THE BALLOON MAN

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Chicken Lands In A Flying Saucer Prank

from: Mel's Video Today@ The Coolestone.com

Dec 11, 2012

Rough Ride for Arcades at Coney Island Park .

Jason Andrew for The Wall Street Journal
Despite the damage, the park plans to reopen as expected on March 2013.
from: online.wsj.com
By RICHARD MORGAN
December 9, 2012 .
As storm-battered Coney Island rebuilds after Sandy, the operators of its famed amusements face a specific challenge: how to refurbish beloved but antiquated rides and games without stripping the novelties of their character.
Since most contractors or fix-it crews don't have experience with carousel parts and bumper cars, park owners are reaching out to a unique cadre of experts and professional tinkerers to painstakingly repair old relics and fan favorites.
"We planned for the worst. But it got worse than that," said Dennis Vourderis, 54 years old, who co-owns Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park with his brother, Steve, 50. "We spent our youth here and never left, never will."
read more:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323501404578165283531252180.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

The Feds Can Tell Ernest Hemingway's Cats What To Do; Here's Why

By Mark Memmott

from: wkyu.org

December 11, 2012

Kenny Colston

Kentucky Public Radio Frankfort Reporter

Mon December 10, 2012

The Feds Can Tell Ernest Hemingway's Cats What To Do; Here's Why

By Mark Memmott

December 11, 2012

Cats were everywhere. Fifty or so of them. In the house. On the lawn. Sunning themselves on the wall surrounding the property.

Most were six-toed — making them polydactyls. That's different. The cats you usually see have five toes on each paw in the front. Four on each in the back.

They were descendants of Snowball, a present from a ship's captain. A gift to writer Ernest Hemingway. He — Hemingway, that is — died in 1961.

About 10 years ago, a visitor to the Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum in Key West thought something was wrong. Were the cats being treated well? The museum said yes. The visitor, who had doubts, filed a complaint with the feds. It's a complaint that's gone to the courts.

Yes, Hemingway's cats are a federal case.

Now, as Christian Science Monitor correspondent Warren Richey tells NPR's Robert Siegel, a ruling has come down: The U.S. Department of Agriculture can regulate how the cats are treated, judges say. The museum gets visitors from out-of-state. It charges those visitors to see Hemingway's home and the famous cats. Interstate commerce gives Uncle Sam an interest, according to the courts.

http://wkyufm.org/post/feds-can-tell-ernest-hemingways-cats-what-do-heres-why

Monday, December 10, 2012

Humor at High Altitudes
Circus Oz’s ‘From the Ground Up’ at New Victory Theater

Christopher Gregory for The New York Times
Circus Oz Mason West, part of this Melbourne, Australia, troupe, strikes a balance in "From the Ground Up" at the New Victory Theater.
By RACHEL SALTZ
from: nytimes.com
Published: December 9, 2012
There are no clowns and no lions (or any live animals for that matter). So unless you’re afraid of daring Australians who fly through the air — or men in tutus sprinkling fairy dust — you have no reason to fear Circus Oz. This Melbourne group’s fast and furious show “From the Ground Up” is the New Victory Theater’s holiday offering, and it’s a good one: a little naughty, a little nice, a little death defying.
Recommended for ages 5 and over, “From the Ground Up” has an appeal that owes something to vaudeville as well as the circus. Not that it stints on the physical thrills: there are plenty of acrobatics and ceiling-scraping, rope-swinging feats, which earn genuine gasps from the kids in the house. (It’s a pleasure to be part of an audience that doesn’t bother with polite laughter or applause.)
But just as important is Circus Oz’s sense of theater, evident from the start, when a hugely elongated piano, complete with pianist, descends from the sky-high rafters. Gasp!
read more:
http://theater.nytimes.com/2012/12/10/theater/reviews/circus-ozs-from-the-ground-up-at-new-victory-theater.html?_r=0&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1355143579-MtaWPAKDLJTpl0ppNrgloA

Review: 'Cirque Dreams Holidaze' thrills Clay Center audience
By Bill Lynch
December 9, 2012
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Christmas season is here. If there was any doubt, Sunday night the Clay Center doled out a heaping helping of holiday madness with "Cirque Dreams Holidaze," the latest show in the "Broadway in Charleston" series.

It was a fun show: fast paced and diverse. One minute, you're looking at a group of acrobats dressed as reindeer jumping rope, the next there's gaudy old Santa Elvis belting out a holiday rock song, and then you had flying angels or a juggler or penguins or something.

Cirque Dreams pulled a good crowd. There were a number of empty seats, but it was a good house and the crowd the cirque got was enthusiastic and appreciative of just about every odd thing thrown at them -- and there was plenty of odd.

Cirque shows are still kind of new in this part of the world. The Clay Center hosted "Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy" a few years ago and Cirque du Soleil's "Drallion" had a multi-day run earlier this year, but not everybody knew what to make of that one and it may have kept people away.

Cirque shows are based on the European (mostly French) circus tradition of using street performers, clowns and musicians to form their troupes rather than animals. You don't see elephants or lions at a cirque show, but you really don't miss them.

Without seeing both, it would be easy to confuse Cirque Dreams and Cirque du Soleil, but they're very different productions with very different styles
read more:
http://sundaygazettemail.com/News/201212090140

Big Apple Circus returning to Atlanta in Feb. after two-year absence
by Howard Pousner
December 9, 2012
Big Apple Circus, which made Atlanta a tour stop for many years but hasn’t been to the city since 2010, plans to return to a new metro area site in February.

Instead of setting up its big top at Stone Mountain Park as usual, the New York-based circus will bring a new show, “Legendarium,” to Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta, Feb. 1 to 18.

Celebrating its 35th year, Big Apple is a throwback troupe specializing in an intimate one-ring experience that revels in the artistry of performance — including acrobatics, clowning and juggling — with no seat more than 50 feet from the performers. It doesn’t boast the sorts of big animals presented by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, preferring to present horse and dog stars.

When “Legendarium,” a loose tribute to the roots of circus performance in 19th century Gotham, opened in New York in October, it played to positive notices in the city’s major daily papers. The New York Times noted called Big Apple “consistently inspired” and said “Legendarium” “isn’t about to break that long, superb streak.”

Through Dec. 31, Big Apple is making a “pre-sale offer,” discounting all weekday tickets 25 percent. Use code ATL12 when calling 1-800-922-3772. More info: www.bigapplecircus.org.

Big Apple’s return means that Atlanta will again be circus central in February, a time of year when troupes typically bring their tours south.
read more:
http://blogs.ajc.com/arts-culture/2012/12/09/big-apple-circus-returning-to-atlanta-in-feb-after-two-year-absence/?icid=buzzlink

Showtime, Florida: Circus rep moving here
Ringling Bro's parent company will call Florida home

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus artists and elephants perform during Barnum's FUNundrum in New York. The parent company, Feld Entertainment, will consolidate its operations in the Tampa Bay area.
Getty FILE
Written by Associated Press
Dec 9, 2012
ELLENTON — The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was once synonymous with Sarasota, its winter home for more than three decades. Now another Florida county hopes to establish a similarly long connection with “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
The parent company of the circus, Feld Entertainment, plans to consolidate its operations in the Tampa Bay area.
The circus will move its winter quarters, currently at the Florida State Fairgrounds, to a new 47-acre campus set to open in Ellenton next year, Feld spokesman Stephen Payne said.
Feld, which also produces other live shows such as “Disney on Ice,” also plans to relocate its global headquarters from Vienna, Va., to Manatee County over the next five years. Costumes, sets, lights and sound equipment that Feld currently keeps on a 4-acre campus in Palmetto also will move to Ellenton.
“After the first of the year, we are going to start migrating from Palmetto,” Payne said. “We’re hoping to have it up and running on a much larger scale by next summer.”
read more:
http://www.floridatoday.com/viewart/20121210/NEWS01/312100006/Showtime-Florida-Circus-rep-moving-here

Unicycle ride down Keys highway is performance art
from: tallahassee.com
Dec 10, 2012
Two New York unicyclists have arrived in Key West after pedaling 106 miles along the Florida Keys Overseas Highway as a performance art project.

Sculptor Robert Hickman and circus performer Keith Nelson reached Key West’s southernmost point Sunday afternoon.

Keys Officials say they think it’s the first time anyone has used a unicycle to ride down the highway linking the island chain.

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Hickman and Nelson began their ride Tuesday in Key Largo. Pedaling across 42 bridges over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico, they followed the route of the century-old Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad that evolved into the contemporary Overseas Highway.

Their Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail Unicycle Tour was a highlight of the open-air Sculpture Key West exhibition that continues through March 23, 2013.

– Democrat staff and Associated Press reports

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Bill Hall Christmas Show
Dec. 16th - 1:00 p.m. Altoona, PA. High School Auditorium
All Seats G.A. - Tickets at the Door - Free Parking
Barry Lubin "Grandma" and J.R. North II-Steve and Ryan CFA Tents will host the Show Staffers and Performers to a Banquet at HOSS'S Restaurant, 621 Valley View Blvd., Altoona, PA. 16602 - 814-946-5115 - AFTER THE SHOW. J.R.North II Tent No. 178 namesakes Steve and Ryan will be the honored guests.
All meals will be ordered from the $9.99 Special Menu: 9 Choices, all include choice of side and soup, salad and dessert bars. Tent Members and Guests are Welcome.
info: circusfans.org - Barry Lubin "Grandma" Tent and J.R. North II-Steve and Ryan Tent Facebook
FROM: DAVID P. ORR

CIRCUS KRONE

FROM: destination-munich.com

ROLLING UP: Munich's famous circus is popular across Europe
ZIRKUS KRONE: Roll up, roll up, the biggest circus in all of Europa is here in all of its glorious, beasty best!
There are wild animals from darkest Africa – Tigers! Camels! Elephants! And of course, you must see the sea lions!
There are performers, a high-wire, swings and a really big trampoline! And what would any circus be without clowns? At Krone we’ve got ‘em in spades.
A century of showsYes, Munich is the home of Zirkus Krone, where its 400 carnies spend winter in between tours around the continent. I think circuses are by their nature anachronistic, but if you’re so inclined, this is meant to be one of Europe’s best.
Now into its fourth generation, the Sembach-Krone family has been putting bums on seats for nigh on 100 years. The current circus rotunda with about 3000 seats debuted in 1962.
The circus performs in Munich from Christmas Day to April, and there’s a zoo there on Sundays. Children’s theatre, boxing matches and concerts keep the venue pumping for the rest of the year.

Concessions keep any show on the road.

Maybe they come to town under a tent or in a trailer. The RBBB train units come in wagons. But the big truck shows all use semis. This is Carson and Barnes in 1981.

Robert Cline
Circus Historical Society

Character Face - A Clown College Fantasy

Published on Nov 26, 2012

Character Face takes us to the Venice, Florida Arena, where for thirty years Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus held their winter quarters and also ran their Clown College. Abandoned today, former Ringling Clown Nancy Osborn Berman visits and once again the arena becomes a place of wonder and magic, if only for a brief moment.

This film is dedicated to all Clowns, Circus Performers and Circus Fans who still hold onto the dream that is the circus.

Written, Directed and Edited by Nic Beery, (Clown College 1982)

Starring Nancy Osborn Berman, (Clown College 1982), Chuck "Chuck-O" Sidlow, (Clown College 1977) and Jonathan "Mitch" Freddes, (Clown College 1974)

Feld Entertainment plans to move Ringling Bros. Circus Winter Quarters to Bradenton area

Behind this sign at 2001 U.S. 301 North in Ellenton, Feld Entertainment plans to relocate their production facility. They will be expanding from their present location a few miles in away in Palmetto to this 47-acre complex.

TIFFANY TOMPKINS-CONDIE/Bradenton Herald
from: bradenton.com
by Wade Tatangelo
December 9, 2012
MANATEE -- A major boon appears on the horizon for the bustling Bradenton area.

One that could not only result in more high-paying jobs, but also some nice name recognition.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus became synonymous with Sarasota when its Winter Quarters were there from 1927 to 1959.

Now "The Greatest Show on Earth" might be just as closely associated with Manatee County.

Feld Entertainment, which acquired Ringling Bros. in 1967, plans to eventually move Winter Quarters to Ellenton from the Florida State Fairgrounds, where the circus is currently rehearsing its 143rd edition for a world premiere Jan. 2-6 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.

Behind this fence at 2001 U.S. 301 North in Ellenton, Feld Entertainment plans to relocate their production facility.

TIFFANY TOMPKINS-CONDIE/Bradenton Herald
The new Ellenton facility will house 100,000 square feet of office space and 450,000 square feet of manufacturing in two buildings along U.S. 301.

"We're not at a place yet where we can tell when we will have the capability to rehearse all the circuses at this facility," Feld spokesman Stephen Payne told the Bradenton Herald.
Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2012/12/09/4309804/feld-entertainment-plans-to-move.html#storylink=cpy

Railroad club celebrates anniversary with open house

Dave Scherbenco / The Citizens' Voice

President of the Hudson Model Railroad Club Jim Cerulli. The club is celebrating its 30th anniversary and is holding free open houses to the public.
By Paul Golias (correspondent)
from: citizensvoice.com
Published: December 9, 2012
Wilkes Barre, Pa--Toy trains under the Christmas tree have been a tradition for more than one century. A typical layout might have two trains running in circles on a 4x8 platform.

Kids who visit will enjoy the Royal American Shows circus train. "Youngsters really love it. We run it at every show,'' Cerulli said. Royal American went bankrupt in the 70s, he said, and club members voted to bring it back to life.

Those looking for a toy train thrill this year should make tracks (pun intended) to the Hudson Model Railroad Club in Hudson. The club's super-duper layout, in HO scale, boasts 150 trains and 2,000 railroad cars running over four miles of track on a beautifully detailed miniature world.

The club is celebrating its 30th anniversary this holiday season and open houses, free to all, will be held through Jan. 6.

"Bring the kids and bring the family,'' said Jim Cerulli, club president. "Our open houses are a holiday tradition going back to 1984, two years after we began building our layout here,'' he said.

Cerulli said some families come three, four or five times each holiday season, taking in the sights and sounds of a model railroad that ranks among the top layouts in the eastern United States.

The scope of the landscaping, the mountains and the rolling terrain are breathtaking. Then add in steam and diesel locomotives of many eras and the thousands of boxcars, tank cars, coal hoppers, passenger cars and a wonderful circus train and you have a miniature world to savor.

Cerulli is an enthusiastic guide. The Larksville lad, only 22, is the youngest president in the history of the club, having been elected at age 20 and about to conclude his term. He is ineligible for reelection but he will remain a member of the core group that operates and maintains the club.
read more:
http://citizensvoice.com/arts-living/railroad-club-celebrates-anniversary-with-open-house-1.1412845

Preview: Producer Robert Deaton talks Tim McGraw, Faith Hill’s ‘Soul2Soul’

from: lasvegassun.com

By Robin Leach (contact)

Friday, Dec. 7, 2012

For the past week, country’s leading king and queen Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been rehearsing behind closed doors for their new show “Soul2Soul” starting tonight at the Venetian’s former “Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular” theater.

After months of putting the show together, it’s still being kept secret until curtain up, and then the first to see it will be a large group of wounded warriors who are being treated to a four-day holiday vacation at the resort. Tim, who works closely with veterans, insisted that they would be his first-night guests.

Tim has only spilled a little about the show. He told CMT: “The focus of this has been to be onstage the entire time together in an intimate setting and make it about us. We will do all of our duets and throw in some surprises.”

We ink-stained wretches will see Saturday’s show, so I had to ask producer Robert Deaton to give us a preview. He’s been the executive producer of the CMA Awards and ABC’s “Duets.” His simple philosophy is “do what you love, love what you do,” and it’s really working well with “Soul2Soul.”

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/dec/07/preview-producer-robert-deaton-talks-tim-mcgraw-fa/