There are many considerations - depending on where and how far you wish to travel there is no season. Concession trailers are not necessarily part of a "carnival circuit". There are many events now that do not have carnivals but require concession trailers. From local baseball parks, to business events. If you are going to stay in Ohio, then the season will end around Thanksgiving. You can check ebay listings on the website and join the Festival group which will give you listings of festivals across the country.

You should read some of the articles on the website.

You might also want to consider starting off smaller with a vending cart. It will give you a good way to get to understand the business and it is not as complex to maintain. ebay always has concession trailers and vending carts for sale. You will also find some listed on this forum and you can advertise for a cart or trailer (free).

As far as your friends and family being concerned that you will turn into "carnie bums", I have no idea what that means. Maybe you can ask them to name some of the people they know who fit this clasification. If you start a food vending business you will meet some of the nicest people in the world. Hard workers, who in the vast majority of cases, will be there for you if you ever need a helping hand!