THE BALLOON MAN

Bex's circus comes to Penobscot Marine

With hundreds of miniature circus figures, "The Bex Bros. Circus" is the centerpiece of "The Circus Comes to Town," a free off-season exhibit at Penobscot Marine Museum's Main Street Gallery in Searsport. from: www.waldo.villagesoup.comDec 4, 2011Searsport — The downtown Penobscot Marine Museum will open its doors this winter with "The Circus Comes to Town," a free exhibit for "ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages." The centerpiece of the exhibit is "The Bex Bros. Circus," a display of hundreds of miniature circus figures ranging from elephants and sideshow hawkers to trapeze artists performing under the Big Top.
Also on display will be circus memorabilia, historic photographs and circus art by Maine artists Alan Fishman, Nancy Morgan-Barnes and the late Waldo Peirce. The exhibit will be available for viewing in the museum's Main Street Gallery from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 10 and 11; 17 and 18; Jan. 7 and 8; 14 and 15; 21 and 22; and 28 and 29. The display also will be open Thursday and Friday, Dec. 29 and 30.
A special children's event featuring Camden author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen is scheduled Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Van Dusen will read and sign his book "The Circus Ship," and the museum will provide refreshments and engage children with a circus-themed craft project. Children can view the circus exhibit during the free event.
"The Bex Bros. Circus," including scale models of the Big Top, a sideshow tent, a circus train, and hundreds of miniature animals, vehicles, and people, is the work of Capt. Les Bex of Camden. A lifelong circus enthusiast, Bex began building circus models at age 8 and kept at it for decades. "The Bex Bros. Circus" appeared in model shows in Camden in the 1970s but it has not been seen by the public for more than 25 years. At the request of Penobscot Marine Museum, Bex removed the circus from storage and set up the exhibit in the museum's Main Street Gallery.
Maine's first maritime museum, Penobscot Marine Museum is home to outstanding collections of marine art and artifacts, small craft, ship models and historic photography. The admission center is at 40 E. Main St./Route 1. For more information, call 548-2529 or visit PenobscotMarineMuseum.org.