Activists look to ban animal circuses

Cole Bros. defends use of wild animals

Elephant trainer John Walker (above) before a Cole Bros. Circus show last month in Raleigh, N.C.

By Jennette Barnes, Boston Globe Correspondent / May 29, 2011 .

Animal welfare activists hope to ban wild-animal circuses in Marshfield, home of the Marshfield Fairgrounds, where Cole Bros. Circus of Florida is scheduled to perform June 20-21. Officers of the South Shore Humane Society and a handful of area residents decried the use of wild animals in circuses at a hearing earlier this month for Cole Bros.’ annual entertainment license.
The South Shore Humane Society sends packages of information to local authorities whenever a circus license comes up, according to organization president Mary Connolly, who said a number of communities in the Boston area have some form of circus ban.
“The South Shore Humane Society will do everything we can to get other towns to realize what a bad idea this is,’’ Connolly said.
Two people who spoke against circuses at the hearing before Marshfield selectmen, cousins Matthew Sprague of Marshfield and Meredith Sprague of Kingston, said after the session that they were interested in starting petitions in their hometowns. Later, though, they indicated they might not be ready to take on the task at this time.
“We have both been busy, but we’re definitely still interested in getting the story out there,’’ Matthew Sprague said in an e-mail.
Talk of sending the matter to Town Meeting started when John Hall, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said that voters, not selectmen, should address the debate on animal cruelty in circuses. The board approved the license by a vote of 3-0.
Town Administrator Rocco Longo said he would work with any resident who wants to propose a petition article for a special Town Meeting.
During the hearing, debate touched on Cole Bros.’ record of animal treatment and whether keeping and training wild animals is inherently cruel.
Connolly alleged that the US Department of Agriculture has “a laundry list of violations’’ on record for Cole Bros. Circus. However, USDA spokesman David Sacks said the circus does not carry a USDA license because it no longer owns its animals, and the agency regulates animals, not circuses.
In the past few years, Cole Bros. did not renew its animal licenses, contracting with outside entities instead. But in 2006, when the circus did own animals, it sold two elephants in a manner that violated the law.
At the selectmen’s meeting, a booking agent for Cole Bros. read a prepared statement in which the company admitted that Cole Bros. and its owner, John Pugh, each pleaded guilty on Feb. 22 to a misdemeanor violation of the Endangered Species Act. The circus sold two Asian elephants in 2006 without ensuring the buyer had the proper permits before transferring ownership, according to the statement.Continued at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/05/29/activists_look_to_ban_circuses_with_wild_animal_acts/

The show must go on for circus workers from Joplin

Rusty Sparks takes care of the lights in the visiting Shrine Circus, even in the midst of the storm in his hometown.
CTV Saskatoon
Date: May. 28, 2011
The death toll in Joplin, Missouri continues to rise after last week's tornado. The current total is 139 deaths, making the twister the deadliest one in America in six decades.
The tragedy is being felt across North America, even here in Saskatoon. However, for our visiting neighbors from the south, the show must go on.
Larry Solheim and Rusty Sparks, both from Joplin, are doing last minute checks for the high flying Shrine Circus in Saskatoon. While their professionalism pushes them onward, their minds are far from the colorful lights and glitzy stage. "My wife was texting me, the phone service was out and they we're huddled under a mattress in the hallway at our house," says Solheim.
"It just tears you up from one end to the other, knowing people lost their lives in it," says Sparks.
Last Sunday a massive tornado ripped through the Missouri city. Solheim's home was miraculously spared, but Rusty Sparks wasn't as lucky. His house, and everything in it, was completely destroyed. He got the news he got while doing a show in Regina.
"That instant moment everything inside of me exploded. I mean, the stress level went so high, it was unbelievable," says Sparks.
The next few days were agonizing for Sparks, making sure friends and family in Joplin were alright, while trying to keep in good spirits thousands of kilometers away, helpless to do anything about the disaster.
Both Solheim and Sparks were understandably shaken about the tragic events back home. Still, they stuck to their commitment to put smiles on the faces of children across Canada, which they say provides some emotional comfort.
"It shows that even though you have something tragic going on in life, you can still do good for others," says Sparks. "It's really what this world needs."

Hot Dog on a Stick makes debut at Silver Dollar Fair in Chico, CA

Kevin Vang (left) takes orders as Zack Donetskov (right) dips hot dogs at the Hot Dog on a Stick stand at the Silver Dollar Fair in Chico on Thursday.(Jason Halley/Staff Photo)

By KATY SWEENY - Staff Writer

Posted: 05/28/2011

CHICO, CALIFORNIA -- Three generations of Durham residents bit into their freshly made dinners Thursday night, the first time the original Hot Dog on a Stick stand satiated corn-dog fans at the Silver Dollar Fair. The Pendley family plus grandma Sharon Robinson said the stand drew them in on opening day. They watched as workers in striped uniforms dipped the hot dogs into batter, then oil, and served them hot.
"They taste so good," Spencer Pendley said. "They're sweet. They're crunchy. They're hot. And it's on a stick."
Bella Pendley, 7, said she liked both the crunchy outside and spongy inside of the treat.

Spencer Pendley pumps ketchup for Bella Pendley, 7, while Sharon Robinson looks on at the Hot Dog...
Manager Michael Bloodsaw of Encinitas said the business is like a family.
The son of founder Dave Barham brought Hot Dog on a Stick to Chico's fair for the first time this year.
Gary Barham said he remembers his dad perfecting the batter in the garage in their Hollywood Hills home when he was a child, aiming to make it taste like cornbread and come out golden brown.
Barham credits his dad for popularizing corn dogs, he said.
The elder Barham learned they could make more money at county fairs than with one stand on the beach. They started working fairs in the mid-'50s. Now his son thinks fairs are the most fun.
The company started opening stands in malls in the '70s. Those stands still serve the fresh food across the country.
Lexi Smoots of Paradise said there's something about watching her food freshly made.
"That one right there," Smoots
said, pointing to another food stand. "You don't know if it just came out of a box from the freezer. I didn't go there because I wanted a hand-dipped one." Ralph Wilkerson of Gridley was the first person on opening day to get a Hot Dog on a Stick.
"They're the best," Wilkerson said. "It's the ultimate fair food."
He said he will never go back to premade corn dogs. Wilkerson is on the board of the Butte County Fair and said he wants the stand at the county event.
Fair manager Scott Stoller said though corn dogs are a staple of the fair, people love Hot Dog on a Stick's freshly made dogs and lemonade.
"It's one of the most nostalgic food stands out there," Stoller said.
Stoller's favorite is the stand's cheese on a stick, like a mozzarella stick but with American cheese, he said.
"I'll probably have one every day," Stoller said. "They're not good for me but they're so delicious."
Barham said he likes the adventure of bringing the stand to Chico.
"I hear it's a good little fair," Barham said. "If it works out, I would definitely like to stay here."

THE ZERBINI FAMILY CIRCUS

from the 2011 Crawford County, PA Fair web site

2 SHOWS DAILY STARTING MONDAY (AUGUST 23) - FRIDAY (AUGUST 27) at 5:00p.m. & 7:00p.m.

3 SHOWS ON SATURDAY (AUGUST 28)at 2:00p.m.& 5:00p.m. & 7:00p.m.

This is a free show located behind the Youth Show Arena & Farm Tractors

The Zerbini Family Circus under the big top started in the USA in 1992. Before that time, the Zerbini Family of circus performers and owners go back over a century. Originating in France, the Zerbini's owned circuses throughout Europe and Africa. Julian Zerbini brought his family to the USA in 1968 working as high wire artist in all the top name circuses.

Unfortunately, in 1991 there was an accident. A faulty wire snapped, Alain fell to the circus ring 40 feet below and was told by doctors, shortly after, he would never walk again. True to his nature, he was not willing to accept this and after months of rehabilitation, Alain decided to give it all he had and opened the Alain Zerbini Circus. Then it was a small big top seating 500 people. It has grown to a new red and white striped tent with a capacity of just over 1000. Alain's determination grew with the circus and contradicting the doctors diagnosis, he not only managed the circus but also returned to performing. Viewing the circus show, you may see Alain Zerbini performing aerial acts, balancing acts and his favorite, animal acts. The circus travels over 8 months a year and is a favorite at a number of county fairs, such as Moundville, WC, Lexington, VA, Canton, OH, Harrisburg, VA, Hilliard, OH, Henderson, NC, Meadville, PA, Zanesville, OH, Kirksville, MO, and Sumpter, SC just to name a few. With over a decade behind him traveling from town to town and fair to fair, Alain Zerbini knows what the public likes and makes every effort to bring it to them year after year.

The circus show changes in its entirety every year so they can return to the same towns. Alain Zerbini brings dependability and professionalism with him and prides himself on the cleanliness of the circus, equipment and trucks. When you deal with the Alain Zerbini circus, you deal directly with the owner, Alain Zerbini. He controls, oversees and manages all parts of the circus from the time they roll into town until circus day is just a memory.

Cylios, the new speed juggler !

ALAIN ZERBINI CIRCUS
GOODFIELD, IL

JUNE 20, 1998 & JULY 24, 1999 FROM: BILL PICKETT

While talking with the owner of Yogi Bear Campground, Goodfield, IL,(where we had parked our trailer for the summer) He asked if I could think of any attractions to add to the monthly "special events" I suggested a circus and he liked the idea! I provided him with contacts. And he booked the Alain Zerbini Circus for June 20, 1998. It seemed that the entire campground turned out for the event as well as people from the surrounding towns.The 1998 enagement was so successful that the owner of Yogi Bear Camground booked the show for a return engagement on July 24, 1999. So these pictures contain some from both years.

photos by Bill Prickett

ALAIN ZERBINI #3

ALAIN ZERBINI #2

ALAIN ZERBINI CIRCUS #1

Animal ethicists call for new terminology

It's OK to love your differentiated being but don't dare call it a “pet.”

Photograph by: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
By Adrian Humphreys, National Post May 10, 2011Animal ethicists are calling for a new vocabulary about animals, shunning words such as “pets,” “wildlife,” and “vermin” as derogatory and even suggesting “animal” is a “term of abuse.”
Common language on fauna betrays an “anthropocentric bias” and impedes an understanding of our interaction with the non-human species sharing the planet, argue the editors of the first academic journal dedicated to animal ethics in their debut issue.
Instead of “pet,” the Journal of Animal Ethics suggests “companion animal.” Rather than “wildlife,” they are to be called “free-living.” “Differentiated beings” or “non-human animals” is preferred to simply “animals.”
Words such as “vermin,” “beasts” and “critters” are stricken completely, along with similes such as “sly as a fox,” “drunk as a skunk,” “eat like a pig,” “slippery as an eel,” “breeding like rabbits” and “stubborn as a mule.”
“We will not be able to think clearly unless we discipline ourselves to use more impartial nouns and adjectives in our exploration of animals and our moral relations with them,” the editors write.
The argument has led to a public outcry that political correctness has run amuck, but the journal’s co-editor insisted terminology has the power to change how people think and act.
read more at: http://www.canada.com/life/pets/story.html?id=4754013
EDITOR'S NOTE
It just keeps getting sillier and sillier!
What next?

May 26-30, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend

Chico, CA

Russell Bros. Circus
It's kind of like an old cliche.
Kid sees the circus and loves it. Kid runs away to join the circus. Kid grows up and becomes the ringmaster!But for Edward Russell, it's been the story of his life. "When I was a kid I always wanted to do this," said the 73 year old owner of Russell Brothers Circus. "One summer I went and did it, and I never went back. I ran a side show and introduced all the odd, unusual and bizarre acts."Viewers see a magician, a disappearing dove named Hugo Birdini, a man completes a handstand on several stacked and wobbly chairs, a trick called "Temple Benares" that involves a disappearing man and numerous swords, and a amusing clown named Bingo who can balance a circling saucer on a thin stick.Of course that isn't the entire show. Kids cheer on each new trick to come.

Loaded lineup at the Silver Dollar Fair starting Thursday

Marco Frias sets up the Yo-Yo Swings at the Silver Dollar Fair on Tuesday.

(Jason Halley/Staff Photo)

By HEATHER HACKING - Staff Writer

05/25/2011

CHICO, CA — The build-up for the annual Silver Dollar Fair is almost complete, with youth dropping off their animals, carnival rides erected and vendors rolling out their wares. The fair starts Thursday and wraps up Memorial Day.
"If you look at our schedule of events, you could spend two days here and not see everything," said Scott Stoller, fair manager.
The Oreo-eating piglet racers of Ham Bone Express were such a big hit last year that they were asked to return.
Other features include the burly Village Blacksmith, Russell Brothers Circus, the juggler/comedian Greg Frisbee Show, a hypnotist, clowns, balloons and puppets.
Bright lights — It won't just be your imagination, this year the carnival will be brighter than you remembered.
Stoller said major improvements have been made to the giant Ferris wheel, including the ability to have changing light patterns. The newly programmed LED bulbs use less energy, and give out more zing. Also, the area has a new 40-by-20 foot lighted entryway.
"This is the same carnival (rides) as at the state fair," Stoller said. "Your kids can go crazy here."
In addition to what fair lovers have come to expect, Stoller highlighted several of the features that are new this year.
The Yard/grandstand shows — People who enjoy the live entertainment at the fair will have extended opportunities this year in "The Yard." READ MORE: http://www.chicoer.com/fromthenewspaper/ci_18135199?source=hot_topics

Circus career flying

Baroque characters from Cirque du Soleil's Saltimbanco. Source: The Daily Telegraph
Sally Bennett

From: Herald Sun

May 27, 2011
LIFE on the road with the world's most acclaimed circus can be a bit of a juggle. But after two years touring with Cirque du Soleil, Melbourne acrobat Keiran Bourke has found his feet.
Weekly moves from one city to the next, disconnected from family and friends, is now the norm for the 22-year-old, who has found love on tour and is relishing the nomadic lifestyle.
"I've lost count of how many countries I've been to," Bourke says.
"It's great fun being able to travel the world and get paid for it. There's not much more I could ask for."
His girlfriend is Saltimbanco teammate Arena, a Mongolian-born, Brazilian-raised acrobat and contortionist.
For now, working and travelling together on the same show is a blessing, affording them much down-time together.
"If you end up in different shows, it's more difficult. Then you've got to do the long-distance thing," Bourke says.
"One of the guys has a girlfriend on another show and each tour break they go and see each other."
Bourke, who trained at Albury-Wodonga's Flying Fruit Fly Circus, has a contract with Cirque until the end of the year, but hopes this is just the beginning of his high-flying career.
It is the first time he has performed for Cirque in Australia and he is thrilled to be on home soil.
"I didn't think we were going to come to Australia and I got pretty excited when they told us," Bourke says. "Everyone will be able to see what I've been doing for so many years. It's nerve-wracking, but it's good to be here."
Bourke's parents, two brothers and old friends from the Fruit Fly Circus will be among the crowd during Saltimbanco's Melbourne season at Rod Laver Arena.
Bourke says he spends about an hour on stage and is one of the performers who do the famous Chinese Poles.
"Everyone's really close. We all look after each other," he says of his teammates. "We've got to have a lot of trust in each other. In some things we've actually got each other's lives in our hands."
SALTIMBANCO, Cirque du Soleil, performing at Rod Laver Arena until June 11. Tickets: www.ticketek.com.au or ph: 132 849