BOB'S CIRCUS TRAIN, SARASOTA #1

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

Lifelong circus performer and clown Toby Ballantine entertains as the Big Top Tours bus winds its way through Sarasota during a tour of historical circus sites and points of interest in the area.

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.comTour participants browse a narrow train corridor lined with circus photographs and memorabilia during a stop at Bob's Train in Sarasota as the Big Top Tours bus makes its way through Sarasota during a tour of the circus history in the area

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

Tour participants look through black and white photographs as the Big Top Tours bus winds its way through Sarasota during a tour of the circus history in the area.

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

Lifelong circus performer and clown Toby Ballantine entertains as the Big Top Tours bus winds its way through Sarasota during a tour of historical circus sites and points of interest in the area.



PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

Bob Horne talks about the history of his converted passenger railcar, now a restaurant filled with circus memorabilia, during a stop at Bob's Train as the Big Top Tours bus makes its way through Sarasota during a tour of the circus history in the area.

Bob's Circus Diner I bet there's some serious jackpotting going on there!

BOB'S CIRCUS TRAIN, SARASOTA #2

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

A dining car lined with circus photographs and memorabilia at Bob's Train restaurant.

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

A hand-pulled print of the first Ringling Bros newspaper advertisement on display at Bob's Train in Sarasota.

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

Bob Horne talks about the history of the John & Mable Ringling Railroad Coach while walking through what used to be John Ringling's private bathroom in the railcar which is currently under restoration at Bob's Train in Sarasota.

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.com

This dilapidated bathroom inside the John & Mable Ringling Railroad Coach was once used by General John J. Pershing. The railcar is currently under restoration at Bob's Train in Sarasota.

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela

A lifesize image of John and Mable Ringling from the Smithsonian lends a bit of extra atmosphere inside the John & Mable Ringling Railroad Coach. The railcar is currently under restoration at Bob's Train in Sarasota.

Big Top Tours traces Sarasota’s colorful circus history

PAUL VIDELA/pvidela@bradenton.comLifelong circus performer and clown Toby Ballantine narrates as the Big Top Tours bus winds its way through Sarasota during a tour of historical circus sites and points of interest in the area.

SARASOTA -- The sprawling Ringling Museum of Art parking lot was nearly full but the colorfully painted Circus Coach idling near the Mertz Theatre could not be missed.

The clown inside the memorabilia-adorned shuttle bus created an unforgettable first impression.
“Ready for some transportainment?” asked the host in the super-sized shoes.

The inaugural Big Top Tour launched Wednesday from the 20-acres of waterfront property purchased by John and wife Mable Ringling almost a century ago. John Ringling relocated the winter quarters of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from Bridgeport, Conn., to Sarasota in 1927. The Florida city has been synonymous with circus ever since.

All the Circus King’s and relatives’ name-bearing biggies were included.
Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2010/12/16/2816753/big-top-tours-traces-sarasotas.html#ixzz18Gy6dIdK

WALLACE FARM--PERU, INDIANA 1993 (FROM BILL PRICKETT)

Dick....here are eight photos of Wallace Farm, Peru, Ind,..Aug, 1993.....location of Circus Hall of Fame....Bill Prickett

WALLACE FARM--PERU INDIANA #2

From Harry Kingston
Dick,
I want to say have a great Holiday season and a million thanks for your great blog and all the circus news and pics on it.
I know it's a ton of work and you sure kept us fans on the know with all what you found out and put on it.
You and buckles are the best on the net.
Hope you are doing all ok and I am looking to a new 2011 blog from you with all the news etc.
We have to keep and eye out as Picadilly and the Clyde Beatty circus is supposed to be out as well as KM opening in Feb in the Texas valley.
Hope Santa brings you all what you asked for.
Thanks again so much for all what you did and kept us fans informed on what the shows are doing.
Harry in Texas

Thanks Harry!

And the same to you and yours!

2011 OHIO FAIR DATES RELEASED

chillicothegazette.com
December 14, 2010
The Ohio Department of Agriculture on Monday released the official 2011 dates for 94 county and independent fairs and the Ohio State Fair.

The season kicks off with the Paulding County Fair June 13. The Ross County Fair will occupy its usual early August slot, running from Aug. 6 through 13, the week after the Pike County Fair, which runs from July 30 through Aug. 6.

The Ohio State Fair runs from July 27 through Aug. 7, and the fair season wraps up with the Fairfield County Fair in Lancaster Oct. 9 through 15.

State Fair's move was return to roots

Published: Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Nebraska State Fair, with roots dating back to the late 1850s, has a long, rich history and tradition in the state.

But, according to James McKee, historian, publisher and co-owner of Lee Booksellers in Lincoln, the Nebraska State Fair is still as relevant as when it started as a territorial fair in Omaha nearly a decade before Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1, 1867.

McKee was the guest speaker on Tuesday at the noon Rotary Club meeting in Grand Island. He gave a slide presentation of the history of the State Fair.

While the State Fair had a number of homes, including Nebraska City, Brownville, Lincoln and Omaha, it wasn’t until 1901 that the Legislature selected the Lancaster County Fairgrounds as home to the State Fair. There it remained until 2010, when it moved west to Grand Island.

But while the State Fair has gone through many changes over the years, it has remained true to its original mission in the late 1850s to foster, encourage and develop agriculture in Nebraska, he said.

http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2010/12/14/news/local/12741531.txt
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double click to enlarge and read http://www.circussarasota.org/

KING CHARLES TROUPE IS BACK!

Available for 2011 and accepting offers, please contact:
Kim Anthony Jones – Kip
King Charles Troupe
P.O. Box 1408
Bronx. NY 10451
kingcharlestroup@aol.com"

Circus, Disney Shows Coming To Barclays Arena

Press Release 12-14-2010 from the Broklyn Daily Eagle
DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — Feld Entertainment plans to bring a range of family events to perform annually at the Barclays Center, the future home of the Nets basketball team.Several of Feld’s productions to be staged at the Barclays Center include the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Disney On Ice, Disney Live, Monster Jam, AMA Arenacross (AX), and Nuclear Cowboyz freestyle motocross.
Overall, Feld Entertainment’s productions will hold at least 48 total performances annually at the Barclays Center.
The Barclays Center, now under construction, is scheduled to open in late spring or early summer of 2012. Feld Entertainment’s productions will be part of the more than 200 events annually at the Barclays Center.
“The Barclays Center will be all about family, entertainment, and fun for people of all economic means,” said Bruce Ratner, chairman and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies, the developer of the Barclays Center. “I can’t wait to see circus elephants marching down Flatbush Avenue and into the Barclays Center.”
Earlier this year, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment announced several major alliances with other event management companies and promoters. These include IMG, which will bring 25 major college basketball and college hockey events annually; Golden Boy Promotions, which will promote a minimum of 12 major professional boxing events a year; and Lagardère Unlimited, which will stage several major tennis events annually.

FROM THE UK

* * *
Get ready for Chinese State Circus extravaganza at Southport Theatre

Dec 15 2010 by Janine Yaqoob, Midweek Visiter
FROM the land of legends and Shaolin Warrior’s comes the incredible new Chinese State Circus production, the live action spectacular, Mulan.
As part of the 21 date theatre tour The Chinese State Circus arrives at Southport Theatre on Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10, 2011.
Following the show’s successful premiere in Liverpool earlier this year, organisers are expecting a rapturous response from audiences in Southport when the action extravaganza comes to town.
Explore the inspiring heroic story of a strong-minded country girl who joined the Emperor’s all-male army in place of her father who was too old to fight. Through her warrior skills she was promoted to the rank of General yet throughout her epic exploits defeating all her enemies no one was aware that she was a woman.
Witness a breathtaking fusion of precision acrobatics, Shaolin martial arts, dazzling circus skills, colourful characters from Peking Opera, physical theatre and drama choreographed to an original music score.
Entertainment for all the family, from the world’s leading Chinese acrobats. From gravity-defying gymnastics to the seemingly impossible body manipulations of the hand-balancer; from the leaping, rolling somersaulting repertoire of the hoop divers to the lavish tradition of the Lion Dance, the undisputed masters of physical theatre will have the audience on the edge of their seats.
Blink and you could miss it, such are the lightening reactions of the greatest exponents of martial arts, the Shaolin Wushu Warriors. Trained at the Shaolin Temple, they stretch the limits of human achievement in this dazzling new production.
The title role of Mulan is performed by martial arts expert, Cao Jing making her first appearance in the UK.
Joining Mulan is two of the most colourful characters in Chinese folklore, from the exclusive Peking Opera, the Monkey King and his zany companion, Pig, who are the audience’s guides through the adventure.
To book tickets for Mulan call the Box Office on 0844 8472380

'I Have Seen the Future' film revisits 1939-40 NYC World's Fair

Joe Meyers, Staff Writer Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Many baby boomers recall their childhood visits to the New York World's Fair in 1964-65 with great affection, but that was just the sequel to an even bigger and better international gathering on the same site in Flushing Meadow, Queens, 25 years earlier.
The New York World's Fair of 1939-40 was a flashier and racier event -- with "girlie" shows and a popular aquacade water ballet that bared more female and male flesh than was common at the time -- but it also served as a cultural bridge between the Great Depression and the boom times that would follow World War II.
The fair is the subject of a new documentary, "I Have Seen the Future," by Westport filmmaker Lisa Seidenberg, who will be screening it at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18, at the Bridgeport Library downtown.
"What got me started was showing my film on the Merritt Parkway for most of 2009," Seidenberg said of her earlier documentary on the historic Connecticut highway. "People kept telling me they took the Merritt to the 1939 World's Fair."read more at:http://www.ctpost.com/entertainment/article/I-Have-Seen-the-Future-film-revisits-1939-40-885366.php

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Performing fire stunts with Incendiary Circus
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah

(ABC 4 News) - You know how your parents always told you never to play with fire, Monday on Good Morning Utah - it's okay. Monday, professional fire performers from Incendiary Circus are showing ABC 4 how it’s done.
Incendiary Circus combines fire with dance, acrobatics, and music. They specialize in fire poi spinning (chains), staff, double staff, fingers, hula hoops, fans, eating, breathing, fleshing (skin contact), juggling, swords, and many other fire tools.
They perform every weekend at the Mayan restaurant; you can see them New Year's Eve at the big "Eve" party in downtown Salt Lake City.
If you want to learn how to breathe fire, or do any of the other fire stunts, you can come practice with Incendiary Circus performers every Sunday night, from 7:00-9:00 p.m., at 2191 South 300 West in South Salt Lake.
For more information on how to contact Incendiary Circus performers, click on the link embedded in this story.
click here to read more:http://www.abc4.com/content/news/links_numbers/story/Performing-fire-stunts-with-Incendiary-Circus/-DXwR7AyB0KUoOzPNOGfbg.cspx

FROM: BILL PRICKETT--

Dick...hope you are OUT of the hospital and feeling better. I have been practicing scanning and am sending you some material in case you are short of same after being in the hospital. I am scanning more and will have it available when you need something. These four are of the Hanneford Family Circus, Ft. Lauterdale, Fl. Swap Shop......Bill...am going to try to add B. Martin flyers...one photo.

Thanks Bill! RIGHT NOW I NEED ALL THE HELP I CAN GET

RIGHT NOW I'M STILL IN THE HOSPITAL WAITING FOR THEM TO COMPLETE A FEW MORE TESTS AND THEN THEY SAY THEIR GOING TO RELEASE ME TO OUT PAICENT CARE.

Street Worker--Delmar, DE Christmas Parade December 11th

From "Dust Pan Howard"

Hi!
Good Morning to all!
Well I'm back in the hospital!
I had to come back in on Friday.
So here it is Sunday morning and it looks as if I might be here a bit longer!
But at least this time they seem to be accopmlishing something.
I'll h

ope you all bear with me and I'll be out'a here!

Dick