiple stockholders on the verge of selling to make a big pay day, Trimper said.
This left the family with a couple options, including naming the property a historic landmark, but limited the ability to change anything about the amusement park and ties the owner’s hands, he added.
Ultimately, the Trimper family appealed the state property taxes and were able to get them back down to where they were previously.
In addition, the episode featured Trimper’s famous Carousel, which was its first main, large attraction. It was uniquely crafted and purchased in 1912. Today, it’s classified as one of the oldest operating carousels in the nation.
The television show contacted Brooks Trimper’s father and brother to do the episode.
“I know the tax issue was dramatic for television, but there is a lot more to the Trimper story, it’s a family affair, with fourth and fifth generations running the park now,” Trimper said.
Although the show was not what Trimper expected, he was happy to see the family business receive exposure and to watch his father featured in the program.
“We are still here, grinding away and will be here as long as we can keep this place afloat,” he added.
Strange Inheritance appears on Mondays at 9 p.m. on the Fox Business Network. Previously aired episodes run Tuesday through Thursday at 9 p.m. and Fridays at 10 p.m.
For more information and to see clips of shows, visit the website at www.strangeinheritance.com.
