Shrine Circus, carnival full of old-school charm


 

Clowns such as Bubba (Jerry Hardin) perform and sign autographs at the World s Largest Shrine Circus & Midway Carnival at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta 
By Jon Waterhouse For the AJC
from: acessatlanta.com
April 23, 2012
Flick on the multicolored midway lights, cue the boisterous and bouncy music, and send in the clowns
The fez-wearing philanthropists known as the Yaarab Shriners of Atlanta don’t simply throw a fundraiser, they pitch a spectacle. Now in its 70th year, the World’s Largest Shrine Circus & Midway Carnival should be down to a celebratory science with its sprawling spread of rides and attractions, and old-school circus charm.
The circus
Although the traditional sawdust-in-the-veins circus experience has largely given way to extravagant arena shows and the highbrow cirque style, the Shrine Circus manages to retain that classic spirit. It bursts to life underneath the covered rodeo-style arena at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta. A total of 24 shows take place across 10 days. A circus parade drops daily, with big-top entertainers marching through the festival grounds with a bit of bygone-era procession. The acts themselves remain prototypical. Aerialists such as the Flying Preciados cut through the air above with the greatest of ease. Patricia Zerbini presents an array of trained elephants. The Ives Brothers rev up their motorcycles inside a massive steel ball, looping together within the confined space without bumping tires. Other performances tap that soft spot in our circus psyche, including dancing bears, jugglers, choreographed horses and trapeze artists. Each show lasts approximately 90 minutes. If you miss the beginning, don’t cry in your cotton candy. Guests can attend as many shows in a day as they wish.
READ MORE AT:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/atlanta-events/shrine-circus-carnival-full-1424302.html

Huntsville's circus animal walk tentatively scheduled for early Wednesday morning 

 

Kids hold their noses as elephants walk by during a past Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey animal walk. 
(The Huntsville Times/Archive photo)
April 23, 2012,      
By Paul Wallen, The Huntsville Times al.com
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- One of the most popular aspects of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Circus coming to town is the traditional animal walk. That's when trainers walk animals through town to the Von Braun Center. 
This year's animal walk is tentatively scheduled for 6 a.m. Wednesday at the Huntsville Depot on Church Street. Because of the constantly changing schedule for the circus, the animal walk time is always subject to change.
This year’s show is “DRAGONS,” which honors the Chinese Year of the Dragon. It features Shaolin Monks, aerial acrobatics, spears and motorcycles flying around inside a globe. All the action builds up to luring a mysterious dragon from its lair for the finale.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will also be partnering with the Food Bank of North Alabama to collect canned goods before each performance. Visit fbofna.org for more details about the collection efforts.
READ MORE AT:
http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/04/huntsvilles_circus_animal_walk.html

BREAKING NEWS--

FROM DAVID P. ORR--
"Circus Week Altoona" & "Circus World Day" Presented by Forepaugh-Barry Lubin Tent No. 2 concluded the most successful week by Awarding the annual "Golden Grandma" to BILLY & ANGELA MARTIN on "Circus World Day" Award was presented during the Lubin Circus Cookhouse Banquet between the 2nd & 3rd SOLD Performance. The entire Hanneford Circus was treated to chicken/roast beef and all the food goodies..CONGRADULATIONS: Billy & Angela Martin. 
" GOLDEN GRANDMA" is the Adam Forepaugh-Barry Lubin "Grandma" Tent No. 2 Award given annually to a Circus Performer/Staffer and CFA Circus Member. This years winner was Billy & Angela Martin, Co-Artistic Directors of the Royal Hanneford Circus. 

BILL PRICKETT VISITS--
CIRCUS PAGES
Pekin, IL, April 18, 2012



  Circus Pages arrived in Pekin, Il, on Wed. April 18, 2012. I arrived early and was met by Yolanda Pages and Figi setting up
the novelty stand at front entrance of the Arena Bldg in Pekin Park. Fifi (Hernanco Reinoso) has been with this show for seven
years. Previously he worked 30 years on Carson & Barnes and helped design and assemble the costumes for the "Specs".

Jim Earhart  arrived as did Jorge Pages and Joe Frisco,Sr. Joe had been requested several days earlier to secure various
medications from local Vet to replensih the show's supply. The animals had beautiful grassey areas to graze and take their
naps adjacent to the Arena Bldg. There were 6 camels, 5 poines, 2 horses, and Daisy and Bambi the elephants. The five lions and two white tigers stayed in their cages and enjoyed a lovely chicken dinner. Vicenta Pages had recently deivered Freida and Jorge's a grandchild, so Colleen was on that show to work the cat act for the final two weeks of their season.  I also met Iverson 
 Acero,known as Bibi the clown. I had met his brother Alex and Mom last year on C&B.  The crowd loved the show. 




The elephant
  and pony rides ($5.00 each) and concession stands (most items $2.00), did a brisk business.

Kayla Earhart, Age 8

Jorge Pages

Jorge Pages, Jr. (14)

 

Jorge & Frieda's House & Trailer

BILL PRICKETT VISITS--
CIRCUS PAGES
Pekin, IL (April 18, 2012)


Frieda Pages, Bill Prickett & Nancy, Jorge Pages

 The running  order of the show  was:
 Jungle Jorge with Lions & Tigers, Bibi the clown, 4 girls doing aerial act, Jim Earhart's dogs, Jungle Jorge and 4 camels, Peanut

 Pitch, Jugglers with Jim amd Jimmy Earhart, Freida Pages and Kayla Earhart doing Big and Little, Posso Duo balancing,

Globe of Death with 5 motorcycle riders and Virginia standing in middle, Yesenia Pages with foot juggling, Marisol Paoma with

 Hair Hang, Bibi the clown, and conculsion Frieda Pages, Kayla Earhart, and Jungle Jorge with Daisy amd Bambi,the elephants.

 This is truly a fine family show and you should attend if given the opportunity.

BP Bill Pricket, Colleen & Jorge Pages

Yolanda (pages) & James Earhart

 Yolanda Pages Earhart and Jorge Pages

 YOLANDA PAGES

 White Tigers

 

MORE COMMING TOMORROW!
all photos by Bill Prickett

Georgia State Fair returning to Macon with bigger acts, promotions 

JASON VORHEES/jvorhees@macon.comFrom left, Khyri Person, Dezaree Miller and Alaya Ussery ride the Tilt-A-Whirl at the 2008 Georgia State Fair. 
By PHILLIP RAMATI — pramati@macon.com
FROM: macon.com
Apr 22, 2012
Left for dead just a few months ago, a new and improved Georgia State Fair will return to Macon’s Central City Park this weekend.
The Macon Exchange Club, which had operated the fair since 1942, voted in August not to hold a fair this year after several consecutive years of losing money on the event.
When Universal Fairs of Memphis, Tenn., bought the fair in November, however, all of that changed. Not only will the fair -- which runs from April 27-May 6 -- continue its tradition that spans more than 150 years, it also will be bigger than in previous years, officials said.
Darrin Hillis, marketing director for Universal Fairs, said there will be more of a focus on live music -- and more variety in the acts -- than in previous years. On tap for this Saturday is an appearance by The Marshall Tucker Band.
“What we’re known for is having a lot of shows and attractions,” Hillis said.
Other musical acts during the opening weekend include Jason D. Williams, One Day of Worship, Land Down Under, Garrett Lee and the JJ Weeks Band.
In addition, there will also be a DJ Rap Battle Tuesday night and a battle of the bands Thursday night.
Beyond the musical acts, Hillis said patrons will be able to visit a petting zoo, Joe Martin’s Snake Show and the Welde Bears, which are trained grizzlies.
Hillis said other events going on during the fair include pig races, a puppet-style rock show in which children can participate, a clown circus and the Rhinestone Roper, a professional trick shooter, knife thrower and roper who has appeared on the NBC show “America’s Got Talent.”
Brian Ellsworth, director of sales for Universal Fairs, said there will be 30 food vendors and 40 to 50 commercial vendors during the state fair, as well as carnival rides.
Ellsworth said he thinks one of the reasons why the state fair struggled in recent years was that people weren’t used to having it in the spring when it used to be held in October. However, competition with the Georgia National Fair in Perry forced the switch to the spring.
“When you change something and move it, it doesn’t help,” Ellsworth said. “But now it’s bigger and better than it has ever been, so (attendance) is not a concern.”
Ellsworth said Universal Fairs also has more experience producing fairs than the Exchange Club did.
Hillis said the company has been hard at work promoting the fair, with advertising ranging from billboards to radio and TV spots.
Don Johstono, who helped organize the fair with the Exchange Club and now serves as a point of contact for Universal Fairs, said the bigger size of this year’s fair can only help it.
“When we did the fair with the Exchange Club, we normally only did two or three shows, and we had mostly local and up-and-coming bands,” he said. “Now there are six or seven shows and the petting zoo, and it’s all included in the price of admission.”
Johstono said about 35,000 people attended last year’s state fair.
“We’re hoping for a significant increase,” he said.
For more information about the Georgia State Fair, go to www.georgiastatefair.org.Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2012/04/22/1999587/georgia-state-fair-returning-to.html#storylink=cpy

Circus patriarch, performer Coronas nears 100



Coronas family
Charles Coronas, pictured third from right with his siblings, is part of a family of circus performers with roots in Czechoslovakia. He rode unicycles and motorcycles on high wires about 50 feet in the air, among other feats, beginning at age 8.
By KEITH MORELLI 
The Tampa Tribune 
April 23, 2012
TAMPA -- 
Charles Coronas was born 100 years ago this year in Czechoslovakia, part of a proud circus family whose Eastern European roots go two generations beyond Coronas, to an ancestor who threw away the riches of a marble mine to run off with a circus girl.


That was the beginning of a family so involved in the circus world that now it is impossible to tell how many Coronas are and have been involved in the traveling lifestyle.


There are a dozen or so just among Coronas' children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.


Coronas now calls New Port Richey home, but he has lived in various places in Czechoslovakia, served in the army there during World War II, suffered under the oppressive Soviet occupation before escaping to France and then on to the United States in the 1950s.


The common thread through the past century of his life is the tightrope and his family, which clings to it.


His circus life, which started when he was 8, included riding unicycles and motorcycles on high wires about 50 feet up in the air. Coronas spent his life unapologetically doing what he loved: performing death-defying acts in front of gasping crowds. And his memory is as taut as that high wire he made a living on. He talks of decades-old dates as though they were yesterday and fondly reminisces about people long dead.


And though he is retired and only gets to a circus once in a while, Coronas is showing no signs of slowing down.


"He still has a driver's license," said his chuckling grandson, Serge Coronas Jr., 35, who sets up the traveling Circus Hollywood with other members of the family. "And it's good until 2018."


Charles Coronas, who turns 100 in November, is believed to be the oldest living circus performer and is up for induction this year into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota and the International Circus Hall of Fame in Indiana.

 

Charles Coronas is up for induction in the Circus Ring of Fame and the International Circus Hall of Fame.
The secret to the long life? Coronas shrugs. It may be the variety of experiences. There certainly have been those. Maybe it's joining the circus at a young age or choosing a trade that endangers your life every day.


The Coronas family is still involved in circuses. Coronas' son Serge, his son Serge Jr. and a few of Serge Jr.'s teenage children run Circus Hollywood, based in Bradenton, which performed for the Circus Fans Association of America over the weekend at Raymond James Stadium. Serge Jr. invited his grandfather to come down for a visit Saturday.


Outside the big top next to Raymond James Stadium this weekend, Charles Coronas spent time going through old photos: grainy black-and-whites of him and his family doing high wire acts in 1920s and 1930s Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland and later in France, the United States and Mexico.


Among the first photos: Coronas when he was 18, atop the sway pole, a tall wooden pole that, well, sways back and forth. You can almost hear the gasps of the crowd in the background.


"We would go into the woods and pick out a nice tree," he says. "We would polish it nice and use it for one or two years. Then, it would dry out. We would go out and get another one."


Being born to parents who performed a high-wire act, there was a natural desire for Coronas to perform at high levels. So, when he was young, he began studying with an uncle. It was not without risk. Accidents have severely injured brothers on two occasions, once in the 1930s and once in the 1970s, but Coronas has never been hurt.
READ MORE AT:
http://www2.tbo.com/entertainment/breaking-news/2012/apr/23/namaino1-century-in-the-circus-ar-395497/

Circus comes to town Friday


 

Elephant trainer Cindy Morris feeds ginger snaps to Cora, a 9,000 lb., 49-year-old Asian elephant at Jim Miller Park in Marietta during the Annual Yaarab Shrine Circus and Carnival in 2010. 
by Marcus E. Howard
mhoward@mdjonline.com 
The Marietta Daily Journal 
April 23, 2012
MARIETTA – The 70th annual Yaarab Shrine Circus and Carnival, the largest Shrine circus in North America, is rolling into town at Jim R. Miller Park in Marietta for 10 days, beginning Friday through May 6.
With more than 22 performances, circus goers can enjoy circus acts from around the world, including high-flying trapeze acts, aerials acrobatics, show horses, elephants, bears, daredevil stunts, carnival rides and the famous Shriner clowns.
The Midway Carnival opens at 5 p.m. Thursday, with rides and food only. The circus kicks off at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, with a parade at 6 p.m. 
Admission is $10 for adults; $6 for children (ages 6 through 11); and free for children 36 inches in height and shorter. Gate admission includes unlimited circus performances on any given day and access to the grounds for the Midway Carnival. 


Midway Carnival unlimited rides armbands are available for sale on opening day, Thursday, for $15 and includes admission plus unlimited rides. The Monday through Thursday price is $20 for admission, plus unlimited rides. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, gate tickets are $25 admission, plus unlimited rides. Parking is $5.
Through an exclusive program with metro Atlanta Walgreen stores, individuals and families can save with advance discount tickets for the Shrine circus and Midway Carnival.
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend this year’s circus in Marietta, which remains a good way for families to entertain their children, said Steve Padgett of east Cobb, who served as the 1997 potentate, or president, for the 4,500-member Atlanta Yaarab Shriner Center. His father was potentate in 1987.
“It’s good, clean, wholesome family fun,” said Padgett, 53. 
Plus “we generate a lot of sales tax revenue for Cobb County. We’ve been in Cobb County since 1986, and in those years we’ve probably brought in over $1 million in sales tax for the county.”
The circus is an annual fundraising drive conducted by the Yaarab Shriners of Atlanta. For 81 years, they’ve been raising money to support Shriners Hospitals for Children.
In addition to 24, 90-minute performances over 10 days, families at the circus will be able to enjoy more than 40 carnival rides and attractions, plus mouthwatering foods such as funnel cakes, cotton candy, burgers, snow cones, pizza and elephant ears.
New this year is a 9,000-square-feet “Fun Zone,” with its games for children and adults, including racing simulators, classic arcades, laser tag and more. All games are on free play with the purchase of a Fun Zone wristband. 
Third-generation Shriner, Chuck Pittman of Hiawassee, the Shriner’s 2012 circus director who oversees the entire operation, said the aerials and acrobats are crowd favorites.
“We’ve got the high-wire acts coming back this year, along with our ending act — which was very popular last year — the high-flying motorcycles that go as high and touch the top of the equestrian center, and do the acrobatic works on the motorcycles,” said Pittman, 59.
“It’s all family-oriented.”
Read more: The Marietta Daily Journal - Circus comes to town Friday 

Cottle's circus returns to Weybridge for 50 acts in 100 minutes


 

Big top: Gerry Cottle returns 
Sunday 22nd April 2012 
in Elmbridge 
FROM: yourlocalguardia.co.uk
By Louise Robertson
The lure of the big top has proved too much for a former circus owner who has returned to Surrey for a special anniversary show. 
Gerry Cottle’s Circus is in town for the very last time, with 50 acts in 100 minutes, to celebrate 50 years in show business. 
Mr Cottle, from Addlestone, was the son of a stock broker and half a century ago completed the age old adage of running away to join the circus. 
In 2004, the former horse groom sold his home and bought Wookey Hole Caves in Somerset.
The draw of the business he loved proved hard to resist though, and he had now returned for a special 50th anniversary tour of Surrey - the place where it all began. 
The show, which is in Weybridge next month, features a host of world-class circus acts from around the globe, including the breathtaking Chico and Ernesto two-man high wire act from Italy, who walk blindfolded while balancing on each other shoulders. 
There is also the death Los Marinos Wheel of Death from Columbia, six big top beauties flying high on the aerial silks, Zulu warriors and international illusionists. 
Mr Cottle said: “I am so pleased to be back home and show people the joy and magic of great circus. 
“For the same price as a cinema ticket I guarantee you will see some of the greatest acts from around the world, and witness incredible live entertainment at its very best. 
“This is without a doubt my greatest show yet.” 
Gerry Cottle’s Circus; Brooklands Community Park; Sopwith Drive; May 22 to May 27; Tuesday to Friday 5pm and 7.30pm; Weekend 2pm and 5pm; gerrycottlescircus.co.uk; 0845 8355050; tickets from £10.

Circus, Ballarat races targeted by animal liberation groups



LOUD: Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses campaign manager Elio Celotto protests about jumps racing at Ballarat Turf Club's first jumps racing meet since 2009. Photo: Lachlan Bence.
from:  thecourier.com.au
BY EVAN SCHUURMAN
23 Apr, 2012 
ANIMAL rights protesters were in full voice in Ballarat yesterday, making their presence felt at two public events.
The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) led a well-planned protest at the Ballarat Turf Club’s first jumps racing meet since 2009, while a group of about 20 animal advocates caused animosity outside the Lennon Brothers Circus. 


Several were seen at both events.


Protesters were greeted with backlash at the circus as members of the public resisted megaphones pointed directly at them while they attempted to leave the Ballarat Showgrounds.


“Please think before taking your kids into the circus again, they shouldn’t grow up around animal cruelty,” one protester said on the loudspeaker. “Your entertainment is their (the animals) abuse and suffering.”


Protest co-ordinator Stephanie Dyer defended the aggressive approach, saying the public needed to know what went on behind the scenes.


“They’re bringing their kids here to have a good time but the public don’t understand what these animals go through for their entertainment,” she said.


“It’s really important that the public is educated so they can make an informed choice.”

 

READ MORE AT:
http://www.thecourier.com.au/news/local/news/general/circus-ballarat-races-targeted-by-animal-liberation-groups/2530074.aspx

Water, high-flying excitement coming to a Desoto Mall parking lot near you

 

If you see what's going to happen under the massive blue and white tent outside Desoto Square Mall, you might call it the greatest show on surf. 
from: baynews9.com
By Eric Sollman, Reporter
Saturday, April 21, 2012 
BRADENTON --  If you like water and high-flying excitement for the whole family, you will want to park yourself in a lot at the Desoto Square Mall.
This week, the circus comes to Bradenton and circus fans will get the chance to see its actors and acrobats.
If you see what's going to happen under the massive blue and white tent outside Desoto Square Mall, you might call it the greatest show on surf.
 Owner Manuel Rebecchi and his crew just started setting up the tent this weekend with big promises for big acts just outside the mall.
"Italy came back to the United States, this time, with a huge show called Aquatic Show."
The tent is 65-feet-tall and it will only be a matter of time before the arena is filled with 35,000 gallons of water.
"To see something like that for the first time in your town, you're going to need to go to Vegas and you're going to need an airplane. This week, I bring you Vegas in Bradenton, Florida," Rebecchi said.
"It's going to have a combination of fun, surprise, and there will be wows throughout the crowd," show promoter Jennifer Cascardo said.
The aquatic show runs Wednesday through Sunday.
Tickets for kids under 12 are ten dollars, and for adults up to 35 dollars. A portion of the proceeds benefit the Police Athletic League.

Circus Life: Brian LaPalme's Pet Peeve

A NEW LANE TALBURT VIDEO!

Published on Apr 21, 2012 by LaneInConn

Brian LaPalme is a veteran ringmaster, magician and fire-eater--and a long-time circus fan to boot---who believes in paying his own way into any other show.

Oak Mountain State Fair opening weekend under way

 

Saturday, April 21, 2012
By Jeff Roberts -- The Birmingham News 
Follow Members of the pig racing audience cheer their favorite hog during the second day of the Oak Mountain State Fair at Oak Mountain Ampitheatre in Pelham, Ala., Saturday, April 21, 2012. The fair, which runs until April 29, features 30-thrill rides, a circus, petting zoo, pig racing, an alligator wrestler, live music, various food vendors and more. Gates open Monday through Friday at 5 P.M. and Saturday and Sunday at 11 A.M. More information can be found at www.oakmountainstatefair.com. (The Birmingham News/Jeff Roberts)

OAK MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR PHOTOS
BIRGINGHAM, ALABAMA
APRIL 21, 2012

"Pork Chop" prepares to start the pig races during the second day of the Oak Mountain State Fair at Oak Mountain Ampitheatre in Pelham, Ala., Saturday, April 21, 2012

OAK MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR MIDWAY

 

 

 

 

Pigs race as the audience cheers them on during the second day of the Oak Mountain State Fair at Oak Mountain Ampitheatre in Pelham, Ala., Saturday, April 21, 2012.
The fair, which runs until April 29, features 30-thrill rides, a circus, petting zoo, pig racing, an alligator wrestler, live music, various food vendors and more. Gates open Monday through Friday at 5 P.M. and Saturday and Sunday at 11 A.M. More information can be found at www.oakmountainstatefair.com. (The Birmingham News/Jeff Roberts) 

Ringing Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus at Boardwalk Hall

By Marc Berman / NJ.com blogger NJ.com

Updated: Sunday, April 22, 2012

The Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey circus, or 'the greatest show on earth,' has returned to Atlantic City with their Barnum Bash under the big top (no not a tent, the big top of Boardwalk Hall).

During the pre-show kids had a chance to interact with the performers and get a taste of 'circus biz.' It was a nice touch to a great event.

The one thing about the circus that doesn't change? The ooh's, ah's and smiles from the kids and grown-ups as they watch the clowns, acrobats, elephants, camels and assorted routines from the traveling cast of performer

Circus brings entertainment to Sioux City families




By Nate Robson nrobson@siouxcityjournal.com
 Five-year-old Ricky Richardson-Nagel, front on camel, and Jaydon Blume ride a camel at the Abu-Bekr Shrine Circus at Sioux City's Tyson Event's Center Saturday.
By Nate Robson nrobson@siouxcityjournal.com 
Sioux City Journal  
Saturday, April 21, 2012 
SIOUX CITY -- Dancing Dogs, a trumpet-playing elephant and daredevils flirting with disaster were among the acts bringing smiles to children's faces at the Abu-Bekr Shrine Circus in Sioux City Saturday.


Hundreds of children screamed and cheered in delight as they watched dogs perform tricks, a dancing elephant play the trumpet and the ringmaster tempt fate as he walked and jumped along the outside of the Wheel of Destiny, a device that spun him high into the air above the crowd.


"Even if you don't like the circus, it's still fun to watch the kids have fun," said Casey Grillet, as 5-year-old Justin Grillet sat on his shoulders and watched several women twirl through the air during an aerial stunt show. "The kids want to come every year. They love it."


Patty Kann came with her children, Katie, 7, and Kyle, 3. Kann said the circus is an annual tradition for her family.


While Kann's children have their favorite circus acts -- Kyle repeatedly boasted about watching the motorcycle stunts -- not all of the shows were popular.


"He (Kyle) doesn't like clowns; that's why we are getting some food now," Kann said, as the 3-year-old hid his face behind an inflatable Spider-Man balloon. "When the clowns came out, he was clamoring over me saying it was time to go home."

By Nate Robson nrobson@siouxcityjournal.com
 A trainer puts a handkerchief at the end of an elephant's trunk during a performance at the Abu-Bekr Shrine Circus in Sioux City's Tyson Events Center Saturday.
In addition to cotton candy, popcorn and other concessions, flashing glow sticks and mohawk headbands were popular items with the children in attendance. The trinkets illuminated the stands in a sea of reds, whites and blues whenever the lights dimmed for an act.
The children and their parents also enjoyed dancing and clapping to music throughout the show.
Even though the children may have left with the biggest smiles and the most keepsakes, adults also left entertained.

 

By Nate Robson nrobson@siouxcityjournal.com
Joanne Johnson, left, makes cotton candy at the Abu-Bekr Shrine Circus in Sioux City Saturday.
In addition to cotton candy, popcorn and other concessions, flashing glow sticks and mohawk headbands were popular items with the children in attendance. The trinkets illuminated the stands in a sea of reds, whites and blues whenever the lights dimmed for an act.
Read more: http://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/circus-brings-entertainment-to-sioux-city-families/article_281515ff-500c-56ad-a3f9-8cec5370d6ff.html#ixzz1slo4XUuZ

A 10-year-old at the Seattle World's Fair
Times editorial columnist Bruce Ramsey remembers the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.


 

 10-year-old at the Seattle World's Fair
A security officer fakes a stern pose as a boy tries to stretch to the required size to drive an automobile at the World's Fair.
Seattle Times Editorial
Friday, April 20, 2012
I REMEMBER the Seattle World's Fair, which opened 50 years ago Saturday. I was 10 years old. It was the year of space travel; two months earlier, John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. I watched his blastoff on our black-and-white television.


My family lived in Edmonds, a far suburb reachable on Aurora Avenue, then U.S. 99. In 1962, Interstate 5 was being built along the side of Capitol Hill. A four-mile segment would open the next year, from Olive Way to Ravenna, and I would make my dad drive me on it several times. I loved freeways. When I grew up I wanted to build them.


I collected road maps, which were new each year because there were new freeways. In 1962, the Standard Oil map of Washington had the Space Needle on it, and the monorail.


Seattle was an old city then, a brick city with a skyline from before World War II. The two tallest buildings were the Smith Tower, opened in 1914, and the Northern Life Tower (now the Seattle Tower), opened in 1929. The Space Needle and the monorail were the promise of a future radically new.


I also collected coins: Lincoln pennies, Mercury dimes, buffalo nickels. One of my most vivid memories of the fair was a glass cylinder with a million silver dollars. Back then, to make $10,000 a year was big. People talked about millionaires, which was hard for a boy to imagine. There it was: 1 million dollars.


That tub of silver made more impression on me than any of the other pavilions, most of which were about things of no interest to a 10-year-old boy.


I liked the amusement park, particularly a ride called the Wild Mouse, which was the closest thing the fair had to a real roller coaster.


I also liked the Food Circus, which was another new thing. They changed the name afterward to the Center House, but for 50 years I've thought of it as the Food Circus.
— Bruce Ramsey

1962 World's Fair frenzy fun, hard work
The Bargreen family of Everett played a prominent role in planning, concessions


 

Grace Bargreen is dressed for business in this snapshot taken at the Juan Valdez 100% Colombian Coffee shop inside the Food Circus at the Seattle World's Fair in 1962. Her husband, state Sen. Howard S. Bargreen, was on a 15-member commission that planned the world's fair. The Everett couple, whose family started the Bargreen Coffee Co. and Crown Distributing Co., operated a concessions business during the fair's six-month run.
By Julie Muhlsten
Herald Columnist
from:  heraldnet.com
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Some of her memories have faded, but the best ones are vivid. They shine brightly, rekindled by the hoopla over the Seattle World's Fair 50th anniversary.


"It was all fun to me. I loved every minute of it," Grace Bargreen Parsons said Thursday from her home in Palm Springs, Calif. "It was hard work at the time, but just great."


That Parsons struggles to remember details is understandable. She is, at 103, a remarkable woman who still occasionally hits a golf ball.
"It was all fun to me. I loved every minute of it," Grace Bargreen Parsons said Thursday from her home in Palm Springs, Calif. "It was hard work at the time, but just great."


That Parsons struggles to remember details is understandable. She is, at 103, a remarkable woman who still occasionally hits a golf ball.


In 1962, when the eyes of the world were on Seattle, her Everett family was involved top-to-bottom in the Century 21 spectacle.


The late Howard S. Bargreen, Parsons' first husband, was a state senator. He was on the 15-member commission of business and political leaders that planned the Seattle World's Fair. The Bargreen family founded what became the Bargreen Coffee Co. in 1898, and Crown Distributing Co., a beverage distributor, in the 1930s.


During the fair's six-month run, Grace and Howard Bargreen moved from Everett to an apartment in Seattle. They operated an international marketplace concessions business at the fair, and their children had jobs there.
read more:
http://heraldnet.com/article/20120422/NEWS01/704229903/-1/news01