41st Annual Seafood Festival returns to Everglades City

All the Fun of a Country Fair – with Live Music & Fresh Seafood
In Historic Everglades City on the First Weekend in February

Submitted by MARYA REPKO, January 24, 2011

Imagine more than 50,000 people descending upon a town with a permanent population of around 500. That’s what happens during the first weekend in February, when Everglades City holds its ever-popular annual Seafood Festival.
Visitors come from all over Florida and beyond to sample the food and listen to top Country Music groups entertain on the big stage in front of City Hall. The streets are cordoned off so that walkers can stroll past hundreds of arts and crafts booths and enjoy their meals at picnic tables under shade-giving tents. For the kiddies (and those young-at-heart), there are the carnival rides and games that you would expect at a country fair.
Everglades City, on the fringes of the Ten Thousand Islands in Southwest Florida, is known as the “stone crab capital” for its harvest of these delicious delicacies. The city was settled in the 1880s and was once the seat of Collier County, as evidenced by the majestic old Courthouse building which is now Everglades City Hall. When the population density shifted to Naples, the little remote town returned to its self-sufficient roots.
In 1970, residents held the first Seafood Festival to pay for playground equipment in the city park, named after long-time mayor Daniel W. McLeod.
The goal is still to raise funds for local good causes and scholarships. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization called the Betterment Association of the Everglades Area, Inc. runs the Seafood Festival, now in it's 41st year.

GREAT AMERICAN CIRCUS FOLLOW-UP STORY

Circus to pay amusement tax
Sunday, January 23, 2011
CEBU CITY (Phillipines) -- The producer of "The Great American Circus" said he will pay its amusement tax at the Cebu City Hall.
Ericson Uy said he is willing to pay but wants first to sit down with City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva to clarify the amount due.
In an interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Uy believes their tax due is not P1.7 million as Oliva claimed."Naa man mi mga (we have) ex-deals with other companies, even with City Hall, and ex-deals are not considered ticket sales," he said.Uy said he called a stop payment order to the Chinatrust Bank check (not Chinabank as earlier reported) to hold the check he issued to City Hall worth P1.2 million, but not because he does not want to pay their tax due.Uy said the check is supposed to be just a "guarantee" payment but the City Treasurer's Office (CTO) allegedly insisted on depositing it."The check I gave to them is a guarantee fee, unya ila man nuon i-deposit (but they deposited it).

So I called them, nganong ing-ana kay di man na mao ilang gibuhat unya ingon sila nga di na kuno pwede ma-hold kay ready na ang tseke for pick up sa bangko (they said the check is ready for pickup by the bank. That's why I ordered a stop payment)," he said.But Oliva said that the check issued by Uy is not a guarantee fee."It was not a guarantee fee. It was a 50 percent down payment bisan tan-awon pa nimo sa among mga forms (you can check the forms)," she said.

Since it is a payment, Oliva said the City will have it deposited in the bank. But with the stop payment order issued, Oliva said she feels Uy has really no intention to pay.She said that right after the show, the chief of amusement tax was told by Uy that he will not pay because of an exemption.
"And to think we didn't even receive the resolution granting them a reduction of the amusement tax. But still, we only billed them 10 percent of their sales," she said.
Oliva said it was Councilor Richard Osmeña who sponsored the resolution granting the circus an amusement tax reduction. Sun.Star Cebu tried to call Osmeña but failed to reach him.Uy is scheduled to meet with Mayor Michael Rama today, Monday.

Clown 'Doctors' Fan Out to US Hospitals

Michael Christensen's program brings laughter to ill children
Adam Phillips New York City 24 January 2011
Professional clown Michael Christensen on one of his 'clown rounds,' a parody of medical rounds where laughter is the chief treatment.
Professional clown Michael Christensen doesn't just confine his act to the Big Apple Circus he co-founded. He also brings laughter to a place that is often badly in need of it: pediatric hospitals across the country.
Christensen's national organization, Clown Care, sends costumed circus performers on nearly 225,000 visits to ill children across the country.
read more at:http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/people/Clown-Doctors-Fan-Out-to-US-Hospitals-114488449.html

CIRCUS VARGAS COMES TO EAST COUNTY MARCH 3-7

San Diego and Bonita shows in February

By Robin N. Kendall, January 23, 2011

(San Diego’s East County) -- Circus Vargas is coming to town with a new Big Top tent and shows at five San Diego County locations. This year’s production combines traditional circus acts with modern showmanship and lots of comic relief. See the double flying trapeze acts performed by the Flying Tabares, juggling, clowns, an aerial bungee ballet and more. The Zinduna Brothers perform an authentic African-acrobatic act with tumbling, dancing and human pyramids. The Garcia family enters the Globe of Death at breakneck speeds and the Espanas celebrate the sounds of Argentina with a Rolla Bolla tango production.
The “star” of this year’s show is the new Big Top tent. Hand-made in Milan, Italy, it is said to be the most state-of-the-art Big Top tent in use today. The theater-style tent seats 1,500 people and is made from 90,000 square feet of fabric. It is supported by 500 individually placed stakes and over four miles of rope and cable weighing over 17 tons.

http://www.circusvargas.com/

One of the most popular new features of this year’s circus is the interactive pre-show. Children in the audience are invited to come down into the center ring and experience circus life as they learn to juggle, balance feathers and hula-hoop. The pre-show begins 30 minutes before showtime and is hosted by Jon Weiss who appeared in season 4 of CBS’s reality show Amazing Race. Jon’s wife Laura, along with circus performers’ children, also join in the fun.
Show locations and dates are: San Diego/Balboa Park (Feb.10-21), National City/Westfield Plaza Bonita (Feb. 24-28), El Cajon/Westfield Parkway (March 3-7), Vista/Hwy. 78 at Vista Village Dr. (March 10-21), and Del Mar Fairgrounds (March 24-28).
El Cajon show times are: Thu. (March 3) 7:30 p.m.; Fri. (March 4) 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Sat. (March 5) 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m; Sun. (March 6) 12:30, 3:30, and 6:30 p.m.; and Mon. (March 7) 6:30 p.m.Tickets are available for adults ages 11 and over and children ages 2-10. All sales are final (no refunds). Prices are: VIPs Ringside $60 adults/$50 children; Ringside Reserved $50/$40; Arena Seats $35/$25; Bleachers $25/$15.

POSTERS FROM THE PAST

ASSORTED SNAPSHOTS FROM 2010 SHOWFOLKS CIRCUS, SARASOTA (FROM LARRY SNYDER)

Billy Martin’s Cole All-Star Circus coming to Oneida Jan. 29

ONEIDA, NY — The Zonta Club of Oneida is sponsoring the Billy Martin’s Cole All-Star Circus on Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Oneida High School for shows at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
A favorite of area youngsters for many years, the circus will be presenting three shows again this year due to the overwhelming demand and standing room only crowds.
All students in the Oneida, Vernon-Verona-Sherrill, Canastota and Stockbridge school districts will receive free tickets for children 12 years old and younger. Presale tickets are $7 and will be on sale at the Kallet Tuesday Jan. 25. through Friday, Jan. 28 from 4-7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Zonta Club receives a bigger percentage of profit from the presale tickets so purchase the circus tickets at the Kallet Civic Center and get them early for the circus. Children must be accompanied by an adult with a limit of two free children per adult. Adult tickets are $12 per ticket at the door. Early arrival is recommended.
The circus is a major fund-raiser for the Oneida Area Zonta Club and its high school affiliate, the Z Club. All proceeds from the circus’ three live performances will help fund scholarship awards for local area women returning to the workforce, young women going to college and a scholarship to an environmental camp for a middle school child.
Come, come all to the Billy Martin Circus and support the local Zonta Club in its scholarship efforts and have some great fun.

CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM, BARABOO, WI, AUGUST 1994, PART #4 (FROM BILL PRICKETT)

Wagon Shop

RBBB Wagon#60

Comming in for Restoration

Wagon #60

Restoration Work

Restored RBBB Wagon #60
Thanks Bill for a great group of fotos!

Win circus tickets!

Posted: Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011
Catch the Greatest Show On Earth's FUNundrum from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, which opens Wednesay and runs through Sunday at Time Warner Arena.
The circus will feature 130 performers from six continents and almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids in a celebration of the 200th anniversary of the birth of the legendary P.T. Barnum.
One hour before show time, families can meet the performers, get autographs, and see an amazing elephant that paints at the All Access Pre-show – free with a purchased ticket! You can learn more here!
Enter here to win a family four-pack to Thursday's 7 p.m. performance. Winners selected Wednesday at noon! To enter, simply tell us in the comments field on this story: IF YOU COULD RUN AWAY TO THE CIRCUS, WHAT PART WOULD YOU PLAY? THE TRAPEZE ARTIST? THE LION TAMER?
Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/23/2004817/win-circus-tickets.html#ixzz1BwujP3lL

Annual circus benefits charity

Freelance clown Jack Cook of Riverview has a bit of trouble with his comedy car during the first of three performances at the Gibsonton Showmen's Charity Circus.
By LOIS KINDLE The Tampa Tribune
Published: January 22, 2011
01/22/2011
Animal trainers, clowns, fire-eaters and their brethren from all over the state converged under the big top Jan. 8 and more than 3,000 people came to see them.
It was time for the annual Gibsonton Showmen's Charity Circus.
"This is the third time I've brought my children," said Tracy Watson of Apollo Beach, watching her daughters, Sheena, 8, and Shannon, 3, who were sitting ringside to get a closer view. "They enjoy everything about it, especially the animals. It's nice family time for us."
It wasn't only children and their parents packing the stands, though.
"I love coming to the circus," said Sun City Center resident Lois Paris, 73. "I love the sights, the sounds, the smells … It reminds me of the three-ring circus I visited in Detroit when I was a child."
That's what so enduring about a circus under the big top, said Lee Stevens, circus show chairman for the past 15 years and an animal trainer for 36.
"It's a place where kids can fantasize about doing something daring, something different than what they experience every day," Stevens. "It's for old people, too. The circus helps them relive their childhoods."
The three Jan. 8 performances included a variety of acts, with 18 volunteer performers who work in other for-profit circuses. Retired circus folks also help out during the event.
"Everyone comes at their own expense," said Chris Christ, the show's publicity chairman. "Many are from the area, but others travel from Myakka, Sarasota and Brooksville."
Proceeds from the shows go to area nonprofits, which are chosen each year by the International Independent Showmen's Association charity committee.
"Every year we give to different groups but they all have to be local and benefit local residents, like Mary and Martha House, LifePath Hospice and Joshua House," said Stevens, a board member of the 20-member committee. "We will be meeting soon to determine this year's recipients."
As the years go by, Christ said, there are less and less under-tent circuses that show one day and then move to another town.
"There are only eight remaining across the country," he said.
"I've been performing since I was 3," said Catalina Liebel, whose father owns the Liebling Bros. Circus in Haines City. "I began as a contortionist and then added aerial work, when I was 7."
Now 15, Liebel said she's been home-schooled like most circus kids.
"I really love what I do. It's quite a rush," she said.
Nothing can replace the feeling of an old-time circus, Christ said. There's an intimacy between performers and audience found nowhere else.
"It's an old-fashioned, American institution."
If you missed all the fun and excitement at the big top this year, don't despair. The show will be back in 2012 for its 30th anniversary celebration.

RETURN OF SUNDAY MORNING FUNNIES--

York Fair drops longtime ride supplier for better deal
Reithoffer Shows supplied York Fair rides for more than 30 years, but their contract expired and a cheaper offer was made.

By REBECCA LeFEVER Daily Record/Sunday News
York, PA - A 31-year relationship with York Fair's ride supplier ended last week when a new contract was signed with a business offering a better deal.

Reithoffer Shows had been servicing the fair since 1980, with iconic rides like the ferris wheel and the water flume, but fair president Gene Schenck said a cheaper offer was made.

Deggeller Attractions, a family owned and operated company based in Florida, closed the deal on a four-year contract with the fair Jan. 14.

"It was hard to say goodbye to Reithoffer," Schenck said Tuesday. "They're our friends, and we worked a long time with them -- but they couldn't match the offer.

"Deggeller used to travel from the Maryland State Fair to North Carolina -- a trip of about 400 miles, Schenck said.With the new contract, Deggeller will be in Maryland the week before the York Fair, and travel 40 miles to York County before heading to the Virginia State Fair."It was a perfect route for them," Schenck said.

In addition to a cheaper rate, Deggeller also was able to increase the minimum number of rides from 43 to 50, Schenck said.The company was willing to work with the fair board to expand the use of wristbands, which were sold at the fair or at Weis Markets for a discounted rate. Schenck said he didn't expect the price of wristbands to change.

There will be some minor differences between the two companies, Schenck said.Rides for younger children were located in Kiddieland, but will now be in Kiddie Kingdom. Most of the rides will be similar, Schenck said, and while there will be some minor changes, York County residents shouldn't expect a drastic change.

There also will be adjustments made to accommodate the new rides, Schenck said. Aisles will be made wider, with a standard size of 45 feet wide.

Games, which were split between the midway, will be mixed between the rides, Schenck said.

"The new contract was a function of the calendar and the map," Schenck said. "The business side of things calls for some tough decisions, and this was one we had to make if we hoped to see the fair go on."

The 2011 York Fair is Sept. 9 to 18 at the York Fairgrounds, 334 Carlisle Ave., West Manchester Township.For more information visit yorkfair.org.

CIRCUS WORLD MUSEUM, BARABOO, AUGUST 1994 (FROM BILL PRICKETT)

Restored Bandwagon

Elephant Tab being restored

Zachini cannon truck restored

Capt Terrell Jacobs unloading wagon

Elephant Tab being restored

More Comming!

Cowboy tradition comes 'full circle'Man returns to roots at Frontier Town, passes passion on to son

By Deborah Gates • Staff Writer • January 23, 2011
Performing a ritual that he can do in his sleep or through a howling western rainstorm, Shane Karson of Berlin adjusts his 10-year-old paint horse Angel's saddle pad Saturday prior to some warm-up riding for Lone Star Rodeo's United Nations Tour 2011 at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. (Milt Savage photo)
BERLIN -- When the Lone Star Rodeo pulled out after two weekend shows at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, it left behind Shane Karson.
He's a Berlin cowboy and a permanent fixture at Frontier Town, the replica 1860s Western town in the seasonal theme park and campground near Ocean City.

Karson and his wife, Susie, and nearly 3-year-old son, Clay, entertain crowds at the rodeo and Frontier Town with trick and Roman riding and bull whip demonstrations.

During the offseason, the Karsons live at Frontier Town, where Shane is caretaker, a job he landed this winter that offers a chance to settle down.

It's a job his father held back in the late 1950s."My dad was hired by the people there; 1959 was his first year and their first year," he said. "Now, I'm doing the same thing he did. I take care of the horses and ponies that stay year-round."I lived at Frontier Town in the early 1960s; now I've got my 3-year-old boy living here. We've come full circle," Shane Karson said.

Karson attended school in Delaware's Caesar Rodney School District when his parents settled outside Camden after years raising horses and on the rodeo circuit."My parents were in the business and got me started," he said. "I learned to rope and that stuff. My parents worked at Frontier Town in New York. I got involved in rodeo performances, then started traveling around doing trick riding and Roman ridingread more at:http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110123/NEWS01/101230306/1002/Cowboy-tradition-comes--full-circle-

CLYDE BEATTY CIRCUS POSTERS 1958 (FROM RICHARD REYNOLDS)

Chitwood’s ‘Thrill Show’ Now Runs In Daytona

Former stunt driver and Indy president preparing for first Daytona 500…

The winner of the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500, Jamie McMurry, (Left) with Joie Chitwood III (Right). (Photo: NASCAR)

Mike Hembree January 21, 2011 Daytona Beach, FL
Motorsports fans of a certain age can be forgiven for linking Joie Chitwood III not to Daytona International Speedway – his current employer – but to carnival dust and county fairs.
For 19 years, from the age of 5 to 24, Chitwood was a participant in his family’s Chitwood Thrill Show, a traveling automotive circus of sorts that featured daring drivers and stuntmen performing a smorgasbord of tricks and stunts on fairgrounds tracks and other speedways large and small.
The driving show, started by Chitwood’s grandfather, George Rice “Joie” Chitwood in the middle of World War II, was amazingly successful for most of a 55-year run, ending in 1998. At one point, the show had five traveling units, giving spectators around the country multiple chances to see cars jumping ramps, cars running laps around tracks on two wheels and the Human Battering Ram.
The Ram, at least for a while, was Joie Chitwood III.
“I had a firesuit and a helmet on, and they tied me to a car hood and drove me through a wall of fire,” said Chitwood, talking as if that was a mostly normal activity. “I busted through the boards with my helmet. I can’t think of anything that has prepared me as well for a career in motorsports as the Human Battering Ram. Knowing what it takes to run your head through a wall – that’s what it takes in motorsports.”
Chitwood, who was named president of Daytona International Speedway last August, knows all about that comparison. Only 41 years old – he’ll turn 42, remarkably, on Feb. 20, the day of the Daytona 500, Chitwood has had enough experiences with crisis management to warm the heart of virtually any Human Resources Department director.read more at:http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-joey-chitwoods-thrill-show-now-runs-in-daytona-international-speedway/

Spotted® Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus in Savannah January 22, 2011

By Savannah Morning News Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus presents "Zing Zang Zoom, Gold Edition," with Thrillusionist David DaVinci, the Hairaising Duo of Viktoriya and Widny, the Sky High Sensation Francleib Rodriguez, the Kung Fu Kings, the Barons of Balance, The Salsations and many, many more.

New Shanghai Circus returns to Higley

A contortionist twists her body around, backwards and up-side-down during a dress rehearsal for the New Shanghai Circus in Sydney, Australia, Wednesday, June 16, 2004. The New Shanghai Circus is a youthful, graceful and demanding performance typifying Chinese circus of masterful acrobats, comical knife throwers and contortionists displaying super-human power, extraordinary grace and gravity-defying feats. (AP Photo/Rob Griffith)

January 22, 2011 By Mandy Zajac, Tribune
Higley Center for the Performing Arts’ most requested show is back. The nimble acrobats of the traveling New Shanghai Circus hit the stage Tuesday to show off balance, coordination, daring and mindblowing flexibility.
>> The New Shanghai Circus will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Higley Center for the Performing Arts, 4132 E. Pecos Road, Gilbert. $14-$29.