Central Ohio family keeps Coshocton Canal Festival calliope, parade tradition alive


Myron Duffield, of Gahanna, plays the calliope during the 2012 Coshocton Canal Festival Parade Saturday afternoon down Main Street.
from: coshoctontribune.com
Holly Richards, Staff Writer
Aug. 12, 2012
COSHOCTON -- With rich tones evocative of sounds from a circus or showboat, Myron Duffield sat at a calliope and cranked out entertaining tunes.
"I try to fit the music to the event," he said. "If I see kids along the route, I'll play some Disney tunes. Or if I see military, I'll play a patriotic song. It's a unique sound, and this is a great deal of satisfaction. It gets the kids clapping and dancing."
Duffield is trying to get his grandson into learning the ropes of calliope playing.
"I'll stick to my drums," Josh Duffield said with a laugh.
The Duffield family -- Myron and his wife, June, of Gahanna; Myron's son, Jeff, and his wife, Lorna, and son, Josh, of Westerville -- has been a part of the calliope business for years. It's a tradition that's been carried on within the family for 40 years, a perfect fit for the Canal Festival.
The Canal Festival with its parades, pageantry and entertainment has become a time-honored summer draw for the area, bringing people from far and wide to Coshocton.

 

On Saturday, the Duffield family made one of their regular visits to feature the traveling instrument in the Grand Parade. Myron and June lived in the area for several years, featuring the calliope for its first time in Coshocton at the 1973 Apple Butter Stirrin' Festival.
"We've done this parade about 15 times," Myron said. "We've been all over, covering a quarter-million miles and more than 1,000 parades, but this one's always fun to do. The locals get to know you."
Lorna said while Myron is focused on playing the instrument, many parade patrons lining the streets will wave and shout "thank you."
read more:
http://www.coshoctontribune.com/article/20120812/NEWS01/208120305/Central-Ohio-family-keeps-Coshocton-Canal-Festival-calliope-parade-tradition-alive?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage

Altamont Fair: Where farming meets fun
 Staple of summer offers rides, good fun and a slice of agricultural life


Brady Engel, 7, left, and his cousin Eddie Reville, 6, right, of Selkirk, watch Twigg's, an 18 foot tall giraffe, part of Circus Hollywood, by Corona's of Hollywood, of Florida, have lunch in preparation for the Tuesday beginning of The Altamont Fair, on Sunday Aug. 12, 2012 in Altamont, NY.
(Philip Kamrass / Times Union)
from:  timesunion.com
By Dayelin Roman
August 13, 2012
ALTAMONT — Pat Canaday remembers watching horses in the barns of the Altamont Fair when she was a child living in suburban Westmere.

Now she cares for 92 sheep on her 30-acre farm, and spreads her passion for agriculture as a member of the fair's board of directors.

"Our mission of agriculture is so important to preserve and maintain," Canaday said. "Our kids are missing our pride of working with soil. That's the foundation of how all of us are enhanced."

Workers set up for Circus Hollywood, by Corona's of Hollywood, of Florida, in preparation for the Tuesday beginning of The Altamont Fair, on Sunday Aug. 12, 2012 in Altamont, NY. They have been putting on circuses since 1970 in the United States, and play state fairs around the country, according to their owner. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union)
While children and families often get wrapped up in the excitement for fair food, rides and shows, Canaday said the event also provides an opportunity to learn about history through bread-baking demonstrations and goat-milking lessons.

"We're hoping to catch their interest on their way to the rides," she said.

The Altamont Fair kicks off another season at 7 a.m. Tuesday and features an array of animals, rides, food and shows. A $15 ticket buys access to parking, admission and every ride.
The Altamont Fair kicks off another season at 7 a.m. Tuesday and features an array of animals, rides, food and shows. A $15 ticket buys access to parking, admission and every ride.

The fair, however, will not have any pigs available for petting, an activity the Centers for Disease Control have warned against in light of new a new strain of swine flu that spreads from pigs to people, mainly in the arena of petting zoos in fairs.
Instead, the fair's petting zoo will feature giraffes.

 

Twigg's, an 18 foot tall giraffe, part of Circus Hollywood, by Corona's of Hollywood, of Florida, has some lunch in preparation for the Tuesday beginning of The Altamont Fair, on Sunday Aug. 12, 2012 in Altamont, NY. (Philip Kamrass / Times Union)
Two new rides, the Vertigo and Speed, are coming to town. Vertigo swings round and round 100 feet above the ground, while Speed is a 125-foot-long rotating arm with seats on each end that free fall and flip.

A circus show will include Royal Friesian Stallions, an aerial act and camels.
Musical comedy, bands, ventriloquism, a farmer's market, Frisbee-fielding canines and draft horse shows all will be available to entertain families.
New food vendors will sell peach cobbler, frozen lemonade and a vegetable platter along with staples like deep-fried Oreos, pizza and sausage and peppers on a roll.
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Altamont-Fair-Where-farming-meets-fun-3783069.php#ixzz23P4Z5D4O

Fair Fun has Begun!

By WKBW News

August 8, 2012

ERIE COUNTY FAIR, HAMBURG, NY

Kyla Igoe At The Erie County Fair

By WKBW News

August 8, 2012

Card Trick Leaves Penn and Teller Puzzled

Easily the funniest magic trick i've ever seen - Penn and Teller

Uncle Curly couldn’t be anyone else - it’s in his makeup


Uncle Curly, the clown persona of Tom Plovanic, talks with Michael Brass, 5, and Isabelle Burgess, 5, while performing at the Western Montana Fair last week.  Plovanic, a professional clown from Missoula, travels the fair circuit during the summer entertaining and operating his Uncle Curly’s Funtastic Kidzone attraction.
Written by JENNA CEDERBERG
Photographed by TOM BAUER of the Missoulian
from:  missoulian.com
August 12, 2012
Under the shady protection of the canopy at his Funtastic Kidzone, Uncle Curly the clown is taking requests.
A rainbow of balloons decorates his belt. A line of kids forms back from his oversized shoes. All afternoon, Uncle Curly had been spreading the word: Free balloon animals at 5 p.m. inside the Kidzone.
“How about a helicopter?” a little boy asks.
“Not an animal,” Curly proclaims with a giggle, as his trusty air compressor kicks on. The balloon takes shape as a long thin form, which in Curly’s hands becomes a miniature black helicopter with red rotors and grey blades.
Next, Uncle Curly crowns “Sir Sneeze-A-Lot from Kleenex Land” with a blue balloon sword. Sir Sneeze-A-Lot bounces off in a blue balloon hat.
A purple balloon hat with pink flowers floats off on the head of another small fan. A purple poodle is transferred into the small hands of a smiling girl.
“It’s my ChapStick,” Curly says of his air compressor as it kicks on and off again. The line of balloon animal seekers doesn’t get any shorter. “Saves my lips.”

Plovanic’s wife, Kathleen Vavrovsky, takes care of the Kidzone while Uncle Curly makes balloon figures for kids.  Plovanic says he’d be nowhere without her working alongside him
Plovanic is a professional clown who operates Montana Clown Work LLC. He travels long summer circuits doing his work at 10 fairs between June and September.
Last week, Plovanic performed in front of a hometown crowd at the Western Montana Fair, where his Uncle Curly’s Funtastic Kidzone was set up on the west lawn.
It’s there that Plovanic’s imaginative creations were on display, a sort of clowning kingdom he’s established to pursue his passion as an entertainer.
“It’s just me. People ask me if I went to clown school. I say no, I was born this way,” Plovanic said. “Clowns, generally speaking, are exaggerations of our lives.”

 

Plovanic jokes with vendors as he travels the fairgrounds last week. He says he plans to sell the Funtastic Kidzone part of his business someday, but in keeping with clown tradition he will always be Uncle Curly.
read more:
http://missoulian.com/lifestyles/territory/uncle-curly-couldn-t-be-anyone-else---it/article_3a722966-e32f-11e1-9e3f-001a4bcf887a.html

This week - Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars - August 13-15

Monmouth Park



Circus comes to town
Credits: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CircusElephantsLA.jpg

August 11, 2012
By: Diane Zoller-Ciatto
Monmouth Park is not just a racetrack, and on Monday through Wednesday, August 13 to August 15, the Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars will be performing twice daily at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Since 1884, three generations of Americans have thrilled to the sights, smells, sounds and feats of skill that typify the Cole Bros. Circus. The Cole Bros. trademark has enjoyed longevity because it represents value and integrity to the American public. Today, the Cole name continues to signify quality family entertainment that has captivated million of Americans.
Under the leadership of Ringmaster, Chris Connors, who will attest that the performers are just like one big happy family. Despite occasional flare-ups of sibling rivalry, the circus performers are truly a family. The tent provides a study hall for circus kids, a recreation center for all of our extended family, and even a church where Roman Catholic circus Chaplain Father Jerry Hogan can celebrate Mass on Sunday mornings before scheduled performances.
Featured performers include: Lana Gololobova, who left her home in Kazakhstan to begin training as a circus artist at the State Circus School in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and has won numerous circus competitions.
 Always popular are Kellan & Company, a family of clowns provide laughter and surprises galore.
 The Cretu Troupe, amazing Romanian acrobatic team, sure to bring oohs and aahs from one and all.
 From magic and illusions, to animal acts like elephants and tigers and the colorful and adorable Cartoon Poodles and circus daredevils.
 The website offers a printable coupon for up to 2 children free with a paid adult ticket. General Admission seating $16. Reserve Seating $20-$24. VIP Seating $23-$30. (Upgrades available for children $4-$7 with upgraded adult ticket)

Address: Monmouth Park Parking Lot, 175 Oceanport Avenue, Oceanport, NJ 07757


Moscow Out: Circuses and Shows

FROM: MIKE NAUGHTON

Published on Mar 23, 2012 by MoscowOut

Come follow the band! Welcome to the wonderful world of the Moscow Circus! On this week's Moscow Out show Martyn Andrews explores the live entertainment genre. We look at the history of variety acts and touring tent companies in Russia and question whether animals should be used in today's circuses. Magic, acrobats, dancers and candyfloss -- we bring you our top choices of venues and acts. The circus isn't just for children!

First Free Church brings circus to Rockford Aug. 25

CHUY DAVENPORTS  FAMILY FUN CIRCUS

FROM:  RRSTAR.COM

Posted Aug 11, 2012
ROCKFORD — First Free Church, 2223 N. Mulford Road, will host Family FunDay Circus & Carnival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 25.

 This free event will feature carnival games, aerial acrobats, jugglers, magicians, stilt walkers, inflatables, train rides and more with the Cincinnati Circus Company. There will also be a petting zoo and pony rides, face-painting, caricatures and performances by Fatally Unique dance team of Rockford.

 For more information, call First Free Church at 815-877-7046 or visit visitsummerwood.com.



Roustabout Circus returns to the Douglas Library

Posted: August 12, 2012

The Roustabout Circus will perform at the Douglas Library Community Building on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 3 p.m. This will be the second year that the Friends of the Libraries, the Douglas Fire District and the Douglas 4th of July Committee have worked together to bring this event to the community.

The circus performers are all from Talkeekna where everyone in their community participates in some way. This year four members of the circus will be performing in Douglas.

Uploaded by juneaupubliclibrary on Jul 5, 2011

Happenstance twirls, swirls and awes the crowd with his mysterious glass orb while Moonshine provides musical accompaniment on clarinet.

DAY 3 - IOWA STATE FAIR 2012

Published on Aug 11, 2012 by iastatefair

IOWA STATE FAIR - AUGUST 11, 2012

AUGUST 9-19, 2012

Nothing Spared Fair Square - New Food IOWA STATE FAIR 2012

Published on Aug 11, 2012 by iastatefair

Nothing Spared Fair Square

 

 

 

REVIEW: Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti
by Genevieve ValentineRRSTAR.COM

 

Posted Aug 11, 2012
FROM: dawnbooksandauthors.com
A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti became one of the most talked about speculative fiction works around. That it is, in fact, a steampunk novel, may have added to the interest it generated — steampunk has always been popular with a certain audience but it has had a recent renewal of sorts with a larger, slightly more mainstream audience, partly thanks to Hollywood, Robert Downey Jr and the new Sherlock Holmes movies.

The Circus Tresaulti is run by a woman known only as Boss who has the ability to enhance her performers’ skills by adding mechanics to their bodies from pieces of metal found and salvaged. She sometimes gives them skeletons of hollow pipe, at times uses human bones to create magnificent, mechanical post-human beings who bring to the circus something never seen before. The circus performers range from human jugglers with an occasional false leg (“but these days there are so may bombs and so many people to remake; one shiny leg is no surprise”), to Panadrome, the “true marvel… the mechanised band”, to the Winged Man, “so beautifully married to machine” that members of the audience routinely faint when they see him. The circus travels from broken, fallen city to city, where “most people don’t live long enough to see the circus twice. These are ragged days”, writes Valentine, creating the background of dystopia that does not need to be more detailed than suggestions of war, bombs, radiation and the “makeshift walls of sudden city-states.”

Against this backdrop, Circus Tresaulti is a place of safety for its performers, most of whom have been saved or ‘fixed’ by Boss. But while they live and work together as a sort of clockwork carnival family, there is a constant shadow over them and over Valentine’s narrative. The ageless Boss has an old, mystical magic that she harnesses to build the bodies that will survive with the circus, and as ringmaster.
READ MORE AT:
http://dawn.com/2012/08/12/review-mechanique-a-tale-of-the-circus-tresaulti-by-genevieve-valentine/

Visitors, their wallets flock to Sylvania for big weekend
Farr tourney, triathlon, circus fatten economy

 

Konnor Sager, 8, of Millbury, left, J.J. Short, 8, center left, Jax Sager, 6, center right, and Holly Short, 6, watch as Jeffrey Schwietzer tosses dough in the window of J&G Pizza Place in downtown Sylvania.
THE BLADE/KATIE RAUSCH
FROM: toledoblade.com
BY KELLY McLENDON, BLADE STAFF WRITER
Published: 8/12/2012 -
Sunday in Sylvania will never be the same.
The return of the Jamie Farr Toledo Classic to Highland Meadows coupled with the running of the Triathlon/Duathlon promises to keep the town on high-traffic alert. Throw in the clowns from the recent Kelly Miller Circus performances and it's a party that resonates from area businesses to the town's coffers.
read more at:
http://www.toledoblade.com/Economy/2012/08/12/Visitors-their-wallets-flock-to-Sylvania-for-big-weekend.html

Montana State Fair Preps

By KFBB News Team

Story Created: Jul 24, 2012

Fair amusement rides safe, regularly inspected, officials say


Cherish Roberts, left, and her daughter Aavry, ride Speed, the newest thrill ride among Thomas Carnival rides at MontanaFair on Friday, August 10, 2012.
from:  billingsgazette.com
By Cindy Uken
Aug 12, 2012
One of thrill seekers’ instant favorites at MontanaFair this year is bound to be an all-new adventure ride, Speed. It will hurl riders for a loop as it swings around 360 degrees, doing up to 13 revolutions per minute.

The cash-only ride made its debut at the Montana State Fair in Great Falls earlier this month and proved popular among fairgoers. It’s known in the industry as an “extreme ride.”

And making a return engagement to the midway are the ever-popular Cliffhanger, Ejection Seat and Pharoah’s Fury, which promise plunging drops, sharp twists and electrifying turns.

They can be intoxicating. But are they safe? Whose responsibility is it to ensure the amusement park rides are properly assembled, maintained and operated? It all depends on which state’s midway you’re visiting.

Thomas Carnival, which tours 11 states between February and November, relies on 150 workers to assemble amusement rides for the 2012 MontanaFair. Crews set up rides Wednesday at MetraPark before Friday’s fair opening.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission regulates how amusement rides are manufactured. There is no federal oversight over how they are set up, maintained and operated. That job falls to the states, and there is a marked difference among them.

John Hanschen, co-owner and president of Thomas Carnival, says the 34 amusement rides that will be the centerpiece of the midway at the 2012 MontanaFair can be assembled in 20 “hard push” hours.
Twenty-four states have comprehensive government inspection and accident investigation programs. Eleven have minimum inspection and insurance requirements with oversight falling to the private sector. Nine states have partial oversight.
 Montana is one of six states that have no regulations on amusement rides. The others are Alabama, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. Manufacturers, ride owners and operators and insurance carriers handle safety as they see fit. All consumer safety information is privately held. No government agency is empowered to track equipment operating in the state, inspect rides, accidents, audit safety records, or shut down unsafe rides.
 So the question remains: Are the rides on MontanaFair’s midway safe? Whose responsibility is it to ensure they are properly assembled, maintained and operated given that they will provide an estimated 10 million rides this season?

Fair goers line up for the Zipper Thomas Carnival ride at MontanaFair on Friday, August 10, 2012.
Everybody inspects,” said John Hanschen, co-owner and president of Thomas Carnival, which is in its 33rd year of contracting with MontanaFair for the midway amusement rides. “You may not call him an inspector, but by God he’s inspecting. Inspecting is everybody’s responsibility.”
 Hanschen, 61, is also a certified inspector.
 "To say there is no regulation is a misnomer, Hanschen said. As the 85-year-old carnival pulled into town last week, it was greeted with a surprise visit from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA’s mission is to help employers and employees reduce on-the-job injuries, illnesses and deaths. Hanschen said he did not know what prompted the visit. A representative from the Billings OSHA office confirmed that an “inspection has been opened,” but would not say what prompted it.
 “A lot of government oversight is legitimate,” Hanschen said. “Where there is a state inspection, we embrace it. Where there isn’t, it’s still our job.”

Fair goers fill the carnival at MontanaFair on Friday, August 10, 2012.
The carnival, which this year boasts 34 attractions, crisscrosses an 11-state area between February and November. The 5 million pounds’ worth of amusement rides are torn down and re-assembled as they move from state to state in 35 travel trailers and bunk houses with the help of 150 employees. Though some of the employees are new to the circuit, most are veterans of the carnival trade. Their experience ranges from five years to 36 years.

Thomas Carnival maintains a winter quarters in Austin, Texas, where annual maintenance is performed. A full-service maintenance shop is carried on the road, full of tools and spare parts.

When the carnival moves into town, the amusement rides resemble a canister of Tinker Toys or Legos with an insert of instructions that reads, “Assembly required.” It takes the crew about 20 “hard-push” hours to erect the assortment of rides. Each ride comes with a training manual and inspection manual. Each operator is trained in how to operate and inspect the respective rides, which Hanschen described as “complex pieces of machinery.” Before each ride is activated, operators perform a checklist much like pilots do before takeoff. Written reports document the inspections.

 

Fair goers ride Thomas Carnival rides at MontanaFair on Friday, August 10, 2012.
In moving, assembling and operating that much equipment, there is always the possibility of something going wrong. Equipment failure accounts for only 4 percent of all ride-related accidents reported to state regulatory agencies, according to Saferparks, a California group that works to improve the safety of amusement park rides and attractions.

“There are incidents all of the time,” Hanschen said. “Over the years, we’ve been lucky, but the potential is always there. You live by the manuals and common sense. You just don’t want anyone hurt.”

Before gates opened to the midway Friday, local officials, which have included the county’s risk manager, MontanaFair managers, county commissioners and even a representative of the fire marshal’s office, accompanied the carnival manager for a final inspection.
read more at:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/fair-amusement-rides-safe-regularly-inspected-officials-say/article_9deb76e6-a841-5cc9-b9db-7b5b19ad3785.html

Reflections on a fair, thoughts on a ferry
By Geoff Kirsch


from:  http://juneauempire.com
Posted: August 12, 2012
Two weekends ago my wife and I took our four-and-a-half-year old daughter and almost two-year old son to the Southeast Alaska State Fair, and though we barely spent 36 hours there, we did just about everything there was to do.
We/I…
 ….rode the carousel, pet baby farm animals, got our faces painted — well, one of us did — sat in the cockpit of a Black Hawk helicopter — well, one of us did — and ate multiple meats on a stick as well as three different varieties of fried bread dough.
..heard live string band after live string band after live string band, interrupted only by an uncomfortably erotic performance by an acrobatics troupe from Portland.
…got balloons, lost balloons, cried, then got more balloons in a seemingly endless cycle all weekend.
…camped in torrential rain.
read more at:
http://juneauempire.com/neighbors/2012-08-12/reflections-fair-thoughts-ferry