Circus World brings in new attractions

Circus World singing Ringmaster David SaLoutos looks over the museum’s newest exhibit, the Seimor Bros. model circus hand carved over 40 years by Milwaukee resident Mel Romeis. With power to its moving parts being installed Friday, SaLoutos expected it to be open to the public Monday, May 9.

Brian D. Bridgeford / News Republic By Brian D. Bridgeford Saturday, April 30, 2011 With the performance season approaching, workers are putting the finishing touches on Circus World's Slide for Life thrill show and a lovingly crafted model circus that is the museum's newest exhibit.
Slide for Life
Friday morning, contractor Brian Hakala of Wisconsin Dells and Circus World staff installed a tall wooden pole topped by a narrow platform with a steel cable spanning the Baraboo River.
Illusionist Tristan Crist said the Slide for Life will feature his sister, Hannah Crist, sliding 50 feet over the river hanging by a loop around her neck, hand or foot. He estimated the distance from the north side of the river to the south side at about 180 feet.
Singing ringmaster David SaLoutos said it has been a quarter-century since Circus World featured this kind of thrill performance. Circus World has hosted variations on this theme, such as a tightrope walker crossing the river on a cable.
Crist's act will include dramatic music to heighten the crowd's excitement and a loud "bang" when she reaches the south bank.
Wagon Superintendent Harold "Heavy" Burdick said he can remember summers from the early 1980s when visitors packed the bridge across the river to watch an acrobat make the Slide for Life.
"I think it will be a good addition to the museum for the future," he said.
Model circus
Inside a huge, walk-in display case in the exhibit hall, workers with Hill's Wiring of West Baraboo were putting the finishing touches on power for the Seimor Bros. model circus built by late circus fan Mel Romeis of Milwaukee.
Romeis and his wife hand-carved the model in exquisite detail over 40 years, SaLoutos said. It includes a variety of motorized big top performers that can actually move.
"Eventually the model would be displayed at shopping centers and things like that in conjunction with Old Milwaukee Days and the Great Circus Parade," he said.
The Kohler Foundation purchased the model and gave it to the International Clown Hall of Fame when it was housed in Milwaukee, SaLoutos said. After the clown museum left State Fair Park, the Kohler Foundation gave the model to the State Historical Society.
"They said it needed to come to Circus World, so that's how it got here," he said.
SaLoutos said Burdick and Baraboo circus fan Ralph Pierce did much of the work assembling the 18-by-38-foot model.
The model features railway flatcars delivering circus wagons, colorful wagons on parade, a huge big top tent with performances going on inside and a menagerie filled with animals.
In a written statement accompanying the exhibit, Romeis recounts how he became fascinated with circuses as a young child. In the early ‘50s he began researching circuses and eventually began building the 1/2-inch scale model over 40,000 hours.
"Every wagon or piece of equipment is a scale model of a prototype that was on the real show," Romeis wrote.
"To think, the gentleman worked on this year after year to get the details right," SaLoutos said. "You can look at all the details and it's right on the mark."
In an out-of-the-way corner of the model, members of the circus crew are shown eating in an open-sided tent while cooks grill pancakes and eggs in a smaller tent nearby. A tiny butcher stands outside at a cutting block preparing meat for future meals and several wagons carry generators that light the circus grounds and performance tents.
"This was the life of the circus performers," SaLoutos said. "It was their village and it moved every day."
SaLoutos said the new exhibit will be shown to donors during an event next weekend and will open to the public Monday, May 9.
Circus performances in the Hippodrome and the Slide for Life begin Saturday, May 21.
On the 'Net
Information about Circus World, including performance schedules and a description of exhibits, are available at http://circusworld.wisconsinhistory.org.

LETTERS LINK P T BARNUM TO PROVIDENCE MAYOR

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The arrival of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Providence this week jogged Paul E. Campbell's memory.
When Campbell, city archivist, arrived last June, he began poking around his dusty treasury of history high atop City Hall. He soon ran across a file drawer marked miscellaneous documents that contained, among other things, a broadside for a show that traveled through the city in the 19th century.
"It seemed to be a file of interesting tidbits that someone was collecting," he said Friday. He poked further. Embedded in the collection was a letter from famed showman P.T. Barnum, written to Thomas A. Doyle, who served several terms as mayor, including a stretch from 1870 to 1881.

PHINEAS T. BARNUM

THOMAS A. DOYLE
That led to a check of Doyle's correspondence file. Out popped several other letters from Barnum, who lived from 1810 to 1891.
Campbell displayed them for a visitor Friday. They are as pristine as the day they were written, although time has blanched the ink to a shade of brown.
In a hand whose calligraphic characteristics hint at the use of a quill pen and inkpot, Barnum scribbled a note to Doyle on May 27, 1876, when "P.T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan and Circus" came to town during the Centennial Year.
On stationery embossed in red with the name "Waldemere Bridgeport Ct.," Barnum wrote:
"Mayor Doyle -- there are two orphan asylums in Providence -- Protestant and Catholic. I [word indecipherable] to invite the children of each and prefer number [?] of attendants to visit the theater on the morning of our 2d day 6th inst. . . . P. T. Barnum."
Barnum's traveling venture morphed several times over the years, also being known as "The Greatest Show on Earth," after which he partnered with James Bailey. There followed "The Barnum & London Circus," and "Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth." Further mergers eventually produced the modern show with the convoluted moniker that is performing this weekend in Providence.
But the circus did not always dominate the Barnum-Doyle correspondence.
On June 1, 1876, in the days when Providence boasted more than one daily newspaper, Barnum penned a somewhat mysterious missive to "My Dear Mayor":
"I have written to editors of Bulletin-Herald-Journal-Press & Star. Let it pass till I visit your goodly city as a looker-on rather than as a showman to be looked at. On Saturday night 3d at 1/2 past 8 at your City Hotel I have written your editors and requested quietly to meet me, on which occasion my tattooed Greek nobleman will show himself to them in a private [word indecipherable]. If you and any [indecipherable] would like to be there at that time I shall be pleased to see you and allow you to see a real wonder."
What impression the "Greek Tattooed Nobleman" may have left is lost to the mists of time.
"Just another one of those discoveries here at City Hall." Campbell remarked.

Shrine Circus Comes To Town

by Wayne Harvey - April 29th 2011

Bangor - The Anah Shrine Circus is in Maine this weekend.
The Cotton Candy is made, the snow cones are ready and Friday afternoon the first spectators will be going into the Bangor Auditorium for the first of seven shows.
This is the 48th year the Circus has been in Bangor.
This year is a mixture of new acts like the Wheel of Doom, and animal acts like the trained Afghan Hounds and a Primate Act.
And a pair from the Ukraine has a hula hooping performance too.
For the Shriners the organization and preparation for the show takes about a year and in the days leading up to the opening of the circus it's nearly a round the clock job to get ready.
But, according to the Potentate Bill Dawson, those preps end when the doors open for the first show.
" Once the Auditorium goes dark and the spotlights turn on and Charlie the Ringmaster comes out the excitement begins and we can sit back and enjoy the show."
The first show begins at three Friday afternoon the doors will open at two o'clock.
Tickets at the door cost 5 dollars for kids, 10 for adults, pre-sold tickets are a dollar cheaper.
For more information on show times or where to purchase advance tickets you can visit their website www.anahshriners.com

Next weekend the circus will be at Forum in Presque Isle.

Georgia State Fair opens Saturday in Macon

JASON VORHEES/THE TELEGRAPH - Workers use different means of transportation Friday while preparing for the first day of the Georgia State Fair. The fair runs April 30 through May 8 at Central City Park in Macon.
Saturday, Apr. 30, 2011
The opening ceremony for the Georgia State Fair will be held at noon Saturday in Central City Park.This year's Georgia State Fair will feature such events as No Joe’s Clown Circus shows; Jump! The Ultimate Dog Shows; concerts by the Kinchafoonee Cowboys, Back City Woods, Nick Malloy, The Key, The Grapevine, Battle of the Bands and more; and the Macon Bacon and Kazoo Festival.The fair will be open through May 8. Midway hours are 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon Saturdays and 1 p.m. Sundays.
Gate admission is $3 in advance and $5 regular. All-you-can-ride ride tickets are $12 advance, $20 Monday-Friday, $25 Saturday-Sunday. There will be free admission 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday for lunch. Parking is free during the fair.
For more information, call 746-7184 or visit georgiastatefair.org. http://www.macon.com/2011/04/30/1543988/georgia-state-fair-opens-today.html

A sucker for circus movies

GORDON FREIREICH

Posted: 04/29/2011 http://www.ydr.com/letters/ci_17958757

I'll admit it.

I'm a sucker for circus movies.When most kids got angry at their parents they threatened to "run away to the circus." I always tried to run away to a circus movie.
And I've been hooked on circus movies ever since.
Even though the advertisements make it look very much like a "chick flick," I went to see "Water for Elephants" last week. I knew from the television ads that the male star is the guy from the "Twilight" series (none of which, I am proud to say, I have seen). The female lead is the perky blonde from "Legally Blonde."
What the film does have -- as indicated by the title -- is elephants. Or, to be more exact, an elephant. In my book, "Rosie" was the star of the film, not the humans.
I go bonkers over elephants. They are big and graceful and loveable. Perhaps I project what I want to be on the elephants.
Blame that fixation on "The Greatest Show on Earth." The 1952 film would be considered hokey by today's standards (a dramatic and climactic train crash now looks as if it were filmed at a Lionel convention). However, director Cecil B. DeMille pulled out all of the stops -- and the elephants -- when it came to spectacular circus acts. And I was hooked on pachyderms. (By the way, one of the lead players in the film was a young Charlton Heston, years before DeMille cast him as Moses in "The Ten Commandments.")
I clearly remember sitting through two showings of the film at a first-run theater in downtown York and then going to see it again when it played the second-run Hiway Theatre.
A few years after that, I saw a film titled "Trapeze." The film was notable for the fact that it had elephants -- and a new Italian transplant, named Gina Lollobrigida. I don't remember much about the film, other than the elephants and Miss Lollobrigida in a spangled, tight outfit. (I was maturing rapidly by then.)
That was followed by a musical film, "Billy Rose's Jumbo," which was notable for me because of the elephants. Heck, I even watched a movie titled "Elephant Walk," just to see the animals rampage through a home and scare the living daylights out of Elizabeth Taylor.
All those elephantine memories got me to thinking about when I was a child and the circus came to York.
As I recall, the circus would set up shop in the field next to Veterans' Memorial Stadium. That was a time when most of the shows were literally under the "Big Top."
Since the field was in roaming distance of my home on South Duke Street, I could easily walk to the location and watch the circus take shape. And yes, there was the smell of sawdust -- and animals -- hanging in the air.
And, of course, there were elephants.
Much later, when I went to college in Florida, the arrival of the circus train was followed by a circus parade -- including elephants -- to the indoor convention center.
Those are all warm thoughts I like to pack in my elephant trunk of memories.
Gordon Freireich is a former editor of the York Sunday News.

Read his blog at yorkblog.com/yorkatheart. E-mail: gordon@newtongroup.com.

City in full Bloom
Apple Blossom Festival 'off to a good start'

By Alex Bridges - abridges@nvdaily.com
WINCHESTER -- April showers made a lot of mud for the Bloom this year.
Trucks face a tougher time going to and from events for the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, according Executive Director John Rosenberger.
"We do a lot of stuff on the grass and we can't just walk on the grass, we have to drive on the grass," Rosenberger said Tuesday. "That's probably the biggest problem we've got this year."
Windy, sunny days may help dry up the venue sites, he said.
But the 84th "Timeless" Bloom "is off to a good start," with Monday's Pumps and Pearls event, Rosenberger said. Other main attractions begin Thursday and run through the weekend. This year's queen designate is Caitlin Brunell, daughter of NFL quarterback Mark Brunell, formerly of the Washington Redskins and now with the New York Jets.

Marco Perez polishes and cleans horses on the merry-go-round at the carnival site for the Apple Blossom Festival on Tuesday afternoon. Dennis Grundman/Daily

In addition to the numerous sports guests, such as Barry Sanders and Bonnie Blair, this year's Bloom features actress Debbie Reynolds as the grand marshal and country music singer Crystal Gayle as the firefighters marshal.
"Probably [Monday] was the best ticket-sale day we've had this year, which just proves our point that anymore that's simply the way people buy tickets," Rosenberger said. "The old days of people rushing out to buy tickets in a hurry and events selling out, you know, the first day the store opened, I just don't see that happening much anymore."
This just means most people wait to buy tickets until a few days before the events, according to Rosenberger.
"If people want them they better get out there," Rosenberger said. "I would not wait for Thursday or Friday to go buy tickets."

Ringmaster, wife travel with children in tow

Courtesy photo

Johnathan Lee Iverson, ringmaster for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, travels the country by train with his wife and their two children, Matthew and Lila. "It's a family business, run by family people. ... It's a marvelous community," he says.

By Bill Lynch

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Johnathan Lee Iverson and his wife Priscilla say one of the things people might not know about the circus, his circus, is that it spoils you.
"They ruin you," bemoaned Iverson, the ringmaster.
After all, once you've been part of the world's most famous circus, where do you go from there?
The Iversons, along with a host of acrobats, contortionists, daredevils, clowns, elephants and tigers are at the Charleston Civic Center through Sunday. It's part of their 44-week tour of America.
For Iverson, his wife and their two children, Matthew and Lila, riding in trains and traveling is an amazing adventure.
"The children have their own bedroom," Priscilla said. "Bunk beds. Our son sleeps on top. We sit together as the train moves and watch the country. It's very nice."

Courtesy photo
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson with wife, Priscilla; son, Matthew (left) and daugther, Lila.
"Ringling Bros. really is a family show," Iverson said. "It's a family business, run by family people. The circus has a school and nursery. They're very accommodating. It's a marvelous community."
Iverson grew up performing. He was a member of the Boys Choir of Harlem through his teens and studied to become an opera singer while at The Hartt School, the University of Hartford's performing arts conservatory.
Shortly after graduation, Iverson tried out for a part in the Fireside Dinner Theater's Christmas show. That's when Ringling Brothers recruited him.
"The director of the show was also the director of Ringling Bros.," Iverson explained.
At the time the circus was looking for a ringmaster who could also sing. Iverson fit the bill and joined "The Greatest Show on Earth."
He met his future wife a year later. She was one of a group of Brazilian dancers who had just joined the show.
READ MORE: http://wvgazette.com/Entertainment/201104270782

HAGEN BROS CIRCUS

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

MID 1950's TO MID 1960's

FROM JIM ELLIOTT

HAGEN BROS CIRCUS

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY

MID 1950'S TO 1960'S

SAN BERNARDINO: Circus Vargas brings 'magical journey' around the world'

Submitted to The Press-Enterprise

This year's Circus Vargas theme is "A Magical Journey Around the World."
April 28, 2011
By JENNIFER DEAN, The Press-Enterprise
Circus Vargas arrived Thursday in San Bernardino for shows through Monday.
The circus' Inland tour will wrap up with its next stop in Victorville.
This year's theme is "A Magical Journey Around the World," which encompasses the cultures of the globe in a series of vignettes depicting the experiences, memories and visions of a traveling circus performer.
Fans can arrive early for a pre-show peek into the world of Circus Vargas. A half-hour before the show, TV personality Jon Weiss from CBS' "The Amazing Race" will welcome audience members to center stage for a look at life under the big top.
Weiss will guide visitors on a crash course in circus skills and stamina.
To help families who can't afford a visit, Circus Vargas donated 300 tickets to the Children's Fund in San Bernardino so at-risk children can enjoy a night at the circus, too.

Kelly Miller Circus brings old-time Big Top show to Southern Indiana

Circus performer Delayna is part of the elephant act.

Apr. 28, 2011
Written byKen Neuhauser, Kenny & the Kids

The Courier-Journal

The Kelly Miller Circus is a throwback to the days when shows traveled the countryside, posting fliers announcing their arrival and actually putting up tents where they entertained townspeople under the Big Top. This town-to-town traveling circus arrives in Southern Indiana this weekend for performances in Charlestown and Madison.
The Oklahoma-based Kelly Miller show, with origins that date to 1938 and featuring elephants, tigers, clowns, dogs, aerialists, acrobats and other traditional attractions, is owned and produced by John Ringling North II, great-nephew of those legendary Ringling brothers.Performances will be at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. today on the grounds of Jonathan Jennings Elementary School in Charlestown and at 2 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Madison Consolidated High School in Madison.

What’s a circus without the clowns? Steve Copeland, left, and Ryan Combs provide merriment.
Among the stars of the two-hour spectacle are aerialist Miss Nikita, who defies gravity on her soaring single trapeze; Casey McCoy, the “Titan of the Tigers.” and his six tigers, including one rare white cat; and Brian La Palme, “The Human Volcano” who takes fire breathing to new heights.Other Big Top performers include The Silk Road Camels, trained by Mike Rice; rope-spinning cowboy Darrell “The Hawk” Hawkins; and comedy and acrobats compliments of The Poema Family from Argentina.The fun in each town actually begins well before the ringmaster's customary “Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages” introduction.

Stop by the Charlestown venue (603 Market St.) at 9 a.m. today and the Madison venue (743 Clifty Drive) at 9 a.m. Saturday for the raising of the tent.The show's elephants will assist the circus crew in raising the Big Top, which was imported from Italy and has a seating capacity of 1,200 people.

There is the possibility that some of the circus performers will help drive the tent's stakes or help set up the concessions.The 40-foot-tall tent, made with waterproof vinyl, is supported by several miles of rope, steel cable and chain, and a quarter-mile of heavy gauge aluminum tubing.read more:http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110429/FEATURES/304290043/1010/features/Kenny-Kids-Kelly-Miller-Circus-brings-old-time-Big-Top-show-Southern-Indiana?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFeatures%7Cp

Thanks to Jim Elliott for these pictures!

The years taken were 1956 thru 1958

Some were dated some were not.

For those of you too young to know The Hagen title it

was owned by Howard Suesz who also produced Clyde Bros Circus.

Clyde Bros played Ballparks and Buildings and Hagen Show played

under the Big Top.

They used to play Salisbury, MD our hometown about every other year.

The show started in 1949 up until the early 1960's.

I beleive the Mr Suesz was based in Oaklahoma City

Of course all the trucks mailing address as

Billboard Magazine, St Louis

Help us identify some of these.

Just leave a comment.

LOTS MORE TO COME!

HAGEN BROS CONT'D

FROM MIKE NAUGHTON---

CIRCUS VIDBEL PREPARES TO OPEN

IN SARASOTA

The captivating and classy aerial star, Susan Vidbel Ashton, commandeers the bob cat to unload the equipment as CIRCUS VIDBEL prepares to open the 2011 season at Sarasota Square Mall, Beneva and Sarasota Square Blvd., close to Rt. 41.

One day only, Friday, April 29 at 5:00 and 7:30, featuring: Jay Walther and Tosca Zoppe, bareback horses; Armando Cristiani, juggler; Susan Vidbel, cloud swing; The Mike Ashton Family, risley and more.The lot is located on a perfect grassy lot behind the shopping center at the intersection of Sarasota Square Blvd. and Potter Park Drive.

Young critics give Irem Shrine Circus thumbs up

Performances continue the rest of the week at the 109th Field Artillery Armory.

A tiger jumps through a flaming hoop during the cats’ show during a performance on Monday.AIMEE DILGER/The Times Leader

EILEEN GODIN Times Leader CorrespondentPosted: April 27, www.timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE – The 62nd annual Irem Shrine Circus received a collective thumbs up on its Tuesday night performance by critics, including Makayla Rutchauskas, 6, and her twin cousins Davida and Destina Kotsur-Brannigan, 5, all from Plains Township.
With their tails gracefully up in the air, the large cats leaped over hurdles, while the male lion decided to go under the hurdle…
The Hamid Circus is in town all week at the 109th Field Artillery Armory with shows scheduled for 10 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. today through Friday and 1:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Larry the Clown kicked off the show with some balancing routines, including balancing a 7-foot ladder on his chin. The audience members, still laughing, turned their attention to the center ring to be wowed by animal trainer Vincent Von Duke and his three tigers and one white Bengal tiger plus a male and female lion.

Eloise the elephant performs to the delight of circus-goers during a show on Monday.AIMEE DILGER/The Times Leader
With their tails gracefully up in the air, the large cats leaped over hurdles, while the male lion decided to go under the hurdle, receiving laughter from the crowd. The tigers finished the act by jumping through a ring of fire. But the lions were not to be outdone; as the female lion walked past the male, she stopped to give him an affectionate nuzzle.
Lisa Manoski from Mountain Top said her 19-month-old daughter, Mia, did not take her eyes off the cats.
“She seemed to really like them,” she said.
The whole two-hour show moved swiftly. Thirteen-year-old Miss Mercedes, decked out in pink, and her well-manicured pony, doing an equestrian exhibition, had many little girls wishing to trade places.
Makayla pointed and told her mom, Rochelle Mirowski, she wanted a pony just like that one. While Katelynn, 6, and her sister, Sabrina Gray, 7, of Mountain Top, agreed the fancy pony was a favorite.
Thrills were dished out too as the three Murcias exhibited their skills on the tightrope. They walked, did a somersault, and jumped over each other while precariously balancing on the high wire with no net underneath.
The high-flying Pages, a six-member group performing death defying mid-air flips and somersaults on the trapeze, had the large crowd staring upwards while holding their breaths.
When Eloise the elephant stepped into the center ring and showed off her uncanny rhythmic coordination, many people were jubilant. Little Makayla was all smiles as the elephant danced around the ring wearing a black and silver feathery head piece and blanket. As Eloise moved, even her tail seemed to keep the tempo.
As Eloise prepared to depart from the ring, she held a white handkerchief in her trunk and waved good-bye to a cheering crowd.
The evening ended with a bang as a father and daughter duo drove in a caged dome on their dirt bikes.
Mirowski said they always have enjoyed the circus and she is very supportive of the Shriners and all they do for children.
“We come every year,” she said. “We always have enjoyed the performances.”

Families, kids ready for animals, acts at the annual circus

For 70th year, El Riad brings show to town

An aerialist from the George Carden Circus International will be at the El Riad Shrine Circus, performing today through Sunday at the Sioux Falls Arena. / Courtesy photo

Apr. 28, 2011

Written byJAY KIRSCHENMANN
Generations of families have been to El Riad Shrine Circus, this week celebrating its 70th anniversary of shows in Sioux Falls.
"People who came as kids are now bringing their own kids and grandchildren," said Rob Joyce, a publicity committee member for El Riad Shrine.
There are several shows at the Sioux Falls Arena starting at 12:30 p.m. today and ending with the final show at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Five-year-old twins Evan and Dylan Sager of Sioux Falls are just getting started with their circus tradition. Their mom, Amanda Sager, a fan of the clowns, began taking the boys three years ago.
"It's a family event - my husband Nate and I take them along with both sets of grandparents," she said. "The boys were asking to ride the elephant last year, but we haven't let them do that yet."
Along with snacks, the boys also get a toy from each pair of grandparents.
For The Love Of Children day care takes all 75 of their kids each year. It's doing it again this year, for the 10th time, said director Marsha Owings.
"We have parent chaperones who help, so it's a one-adult to two-child ratio when we go," Owings said. "The children love it, and it's definitely the animals that are the biggest attraction for them."
Each child brings $6 for a drink, a snack and for a toy that's $2 or less.
"Our adults have one child in one hand and another in the other hand," she said. "The Shriners send us free tickets, so we send the business sponsors a big thank you each year."
Shrine members work with area businesses that buy most of the tickets given to children ages 12 and younger, something the local group has done for more than 40 years.
"In today's world of the X-box and Internet, some kids have never seen a real live performance of any kind," said Pat Colbert, the local Shrine's potentate. "The El Riad Shrine Circus is music, dancing, plus all the acts we've come to expect at a circus, such as the tigers, the high flying trapeze and juggling acts. It's just great fun."
It takes more than 50 people from the Shrine's volunteer committee to put on the event, said Marv Lovro, circus committee chairman. Volunteers work more than 5,000 hours to help present the circus.
Circus performersThe traveling performers are part of the George Carden Circus International company, based in Missouri.
Elephants weigh about 8,000 pounds each. They were born in the wild, according to information on the Carden website, and have been trained since they were about 3 years old. Each now is about 40 years old.
Ringmaster is Audrey Michelle Alvarado. Her parents were hand balancers, and she was 6 years old when she first performed with them.
Alvarado toured with her family and performed various circus acts as a child. She later was an aerialist, trained animals with her brother and performed with elephants.
Also in the show is BMX bicyclist Karoly Zeman.
At age 12, Zeman was enrolled in a Hungarian circus school and soon started performing with a flying trapeze troupe.
He bought a BMX bicycle with his earnings and began learning tricks just for fun but soon became proficient on the bicycle. He since has won many international competitions and placed third in the World BMX Championships.
Watch for Zeman's unique double somersault, something a Carden news release said is not done by any other BMX bicycle performer.
"The circus is one of those things that we don't want people to take for granted," Joyce said. "It's such a great part of our Sioux Falls history that brings back those great memories but also makes new ones."

Six Flags Over Texas Opens the NEW Texas Giant

Super Hybrid Coaster Breaks Industry Records.

Arlington, TX, April 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ —

The wait is finally over. Six Flags Over Texas, celebrating its 50th anniversary season in 2011, is proud to announce the official launch of the most anticipated ride of the year— the NEW Texas Giant. This super hybrid coaster is all new from the ground up boasting the steepest drop of any wooden coaster in the world at 79⁰; three bank turns at more than 90⁰ and a state-of-the-art steel track that zips riders through an unforgettable, white knuckled 1½ minutes of breathtaking twists and turns from start to finish.
“This is the best ride we’ve ever built… bar none,” said Steve Martindale, Six Flags Over Texas Park President. “We’ve taken the best attribute of a wooden coaster: plenty of air time; and the best of steel: smoothness combined with speed, and created a truly remarkable roller coaster experience. As we like to say in Texas, this ain’t your Daddy’s ride.”
The NEW Texas Giant is Texas through and through. 17-foot-longhorns welcome guests to the ride’s area. Three new trains pay homage to the Lone Star State and the popular 1961 Cadillac Deville; each train has a custom-made “cattle horn” and custom-designed saddle seats. There’s even an oil derrick nestled right in the belly of this wooden beast.
“In true Texas style, we’ve gone BIG!” added Martindale. “From the first breathtaking drop, to the multiple hills and turns with gravity-defying air time, guests will want to saddle up again and again.”
The beloved Texas Giant is back—Bigger, Better and Badder than ever. It opens to the public on Friday, April 22

see video below---

Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, It's the Circus

Walker Brothers Circus showcases international acts at the Waukesha County Expo.

The Human Volcano spits out "lava" during the Walker Brother Circus performance on Tuesday at the Waukesha County Expo

http://waukesha.patch.com/

By Sarah Millard

April 27, 2011

The smell of popcorn wafted toward those standing in line waiting with bright, colorful umbrellas to avoid the drizzle.
Inside the Waukesha County Expo center and away from the rain, children had their faces painted and received pony rides. Vendors selling pink, fluffy cotton candy and bright, glowing wands made their way through the crowds.
The Walker Brothers Circus performed twice at the Waukesha County Expo on Tuesday.

Then, before they knew it, everyone was seated and Jason Walker, the ringmaster for Walker Brother's Circus was introducing the first act – The Human Volcano.
Many of the children just stared with their eyes wide open as they watched The Human Volcano, who comes from South Africa, bring the flames near his face. One child shrieked in terror as The Human Volcano blew the flames high into the air.
And so the circus began.