Run away to the circus!

Run away to the circus!

by WENDY RAY

12 Jul 11

from: whereilive.com.au

For grandfather Rudy Weber possibly the proudest moment in his circus career is when he performs with his fifteen-month-old grandson River.``There’s no doubt this little boy has showbusiness in his blood, the family circus dates back seven generations,’’ River’s grandmother Natalie said.``He doesn’t appear all the time, he’s too young, but when he does you can tell he loves it ,’’ grandmother Natalie said.``He gets so excited, and plays to the audience, he knows they love him.’‘Webers Circus, run by Rudy and Natalie, is coming to Manly’s Hinkler Park on July 2. It’s a refreshing alternative to the technology providing most of the entertainment to today’s children. Rather than being computer, generated all the special effects, the ooh and aaaah moments and the laughs happen right in front of you under the big top.The Webers, whose three daughters perform together in the Russian Swing, have introduced new acts, new clowns and a new dog act starring their larrikin cattle dog Melo. The show features a South American theme with salsa dancing. but all the old favourites are back including the Wheel of Death, the swinging trapeze and hula hooping with an extraordinary twist.

India's Circus Owners Banned From Using Children Performers

A young Nepalese girl trains on the trapeze using poor safety equipment as rain leaks through the roof, in one of India's traveling circuses, in Dehradun, India, July 2011

Ivan Broadhead Dehradun, India

July 11, 2011

India’s traditional traveling circuses remain widely popular across the country, although attendance has been falling in recent years. Despite their popularity, there have long been concerns about their treatment of child circus performers, many of whom are trafficked from NepalStarting this month, India's Supreme Court banned circus owners from using child performers and demanded that youngsters already working under the big top should be released. This correspondent recently traveled with a child welfare group that rescues minors from the circus life.
The circus has come to Dehradun, the state capital of Uttarakhand here in northern India. It is a big event in the town’s social calendar. Hundreds of families have turned out to enjoy the festive atmosphere.
Child welfare organizations also are here. They believe that 23 children, some as young as seven, are being held against their will and being forced to perform five times a day.
Philip Holmes is director of the Esther Benjamins Trust. His team has rescued more than 400 abused and underage performers from Indian circuses since 2004.read morehttp://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Indias-Circus-Owners-Banned-From-Using-Children-Performers-125363818.html

FROM MIKE NAUGHTON--

Cole Bros. Circus: John Pugh's New Big Top--

another great Lane Talburt produced Video!

Uploaded by LaneInConn on Jul 11, 2011

In this first of a multi-part, on-location series by Lane Talburt on Cole Bros. Circus, 30-year owner John Pugh and Elvin Bale, the show's VP-operations, explain the countless hours of planning, design and labor required to set up "America's largest circus under the big top."

Traveling circus makes stop in Dell Rapids City Park

Culpepper & Merriweather troupe returns after four years away

Emily Spartz/Argus Leader

Lana Dykes does a bird act during the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus in Dell Rapids City Park on Wednesday, July 6.

By Luke TatgeTribune Editor

July 11. 2011

Dell Rapids City, SD--Animals, acrobats and clown antics all joined under the big top to entertain children and adults July 6 at the city park in Dell Rapids.Culpepper & Merriweather, based out of Hugo, Okla., was begun in 1985 as a traveling showcase of performers and exotic animals.
Ticket taker and performer, Simone Dykes, who doubles as a trapeze artist, unicyclist and announcer for the show, said that the event had managed 152 advanced ticket sales for adults alone.
Dykes said that the children�s tickets are often bought in bulk by local businesses, and the circus troupe can muster up as many as 300 to 500 child�s tickets between pre-sale and sales at the door.
David �Stilts� Volponi has performed with the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus for 23 years.
He said the best part of working with the circus is interacting with people and seeing the happiness the show brings.
�The old time, big top circus is one of the oldest and truest forms of live entertainment,� he said.
Volponi also works with the circus�s public relations and concessions, along with his stilt performing.
Barb Klein of Dell Rapids and her grandson Ian Klein, 5, attended the 5 p.m. showing of the circus.
Ian was most excited for the clowns, because �they�re silly.� It was his first experience at a circus.
Barb Klein said she�d never seen Culpepper & Merriweather before, but she�d attended the Shriner�s Circus in the past.
Peggy Maxwell of Dell Rapids said she attends the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus every time it�s in town.
�It�s fun family entertainment,� she said.
Peggy�s favorite part of the circus is the acrobatic performers, while her daughter Carly Maxwell, 10, said the animals are her favorite.

Coventry Godiva Festival Build Up Photo Montage 2011



A photo montage of the Godiva Festival Fun Fair build up, Coventry, July 2011.

To see the full collection of build up photos please visit the Facebook Photo section page. If your on Facebook, why not check out the group Fun Fairs UK, for fun fair listings, photos, discussions and more!

Brockton Fair ends family friendly 137th annual run

Family friendly theme means fewer problems as Brockton Fair completes 137th annual run.

Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise.

Anthony River, 20, Brockton, right, and his son Alex Mezzy, 18 months, Brockton, enter the barrel of the Toy Box ride during the Brockton fair on Saturday, July, 09, 2011.

By Maria Papadopoulos, Enterprise Staff Writer

Jul 11, 2011

BROCKTON — Charlie Kelly has become familiar with listening to the sounds of the Brockton Fair stream through his windows on Thurber Avenue.
Some years, it has been noisy, he said. There are roaring demolition shows and the buzzing sounds of rides and excited patrons from a distance.
And on the Fourth of July, Kelly said people often park on his street to watch fireworks, sometimes leaving trash behind.
But overall this year, Kelly said, things weren’t so bad.
“It was very quiet,” said Kelly, 58, whose house overlooks the Brockton Fairgrounds.
The Brockton Fair – which ended its 137th annual run on Sunday – came and went with no major problems or disruptions, said Tom Clifford, property manager of the Brockton Fairgrounds.
Read more: http://www.enterprisenews.com/archive/x1850043111/Brockton-Fair-ends-family-friendly-137th-annual-run#ixzz1RmsptX9K

CIRCUS: THE AUSTRALIAN STORY,

new book released (Australia, 2011)

Motorcycle circus act is a wild one

Four motorcyclists zoom inside a cagelike steel globe in the high point of “Cirque Shanghai Extreme” at Navy Pier

BY HEDY WEISS, Theater Critic, Chicago Sun-Times

Updated: July 11, 2011

Cirque Shanghai Extreme, the Chinese circus world’s equivalent of this country’s professional baseball farm teams, has returned to Navy Pier for its sixth consecutive season at the Skyline Stage.

It remains a charming family entertainment, if hardly the pinnacle of circus mastery.
Yet watching this latest edition, which runs the gamut from apprentice-level routines to a couple of knockout acts (one of which easily would generate envy in any Hell’s Angels type who might happen to catch it), you understand why this enterprise has become such a long-lived summer attraction here.
For a start, many of the performers are very young and quite guileless (one charismatic little acrobat-contortionist must be no older than 7 or 8), and clearly they are in the earliest stages of their careers after years of training. They make occasional bloopers and look shakier and less supremely polished than true veterans as they move through their very brief acts. But these fledgling artists have been well coached in how to make the most of everything, and how to take bows with big smiles and the air of a job well done.
In addition, unlike Cirque du Soleil, whose ticket prices seem pegged to the salaries of hedge-fund honchos, Cirque Shanghai comes with modestly priced admission for a 75-minute spectacle that moves quickly, is full of color and seems ideally suited to abbreviated attention spans.read more:http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/weiss/6390987-417/motorcycle-circus-act-is-a-wild-one.html

t's time for carnivals!

By WENDI WINTERS, For The Capital

Published 07/07/11

Annapolis, MD--What's that thermometer say? 90+ degrees? If the weather is hot enough for faded shorts and flip-flops, it's surely prime carnival season.Let the good times roll, flip, dip, careen and spin!Put this section in a safe place, for it's your reference to where the fun is!
When asked what their favorite thing about their carnival was, several organizers jokingly said, "The last night." Why not? They get to relax, knowing the carnival has been a success and people are having fun.
Then, the very next week, they begin planning the following year's extravaganza of lights, screams and tongue-tilizing carny food.
Most carnivals in this area are pulled together by volunteer fire companies, church-affiliated groups, communities and 4-H groups. These carnivals are fundraisers and the proceeds are used to benefit the community.
Also in this roundup are two local county fairs and an Ocktoberfest.
The area is home to three amusement companies that provide the rides, games, food and paid staffing at many of the summertime carnivals throughout Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.read more at:http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/ENT/2011/07/07-03/It-s-time-for-carnivals.html

My Visit to the Circus
WestinVisionTube

2011 North Dakota State Fair Cancelled

This was the Midway last year.

10 July 2011 by North Dakota State Fair,

Recent Rains and Revised Flood Forecast Forces Cancellation

View from the GrandstandThe food and carnival midway lot looking down from the Grandstand.
MINOT, ND – The North Dakota State Fair Board decided in an emergency meeting Saturday afternoon to cancel the 2011 North Dakota State Fair due to the continuing Mouse (Souris) River flood situation.
Fair and city officials reviewed the revised hydrograph from the National Weather Service, which has now forecasted slower than expected receding flood waters of the Mouse River.Friday’s significant rain event compounded the city’s ongoing flood flight also causing water to not recede as expected.

View from the GrandstandLooking out from the Grandstand to where the stage sits during the Fair for concerts..

“Our situation has changed dramatically since just two weeks ago when we initially reviewed the National Weather Service hydrograph,” says Renae Korslien, State Fair manager. “When we were working with the earlier charts, we were certain we could hold a State Fair. But with our already tight timeline, the revised forecast and Friday’s downpour now make that an impossibility.”
“We did everything we could to make this year’s Fair a reality. Sadly, the circumstances have changed. We are left with no choice,” adds Korslien.
Water remains on the State Fairgrounds. However, Korslien reports that the State Fair Center and the new Fair Grandstand remain dry. Fair employees have been working around the clock to protect these facilities throughout the flood. State Fair staff will now focus on getting the facilities ready for Motor Magic, Norsk Hostfest, Y’s Men’s Rodeo, and other community events.
“We want to thank Minot city officials, our fellow North Dakotans from every corner of our state, and the Minot residents for their support in these recent weeks. We were truly touched by the outpouring of support earlier last month when we announced our decision to proceed with the State Fair,” says Korslien. “It just reminds us all of what makes this state and city so special and it makes all of us in the State Fair family even more determined to make next year’s Fair even greater.”

Short Film 'No Joy' Features Abandoned Amusement Park

No Joy from Mike Petty on Vimeo.

"No Joy" is an eerie short film by Mike Petty about Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita, Kansas. The park was in continuous operation for 55 years until 2004 when it closed due to financial difficulties. Petty re-visited the park and found it covered in graffiti, with many signs missing. The film is a disturbing look at a childhood experience re-visited when there's nothing left to visit.

Ward Hall on Sideshow Illusions & Oddities-Pt 1
Lane Talburt

Sideshow veteran Ward Hall uncovers the truth behind sideshow illusions and compares the modern-day sideshow with the old-fashion 10-in-1 on Dailey Bros. Circus in 1946.

Ward Hall on Sideshow Illusions & Oddities-Pt 2
Lane Talburt

Freaks were a vital part of the World of Wonders sideshow until the mid-1980s, as veteran showman Ward Hall explains in the conclusion of this two-part series. In early 2011 Hall became the first sideshow performer/owner to be inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame. His plaque is displayed at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, FL.

Wunderkammer is good circus

Wunderkammer is good circus. The urban-cabaret with its deep vaudevillian roots is the creation of artistic director Yaron Lifschitz and members of the Australian company C!RCA

By Kathryn Greenaway,

The Montreal Gazette--July 8, 2011
Good circus makes you squirm. It makes you gasp. And it removes you from all things real. Good circus weaves a spell.
Wunderkammer is good circus. The urban-cabaret with its deep vaudevillian roots is the creation of artistic director Yaron Lifschitz and members of the Australian company C!RCA.
Wunderkammer officially opened the Montréal Complètement Cirque festival at Tohu, Thursday. The international circus festival presents productions from around the world until July 24.
Opening night, six of the seven acrobats listed in the program (one of the men was missing) deconstructed familiar circus skills and then reconstructed them in odd and amazing configurations. It all began with a woman, three metal hula hoops and spare classical music. Body undulating, the hoops responded to her every twitch.
Wunderkammer was as much about style as it was about skill. Creating a mood of casual liberation was crucial. Lighting was used sparingly, but to great effect. Music shifted from urban pulse, to classical, to tango, each aural shift shaping the tone of the next vignette. One sequence melted into the next, acrobats appearing and disappearing, effortlessly inserting themselves in a routine already underway, then slipping back into the shadows. The costumes were a titillating wink to off-kilter German cabaret. Black and red dominated, with high heels, fancy bras and lacy underpants playing to that smoky-cabaret atmosphere.Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Wunderkammer+good+circus/5071244/story.html#ixzz1RhGkcy3D