THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO MY TWIN BROTHER, BILL DYKES (1943-1995). WE WERE NOT ONLY BROTHERS BUT PARTNERS IN BUSINESS AND BEST FRIENDS! AND TO ALL THE "BUTCHERS" THAT HAVE PASSED ON TO THE BIG LOT IN THE SKY!


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Saturday, December 22, 2012


WHAT DO YOU THINK?







Description:An enormously bright Christmas display at a house in Fountain Valley is attracting crowds from far and wide, as well as controversy among neighbors. Jan Stewart covered her home with 65,558 Christmas lights and synced them all to music. The display, which is in its second year, is in memory of Stewart’s late husband. But the display doesn’t inspire Christmas spirit in everyone, as some neighbors have complained to the police.(3:02)

Flávio Togni - Cavalos em liberdade - 35º Festival Internacional de Circo de Monte
FROM: MIKE NAUGHTON
 


Published on Dec 20, 2012

My Mom And Dad Actually Know The Ringmaster: A Trip To The Big Apple Circus


from: nyulocal.com
By Leah Clancy
December 21st, 2012
It’s Christmastime. A family is gathered, dressed to the nines, taking photos in front of the fountain at the Lincoln Center. Is this a classic New York Christmas, two parents taking their young daughters to see The Nutcracker? No, it’s my mom, my dad, my 20 year-old sister, and me. It was yesterday. My mom is eating a falafel sandwich, and we’re about to go to the circus.

It’s the Big Apple Circus to be exact. My parents are in town to move my sister out of her dorm before she goes abroad next semester and drive us both home. It just so happens that one my dad’s friend’s from high school, John Kennedy Kane, is the head ringmaster in “Legendarium”, the Big Apple Circus’s 35 Anniversary spectacular.

Kane has been known as “Circ” (short for Circus Man) by family and friends since he was just a kid, performing one-man shows in the basement of his childhood home.
His longtime love for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey shows has come full circle. After clowning around as characters such as Eggroll, Salami Salami Bologna, and Jingle, “The World’s Largest Elf,” he’s made it to the big time, or well, the Big Top, performing alongside acrobats and animals alike.

Like a grandma, I am in a shawl, drinking hot tea, sucking on ginger candies. I enter the massive white tent, likely scaring the toddlers that run between my ankles. I have been sick since Thanksgiving with an unnamable illness that has kept my lymph node the size of a pingpong ball, and has only been aggravated by a week-long jaunt in the library. I am unsure about much of this. I keep hearing things like, “Nanna has to go potty,” and “Take care of my Barbie.” Okay circus, I haven’t done this since I was nine. Let’s try it out.

We find our seats. The chair next to mine is empty. My mom says, “OOH Leah, your future husband is going to sit there!” The seat remained empty for the entire show.

The house lights fall, the spotlight flashes wildly, and voilà, there is Circ, the jolly, jovial, ruddy-cheeked ringmaster in all his glory. His booming voice welcomes all the boys and girls of the audience. The average age has to be ten. Every single kid is squealing.

While I didn’t want to be on my phone like some bratty preteen, I managed to take some notes on the show. So I will retroactively live-blog the circus. (Lived-blog? Dead-blog?):

I am definitely the oldest kid here. No big deal, I know the ringmaster.
Read more: My Mom And Dad Actually Know The Ringmaster: A Trip To The Big Apple Circus · NYU Local http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2012/12/21/my-mom-and-dad-actually-know-the-ringmaster-a-trip-to-the-big-apple-circus/#ixzz2Fkm5TzKL
 
 
STRUPPI

 
 
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 gjefferies@bradenton.com
Gabriella Herrmann works with Duba, in a Capriol Aires Above the Ground during a past training. Herrmanns' Royal Lipizzan Stallion training sessions will be open to the public beginning today through May. Sessions are 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. Saturdays at their facility at 32755 Singletary Road, Myakka City. Minimum donation is $5. Information: 941-322-1501 or www.hlipizzans.com. HERALD FILE PHOTO
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/12/21/4324287/todays-best-bets-dec-21.html#storylink=cpy
Dutch Winter Wonderland



It's the most Dutch-Wonderful time of the year! During Dutch Winter Wonderland, the park is magically transformed for the holidays. There are more than a dozen rides open, holiday themed entertainment and the Royal Light Show, a spectacular display of thousands of twinkling lights dancing to music.

 
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Horsin' around

 
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from:  hernandotoday.com
By HEATHER FRANCIS|Hernando Today correspondent
December 21, 2012
Buckle up your seatbelts, folks, for an action-packed performance at the Hernando Fairgrounds on Saturday night.
Tommie Turvey, locally based in Brooksville and a well-known horseman, movie stuntman, trainer, and show entertainer, is bringing you his "Night of Amazing Horses".
And amazing is right!
Jamie Marshall, production manager for Turvey's shows, said, "We want people to see how wonderful horses can be. We want people to see them in a different light and that they are capable of doing extraordinary things."
Turvey performs action and comedy acts with his horses along with beautiful horsemanship skills choreographed to music. Turvey, along with his wife, Chantal, shows the audience how you can communicate with your horse without a saddle, tack, or restraints.
"They use only their voice and body language to guide them in the open arena. It is truly an art form to see the communication and trust they have for each other," said Marshall.
Turvey's intelligent horses have such a complete level of trust and confidence in him that they allow him to do stunts and tricks so up close and personal with themselves that it really is amazing.
For instance, when Turvey asks his stunt horse Pokerjoe to lay upside down with all four feet in the air and then Turvey sits on his chest and holds Pokerjoe's feet, it is hard to believe that you are watching a horse.
Turvey said, "Tricks like the laydown are especially difficult. I train my horses to learn how to lie down very gently and soft as well as getting up safely. Any horse will lay down, but teaching them to do it in a way that makes it safe and easy on them is the key."
Turvey will also be performing with special guests Matt Mclaughlin and his Andalusian dressage horses, along with the Loyal Family Equestrians, specializing in circus bareback riding and vaulting. Dressage is often described as horse ballet, and vaulting as gymnastics on horseback.
"People will see three of the best performers in the world right here in Brooksville. Tommie and his horses have been around the world and in major movies and tv shows. Matt Mclaughlin is a top notch dressage trainer with the highest awards in dressage, has performed in thousands of shows and trained under Chuck Grant, the father of dressage in the U.S. Timi Loyal is one of the best rosinback riders and vaulters in the world. He has performed in all the greatest shows and even performed eight somersaults in one pass around the ring. To have these performers under one show in Brooksville is a special treat and shouldn't be missed," said Marshall.
read more:
www.hernandotoday.com

Friday, December 21, 2012

NOJOES CIRCUS
DOCUMENTARY FILM
PREMIER--DECEMBER 21, 2012
 
 
 
 
 
DALLAS, GEORGIA
Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D Movie Spot
from Casey Gibbs


Published on Dec 12, 2012
From legendary director James Cameron and the creators of Cirque du Soleil comes the motion picture event "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D"!
Visit the Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away 3D official movie site: http://www.WorldsAway3D.com
From the big top to the big screen, Academy Award-nominated director Andrew Adamson and visionary filmmaker James Cameron invite audiences on an all-new 3D adventure -- Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away.
Dick--
A large portion of this film was shot at “O” at the Bellagio. My team and I had the privilege of working with Andrew Adamson and James Cameron on this film. Truly a once in a lifetime experience!

Also, my son Lance was on the rigging crew at “O” during this shoot. If you watch the credits roll at the end you’ll see my name and Lance’s name in the credits for “O”. You’ll probably see a lot of other familiar names in the credits from all of our Cirque shows here in Las Vegas.

The film is visually stunning. If you’ve seen “O” live you’ll get to see it from a whole new perspective in 3D. I hope you have as much fun watching it as we had making it.
Casey
McLaren CIrcus opens in Jeffreys Bay
From Denzil McLaren

 
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A Helium Shortage Leads to Fewer Balloons in the Sky  
 
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Mark Holm for The New York Times
A helium enrichment plant above a helium reserve in Amarillo, Tex.

from: nytimes.com
By MANNY FERNANDEZ
December 19, 2012
AMARILLO, Tex. — One chain of party supply stores in Texas and Oklahoma was forced to make a cut worthy of Scrooge: no more balloons donated to charity events. A gated community on Lake Erie in Ohio that had handed out balloons to children at a Fourth of July parade for decades did not give out a single balloon this year. And a longtime tradition at University of Nebraska home football games — releasing up to 5,000 red balloons after the Huskers score their first touchdown — was downsized this season to a modest 2,000.
The problem each time was not the supply of balloons, but the supply of what goes in them: helium.
A global helium shortage has turned the second-most abundant element in the universe (after hydrogen) into a sought-after scarcity, disrupting its use in everything from party balloons and holiday parade floats to M.R.I. machines and scientific research.
Balloons at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade last month had helium, but a shortage has affected other parades this year.
In years past, there have been periodic shortages of helium — in 1958, the giant balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade were filled with air instead of helium and hoisted onto trucks — but physicists, industry experts and federal officials said that this year’s shortage had been one of the worst, for its duration and scale.
read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/20/us/a-helium-shortage-leads-to-fewer-balloons-in-the-sky.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121220&_r=0
  Cirque Banquisté.


The Cartoon Poodles, a troop of canines that do everything from dancing to riding scooters on stage, will perform with Hamin (from left) and Rafael Abuhabda and Isabel Urra in Cirque Banquiste from Dec. 27 through Jan. 1 at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts
by Nancy Churnin The Dallas Morning News Family entertainment
from: dallasnews.com
Published: 20 December 2012
Imagine if you threw a party for your favorite international circus stars — then opened the doors for lovers of all things sparkly, daring, funny and joyous to join you.
That’s what Fanny Kerwich of Lone Star Circus does every year.
The eighth-generation French performer, who used to travel the world with her Hula-Hoop circus act, started the Lone Star Circus School for kids when she settled down in Dallas to marry lawyer Mark Doyle. Now the 44-year-old mother of two invites performers — some old friends, some people whose acts she has always wanted to see — for a weeklong stint that stretches from close to Christmas to New Year’s in her Cirque Banquisté.

Hana Machotka Clown Jeff "Gordoon" Gordon's signature act revolves around toilet paper. 
The performers say yes, they tell me, because they want to be around other circus folk who revel in what they love to do and because they’ve heard that this is a blast. It doesn’t hurt that Cirque Banquisté sold out every one of its performances last year.
Once the acceptances roll in, Kerwich works with director Dominique Jando and local married clowns Tiffany “Slappy” Riley and Dick Monday (see Page 62) to craft the production, with interludes between the acts that include the clowns putting a comic spin on the other acts.
 
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 Lone Star Circus Hula Hoop artist Jesse Patterson, 15, of Dallas, makes her professional debut at Cirque Banquiste at the Rosewood Center for Family Arts Dec. 27-Jan. 1.
The celebration runs Dec. 27 through Jan. 1 with eight shows at Dallas Children’s Theater’s Rosewood Center for Family Arts. An hour before each show, there’ll be lobby activities that will give patrons a chance to try their hands at circus skills like spinning plates, aerial silks and dressing up. Don’t be surprised if Kerwich’s own kids, Gitana, 7, and Garrett, 5, pop up somewhere in custom-made circus clothes fashioned especially for this show, as they get ready to take on the mantle of a ninth- generation circus family.
Here’s a look at some of the performing stars.
read more here:
http://www.dallasnews.com/entertainment/columnists/nancy-churnin/20121220-party-with-the-two--and-four-legged-stars-of-cirque-banquiste.ece?ssimg=829706#ssStory829715
CIRQUE ELOISE IN PHILADELPHIA



Cirque Eloize: iD 'ID' blends art and circus acts with hip-hop & breakdance elements. Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St.; 215-893-1999. www.cirque-eloize.com/en/shows/id. $25-$75. Closes 12/30.
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/entertainment/20121221_Events_for_the_family.html#ixzz2Fh4mKyjk
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

Bethenny Frankel Takes Bryn to the Circus

 
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Enjoying a mommy-daughter day of fun, Bethenny Frankel took Bryn to the "Big Apple Circus" in New York City on Thursday (December 20).
The Skinny Girl entrepreneur wore a white winter coat, olive pants, and black boots while her 2-year-old girl looked adorable in her bright pink coat and matching boots.
read more here:
http://gossipcenter.com/bethenny-frankel/bethenny-frankel-takes-bryn-circus-781407

BIG TOP TO BIG SCREEN
Former wrestler, police officer featured in new documentary on clown show

 
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by Adam Elrod
from: NeighborNewspapers.com
December 20, 2012
The Dallas Theater is rolling out the red carpet Friday for the world premier of a documentary about a Paulding resident and his unusual path to owning a circus.
The film “GreasePaint” focuses on Joey Thurmond, president of Dallas-based Nojoe’s Clown Circus, and his transition from pro wrestler and police officer to Nojoe the Clown.
“The stuff nobody sees is what this is about,” Thurmond said.
He said he wanted the film to show the audience what it is really like to be a clown.
Thurmond was 19 years old when he signed with World Championship Wrestling under the wrestling name “Joe Thurman,” he said. He was a rising star in the sport when his career was cut short by an accident during a match in the early 1990s that broke his back, Thurmond said.
“Life is curvy,” he said.
After being in a body cast for a year, with a chance of never walking again, Thurmond beat the odds and worked as a police officer in the Atlanta area for 15 years, he said.
While he was an officer Thurmond married current circus cast member Jamie Thurmond in 2003, and on his honeymoon went to the Ringling Brothers Circus museum in Florida. The trip inspired him to polish juggling skills he learned as a child, and he learned how to apply makeup and create costumes. It led to a volunteer weekend job for two years, he said.
“It got to where I was busy all the time,” Thurmond said.
At his first paying job he told the woman who booked him that he did not want to get paid, he said.
“I was so afraid that if it turned into a job it would not be fun any more,” he said.
When his family opened Nojoe’s Circus in 2008, Thurmond invested all his savings and retirement funds to make the show possible, he said. The five members of the show only had $100 between them, he said.
“It was an, ‘All in, this has got to work,’ situation,” Thurmond said.
However, the show survived and continues to tour the nation, including such recent local events as the Gwinnett County Fair.
In 2008 Thurmond hired the documentary’s director Daniel Espeut to do a promotional video for the circus. In 2010, Espeut called Thurmond and said he would like to make a documentary about Thurmond and the circus, he said.
Espeut said he wanted to help show the human side of clowns and not the cartoonish side traditionally shown in movies.
“My industry ran this art form in the ground,” Espeut said.
If you go:
What: premiere of the documentary ‘Greasepaint.’
Where: Dallas Theater, 208 Main St., Dallas.
When: Friday, 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Information: (678) 363-0813 or visit www.dallastheater-civiccenter.com.
For more information on NoJoe’s Clown Circus, call (404) 725-6082, email info@nojoesclowncircus.com, or visit http://nojoesclowncircus.com.

A doggy Christmas surprise



Uploaded on Dec 20, 2008
Our dogschool's presentation group made a surprise video for Christmas. It is our first work of this kind, but we are planning more. Enjoy and spread! :)
Our dogs are trained by the Mirror Method.More info about the method: www.mirrordogschoolusa.com
Kutyáinkat Tükör módszerrel neveljük.

'Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away' is a bit dull, even in 3-D

 
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An image from 'Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away,' which was shot in 3-D. (Photo by Paramount Pictures)
from:  nola.com
By McClatchy Tribune Services
December 21, 2012
Cirque du Soleil movies are a lot like ballet films -- long on beauty and artistry, short on story. "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away" is a 3-D catalog of the wonders of the Cirque company's Las Vegas shows, from "Believe" and "Mystere" to "O" and "Viva Elvis." It is a feast for the eyes, an appreciation of the accomplished art of the jugglers, tumblers, mimes, contortionists, acrobats and aerialists that have made Cirque a brand name for family-friendly wonders, even in Sin City.
Live, in person, these shows are physical and technical spectacles, the state-of-the-art in what is possible in live performance. On film? The spectacle is a little less spectacular, the sappy Enye-ish score monotonous and the "story" takes on importance that it cannot sustain.
Their movies are what the live shows never are -- boring.
read more:
http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/12/cirque_du_soleil_worlds_away_i.html

Circus memorabilia makes colorful display at Tippah County Museum
by Lena Mitchell/NEMS
from:  djournal.com
December 20, 2012

 
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RIPLEY, MS – Circus memorabilia fan and collector Bob Middleton didn’t need to run away to join the circus as a child to indulge his favorite pastime.
Instead, the father of one of his childhood friends – a devoted circus fan himself – took them to experience the delights of the circus world on a regular basis.
Some of the dozens of pieces the 73-year-old has collected or built during more than six decades of devotion to the circus is on display at the Tippah County Historical Museum in Ripley through December.
“I guess I really caught the circus bug when I was 13 years old,” Middleton said. “It was June of 1953 and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was coming to my hometown in Bridgeton, N.J.”
From about age 9, Middleton and his friend Melissa had attended circuses with Melissa’s dad, Sam Brown.
Brown had befriended Middleton’s dad when the career military man retired in Bridgeton after World War II, and Brown was national president of Circus Fans of America.
“Melissa was the same age as me and he’d take us every time,” Middleton said. “When we were 12, Melissa died of leukemia, and he just kept taking me after that.”
It was before the days of television and electronic devices to distract and entertain children, and 30 to 40 circuses came through Bridgeton or nearby towns in 1948 and 1949, Middleton said. But the Ringling Bros. Circus was the turning point.
“Never before had I seen such a mass of trucks, wagons and equipment,” he said. “It was unreal. When the big top (tent) went up the poles, I could not believe it. The show was great. It had five rings of performers at the same time. The tent was so big it held 8,000 people and had a form of air-conditioning.”
Read more: djournal.com - Circus memorabilia makes colorful display at Tippah County Museum

'The Nutcracker' runs away to the circus in Clearwater


Sarasota’s Circus Nutcracker performers: the Prince (Ricardo Graziano), from left, Clara (Sara Sardelli), the Ringmaster (Logan Learned), Sugar (Kate Honea) and John Ringling (David Tlaiye).
from:  tampabay.com
 By John Fleming, Times Performing Arts Critic
 Thursday, December 20, 2012
SARASOTA
You don't really need to know anything about the Ringling family and its circus to enjoy the Sarasota Ballet's new production of the Tchaikovsky holiday classic, which is called John Ringling's Circus Nutcracker. Basically, it's a traditional Nutcracker in a regional setting, not unlike, say, the San Francisco Ballet's version, which takes place during the world's fair held there in 1915.
Iain Webb, director of Sarasota Ballet, expanded his company to accommodate the full-length work, featuring about 45 company members and 25 children, and the circus theme works surprisingly well.
Of course, many residents of Sarasota know all about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which wintered there and is central to the city's identity. A virtually full house turned out last Friday for the ballet's premiere at Van Wezel Hall. The production transfers to Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater for three performances
this Friday and Saturday.
 
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[sketches by Peter Docherty]
Designer Peter Docherty’s costumes reflect the art deco style of the Chrysler building, which dominates the skyline of The Nutcracker’s Act 1 setting in 1930s New York.

In this Nutcracker, created by a pair of Englishmen, choreographer Matthew Hart and designer Peter Docherty, the ballet is set in the 1930s in New York and Sarasota. The key adaptation in the libretto is to make circus boss John Ringling the Drosselmeyer character, the somewhat mysterious figure who brings the nutcracker toy to the Stahlbaum family Christmas party and presents it to Clara. The change is mostly effective, though by introducing Ringling/Drosselmeyer early in Act 1 — at the New York railroad station where Clara and her family see the circus loading up — the drama of his entrance to the party, announced by a delicious minor chord in the Tchaikovsky score, is undercut.
read more here:
http://www.tampabay.com/features/performingarts/the-nutcracker-runs-away-to-the-circus-in-clearwater/1266745

Thursday, December 20, 2012


The Circus Comes to Town


from:  palmbeachillustrated.com
By Stephen Brown
Dec. 19, 2012
Heralded as “The Greatest Show on Earth”—they even copyrighted that—the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has had quite an impact on Florida. Aside from delighting children and adults of all ages for more than a century, traveling from town to town, circus in tow; John Ringling, founder of the famed circus, essentially put Sarasota on the map with his grand and opulent Ca’ d’Zan Mansion. Now the mansion has turned museum, along with the acreage around it, turning the estate into a memorial of all things Ringling, including an art museum and a pretty spectacular circus museum that is at once history lesson and entertaining timeline. Now the Ringling gang is gearing up for a holiday ho-down in our own backyard with the Holiday Circus Spectacular at the Palm Beach County Convention Center from December 25-30.
  
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The Lopez Troupe
 The exclusive one-week show is bringing those famed three-rings to West Palm Beach, with the stands so close to the action you’ll be able to smell the animal performers. The Holiday Circus Spectacular features six distinct acts, each brandishing their own distinct and unique flair. The father-son comedic duo, Anton and Viktor Frankie, will have the audience in stiches as the two rather dapper dudes run through a hilarious compendium of skits, each leaving one of the Frankes the butt of the joke.
read more:
http://www.palmbeachillustrated.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.details&ArticleId=2736

2013 Shrine Circus
Lansing~Flint~Saginaw



An Inside Look at Ringling Bros presents Built To Amaze! -
 Meet Alex and Irina



Published on Dec 18, 2012
Meet Alex & Irina from Built To Amaze! The 143rd Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey. For show information and tickets go to www.Ringling.com.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents the 143rd exhilarating edition of the Greatest Show On Earth. Surprise and wonder build such incredible anticipation it could only be Built To Amaze!?

Elephants, tigers, acrobats and aerialists join together from across the globe, each a spectacular piece of the puzzle, forming one exquisite design of magnificence and precision. From the blueprints to the band, from the crates to the clowns, from the hammer to the high wire comes one breathtaking performance of non-stop thrills so astonishing you have to see it to believe it.

Join us as we measure out the perfect mix of marvel and majesty in an imagination equation where the impossible comes to life. Be a part of the brand-new spectacles from around the world immersed in the circus tradition you have come to know and love. Experience it live and feel the amazement! Children Of All Ages will be inspired for years to come at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Built To Amaze!
 
Hallandale says no to bullhooks, whips used to control circus animals
from: sun-sentinel.com
By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
December 19, 2012
HALLANDALE BEACH --Whips, electric prods and bullhooks used to gouge and beat circus elephants are now outlawed in Hallandale Beach.
The prospect of a traveling circus coming to town prompted the ban, approved by commissioners during a meeting Tuesday.
Animal activist groups applauded the move, saying they hope it sparks a trend among cities aiming to ensure the humane treatment of animals.
"The commission's action puts Ringling Bros. and other circuses on notice that forcing elephants and tigers to perform through beatings will no longer be tolerated," said Delcianna Winders, a spokeswoman for PETA.
PETA has gathered photos and videos showing Ringling trainers and handlers using bullhooks to beat and jab elephants and their babies.

Interactive 2013 Zelzah Shrine Circus Brings New Line-up the Orleans Arena January 10-13
Details
Las Vegas— International performers from more than 15 countries will dazzle during the 2013 Zelzah Shrine Circus, coming to the Orleans Arena for seven shows January 10-13.
 The theme of this year’s Shrine Circus is Broadway and will include an original score, new costumes and thrilling feats. Acts scheduled to appear are:
 - Daniel Raffo, World Renowned Tiger Trainer. Raffo’s bevy of beautiful Bengal big cats come direct from Argentina. 
- Andrea and Lluvia, Courageous and Indescribable.  This daring duo hangs by their hair high above the arena while spinning at dangerous speeds and juggling flaming batons.
- Priceless Pachyderms, trained by Larry Carden. Dancing elephants perform precision feats to a Broadway-themed original score.
- Everyone’s favorite clown, Johnny, and his surprising side kick Baby Pach.  Watch Johnny clown around with his “toy.”
- Oodles of Poodles.  Clever canines cavorting on a challenge course.
- Hernando and Marius, Motorcycle Madness.  Not for the faint of heart, Hernando and Marius take motocross to new heights, combining dangerous daredevils and a delicate incline wire.
 Show times are: January 10, 7 p.m.; January 11, 8 p.m.; January 12, 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and January 13, 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Attendees are welcomed into all three rings of the circus for the pre-party one hour prior to show times to meet performers, ride the elephants and clown around.
 General admission tickets are $14 for children 12 and under, and $18 for adults. Reserved seating is available for $27 or $45. Children 2 and under are free but must sit in a parent’s lap in reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Orleans Arena Box Office at 702.284.7777 or by visiting www.orleansarena.com.

The Zelzah Shrine Circus is a fundraising event for the Zelzah Shrine Temple of Las Vegas, renowned for its community service projects and philanthropic pursuits. Zelzah is a local chapter of Shriners International, one of the oldest fraternal organizations in the world. Proceeds from the Shrine Circus benefit the Zelzah Shrine Temple and are not deductible as charitable contributions. For more information on Zelzah Shrine, visit www.zelzahshrine.com

 
 
Legends In Concert - The Holiday Edition 2012 at Bally's, Atlantic City



Published on Dec 1, 2012
Legends In Concert 2012 Holiday Show at Bally's, Atlantic City. Now to Dec. 31. ?Special New Year's Shows: Monday, December 31 at 8pm & 10:30pm. Video Editing by C. Steiner. Video Produced by Lew Steiner, publisher,
Atlantic City Weekly & ACweekly.com.
FROM BROOKE EVANS--
#15 RINGLING MENAGERIE POLE WAGON


Menagerie pole from 1949 and 1950 when poles and top had a jungle theme,done in half inch scale aagon is styrene polts are wood . all quarter poles have pull up loops attached. Brooke


 
 
 
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CAT TOONS
FROM LARRY AND NANCY SNYDER

 
 
 
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Alameda County Fair Rises to 33 in Top 50 Fairs in North America
Alameda County Fair manager, Rick Pickering, chosen as CEO of the California State Fair.

from:  unioncity.patch.com
December 19, 2012
From the Alameda County Fair:
The Board of Directors of the California State Fair & Exposition has announced the selection of Rick Pickering as the State Fair’s new Chief Executive Officer. Pickering has been at the helm of the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton since January of 1999 and has been credited with the Fairs remarkable growth. In the past four years alone, the Alameda County Fair has experienced a 44% increase in attendance, making it the 33 rd largest Fair in North America. With more than 3,000 Fairs in North America, the Alameda County Fair is now ranked in the top 1%. Additionally, the Alameda County Fair has become one of the most decorated Fairs in the United States and Canada.
According to Stephen Chambers, Executive Director of the Western Fairs Association (WFA,) “Rick Pickering has regularly been selected by his peers to lead our industry forward. He is the only Fair CEO to have served as President of the WFA, Chairman of the California Fairs Alliance, President of the California Authority of Racing Fairs, and President of the California Fairs Services Authority.”
“If aliens landed and said ‘take us to your leader,’ we would bring them to Rick’s office!” Chambers added. He also noted that Pickering was recently selected as the 2013 inductee to the WFA Hall of Fame.
An official Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on January 24, 2013.
read more:
http://unioncity.patch.com/articles/alameda-county-fair-rises-to-33-in-top-50-fairs-in-north-america#c


Lone Star Circus welcomes Liz Mikel to Its Stellar Cast

 
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Liz Mikel
from:  northdallasgazette.com
By Staff Writer
December 19, 2012
Liz Mikel, a long-time fixture in the Dallas arts community, has joined the cast of LONE STAR CIRCUS presents CIRQUE BANQUISTÉ as the Mistress of Merriment.  Mikel will dazzle audiences with her star-power as she combines the roles of traditional ringmaster and singing songstress. Her full voice and range will take families on a magical journey of circus.

Mikel has been performing on stage for more than twenty years, including extended runs with the Dallas Theater Center.  She recently delighted Broadway audiences and critics in a featured role in the musical Lysistrata Jones.  Mikel’s television and film credits include appearances on Friday Night Lights; Prison Break; and Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins.

Early this month, Mikel was nominated for The 2012 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year in the arts community.  Additional honors include Best Actress by D Magazine in their annual “Best of Big D” issue (2004), and she was featured as “Queen of the Arts–The Face of Black Theater in Dallas” (2006) by The Dallas Weekly.

CIRQUE BANQUISTÉ is an exciting production that gives families a more intimate, interactive circus experience with every seat close to the action.  Directed by Fanny Kerwich, this stunning new production features celebrated artists from all over the world.   In addition to Mikel, stars of this all-new LONE STAR CIRCUS production include…
 ¦From Chile, the joyous and colorful canine antics of The Cartoon Poodles;
 ¦From Cuba, the awe-inspiring and elegant hand balancing of Ricardo Sosa;
 ¦From Russia, the extraordinary and mesmerizing award-winning juggling of Gena Cristiani;
 ¦From Atlanta, Matt Richardson’s exciting and inventive spins on the ground and in the air;
 ¦From Dallas, the astounding and elegant contortion of Cassondra Machac;
 ¦From Argentina, the amazing and spectacular acrobatics of The Laurino Brothers.
 ¦From Dallas, the energizing and beautiful Jesse Patterson and her twirling hula hoops;
 ¦From Russia, the mind-boggling and subtle rolla-bolla equilibriums of Kirill Rebkovets;
 ¦From Chicago, the striking and balletic aerial choreography of the graceful Simone Marina Lazar;
 ¦From Pittsburgh, the zany comedy of the international ambassador of Giggleland, Mr. Gordoon;
 ¦And from Dallas, all-time favorite queen and king of laughter, Slappy and Monday!

A perfect complement to the holidays, LONE STAR CIRCUS will hold eight performances from December 27 – January 1 at The Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman, in Dallas.  Tickets for LONE STAR CIRCUS range from $20-$46. 

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