FROM THE PAST

Future of circuses with animals on county ballot

Friday, December 2, 2011
ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — Animal rights activists in Clatsop County have convinced the board of commissioners to put the future of circuses featuring animals on the ballot.
Voters will vote on an ordinance to ban such circuses in May, the Daily Astorian reports (http://bit.ly/ufGGLD ).
"This is stuff that has disturbed me for much of my life," said Carol Newman, a proponent of the ban.
At the center of the controversy is the use of certain animal taming techniques and tools. Those include a "bull hook," used to guide elephants by driving the hook into the elephant's skin.
Some within the circus industry say bull hooks are analogous to dog leashes, Newman said, a point with which she strongly disagreed.
"Elephants are not intended to be up-close-and-personal animals," Newman said.
The ban would cover elephants, as well as exotic animals as defined by state statute, including large cats, any bears except black bears, primates and large reptiles. The referendum makes exceptions for 4-H animals, animals used for educational shows and rodeos.
Feld Entertainment, the company that operates the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, said in a letter to the commission that the company's elephant management practices are in line with federal guidelines.
Company vice president for government relations Thomas Albert urged the board to "reject the efforts of a small minority of activists to impose their personal philosophy on the larger community."
The letter was sent on Oct. 31. On Nov. 23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $270,000 fine agreement with the company for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, dating from 2007 to 2011. It's the largest civil penalty levied under the Animal Welfare Act in its 45-year history.
County leaders say they've looked at Redmond, Wash., as a model of a city that has banned the exhibition of wild or exotic animals. Other Washington state cities, including Port Townsend, have enacted similar bans.

Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Future-of-circuses-with-animals-on-county-ballot-2340909.php#ixzz1fTTLi2N3

2012 Circus Spectacular Brings New Line-up the Orleans Arena

by BWW News Desk

Friday, December 2, 2011

The all-new 2012 Circus Spectacular is bringing a star-studded line-up to the Orleans Arena January 5-8 for eight shows.
This year’s show line-up includes:
· Joseph Dominick Bauer, ringmaster. Hailing from Swiss circus royalty, Bauer is emcee and conqueror of the Wheel of Death.· Daniel Raffo, world-renowned tiger trainer. Direct from Argentina, Raffo’s bevy of beautiful Bengal big cats are untamed, untethered and utterly unpredictable.· Andrea and Lluvia, a daring duo who hang high above the arena by their hair, spinning at dangerous speeds and juggling flaming batons.· Broadway Bo, the world’s largest performing elephant, trained by Larry Carden. In a jaunty top hat, see this incredible five-ton pachyderm perform feats of precision and perfection.· The Christiani family, bubbly and bouncing comics. This Italian family reaches remarkable heights while their rambunctious antics leave the audience reeling.· Guiming Meng from China, who amazes in displays of dexterity and determination.· Caroline Williams and the Liberty Horses. Eight generations of German equestrian circus history course through Williams’ high-stepping steeds.· Hernando and Marius, performers of Motorcycle Madness. Not for the faint of heart, Hernando and Marius take motocross to new heights, combining dangerous daredevil antics and a delicate incline wire.· Fabio’s Extreme Riders, It’s a Small World After All. Fabio’s fearless foursome fly encased in a steel globe. When inches count, Fabio’s riders do not disappoint.· David Smith, Jr., human cannonball. Smith is a multi-award winning Human Cannonball, holding the world’s record for both height and distance as he blasts from his booming barrel.
Show times are: January 5, 7:00 p.m.; January 6, 7:30 p.m.; and January 7 and 8, 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day.
General admission tickets are $12 for children (12 and under) and $18 for adults. Reserved seating is available for $23 to $45. Children two and under are free with a paid adult. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Orleans Arena Box Office at 702.284.7777 or by visiting www.orleansarena.com.

Georgia State Fair May Return In Spring Under New Ownership
Friday, December 02 2011 Ashley Minelli

Panel: State Fair not at fault in 2004 E. coli outbreak

Feeding the goats at the petting zoo

Reporter: Amanda Lamb

Web Editor: Matthew Burns

FROM: WRAL TV, Raleigh, NC

Dec 2, 2011

Raleigh, N.C. — A state panel ruled Friday that North Carolina State Fair officials weren't at fault for an E. coli outbreak that sickened scores of people seven years ago.
Public health officials found 108 likely cases of E. coli among people who had attended the 2004 State Fair. Investigators traced the outbreak to the Crossroads Farm Petting Zoo in Chatham County, which exhibited at the fair, and noted the illness was widespread among children who likely had direct contact with animal manure.
The families of 14 children who became seriously ill sued the state, alleging that officials with the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services knew about the E. coli risk but failed to warn fairgoers.
The North Carolina Industrial Commission, which handles tort claims against the state, heard the lawsuit this summer and issued its ruling Friday.
"The greater weight of evidence shows that those responsible for conducting the 2004 North Carolina State Fair exercised reasonable care to keep its premises in a reasonably safe condition for lawful visitors," Deputy Commissioner J. Brad Donovan wrote in the 27-page ruling.
The commission found that hand sanitizer was available at the petting zoo and that the fair posted signs advising people to wash their hands before and after touching the animals. Such protocols were normal for agricultural fairs nationwide at the time, the commission said.
In 2005, state legislators passed a law to prevent children from walking around with the animals in petting zoos and requiring hand-washing stations at such facilities. Fair officials also erected double fencing to keep people out of bedding areas in the petting zoo.
"To complain in retrospect that there should have been additional washing stations or more specific language on the signage is more reflective of the value of hindsight than indicative of negligent conduct on the part of fair operators," the ruling states.
Another E. coli outbreak at this year's State Fair, which sickened 27 people, was traced to a livestock building on the fairgrounds.

Lone Ranger to ride again

By Kurt Madar kmadar@daily-times.com

Posted: 12/03/2011

FARMINGTON — New Mexico may soon be ringing with the cry: "Hi-yo Silver, away!"That's right, The Lone Ranger is coming back to the Southwest with his mask, silver bullets and penchant for fighting crime.
A recent casting call in Shiprock for a movie titled "Silver Bullet" sparked an Internet rumor that the name was actually the production title for Disney Studio's "The Lone Ranger."
Those rumors are true.
Agencies and officials directly connected with the movie aren't spilling the beans, but the New Mexico Film Office confirmed that "Silver Bullet" is indeed "The Lone Ranger."
"I can't comment on whether that's the case or not," said Mark Amo, director of the Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center, where the Nov. 19 casting call took place. "I will tell you this: The very first phone call I got was from Silver Springs (Colorado) and the person said I know what movie this really is.'"
Since the casting call was sent out in October under the misleading name, the question of whether it was "The Lone Ranger" went viral across film industry websites.
The popular blog site Sindication claimed to have a copy of the casting report, and numerous other industry websites reported that "Silver Bullet" was indeed the eagerly anticipated Disney film staring Arnie Hammer as the masked rider and Johnny Depp as Tonto.
"I really can't comment on that," said Elizabeth Gabel, owner of Elizabeth Gabel Casting, the company in charge of the recent casting call. read more: http://www.daily-times.com/ci_19461593

Cirque du Soleil came to town and has fit right in, providing only-in-Las Vegas entertainment

Editorial--Las Vegas Sun

Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011

Cirque du Soleil unveils “Michael Jackson: The Immortal Tour” today to Las Vegas audiences at Mandalay Bay, launching a 33-show run before heading across the country on tour. It is the latest offering from a company that has, over the past two decades, become intertwined with Las Vegas.
The company came to Las Vegas two decades ago with a circus tent and big dreams. The tent is long gone — Cirque has a string of specially designed theaters, and its big-budget extravaganzas dominate the Strip’s marquees. There are seven Cirque shows currently in residence in Las Vegas, though “Viva Elvis” is slated to depart Aria next year after failing to attract a large enough audience.
Still, by any measure, Cirque is an astounding success, and it is a classic Las Vegas success story. Like many people and companies that land in Southern Nevada, Cirque has its roots elsewhere — Montreal — but it found a home in the Mojave Desert. The company started relatively small and grew. Its rise came along with the incredible growth in Las Vegas and the boom of multibillion-dollar resorts.
Not all that long ago, it was hard to imagine that people would pay $100 for a ticket to any show in Las Vegas, but then Cirque started pushing the envelope with more expensive productions.
Over the years, the company has been criticized for its ticket prices. It may have paced the big, high-priced production shows, but it is hardly alone. As Strip resorts aimed their sights at luxury and upscale accommodations, they sought entertainment to match. A series of Broadway productions has played the Strip, commanding top dollar. Individual performers have done the same — Garth Brooks, anyone? No one should begrudge them that, and no one should hold their success against them. People are more than willing to buy tickets and, judging by how people keep returning, they’re obviously getting their money’s worth.
Some of Cirque’s critics complain that the company has taken over the showrooms and squeezed out live performers and the more traditional Las Vegas acts. Cirque certainly isn’t the “classic” Las Vegas act with showgirls or a stand-up comedian, but to blame it for pushing out other entertainers misses the point.
Cirque has created a new type of Las Vegas entertainment — a show that is an extravaganza, something you can’t see anywhere else. That’s why people pay the ticket prices they do — they’re going to see a type of entertainment they can’t find back home.
To us, that’s the essence of Las Vegas. People come here to see something new, and time and again people in Las Vegas take a chance and create something that couldn’t be done anywhere else. And Cirque certainly fits the bill. (Who else builds a 1.5 million-gallon pool as a “stage?”)
Las Vegas has long had a stunning concentration of top-notch entertainment options in the area, including Broadway-styled productions, live music acts and variety shows. And Cirque has fit right in.
No matter anyone’s personal views of entertainment, it seems clear that Cirque has enriched the entertainment community in town and added to Las Vegas’ brand. The company created a name for itself by being just as over-the-top as its adopted hometown. Take a good look at Cirque and you can see why people flock from all around the globe to come to the “entertainment capital of the world.”

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Ringling Bros. - DRAGONS Winter Quarters Opening Day

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Uploaded by ringlingbros on Nov 30, 2011

This past Sunday, November 27th, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey kicked off the first official day of Winter Quarters for the 142nd Edition. Check out this exclusive clip from the first day of rehearsals for DRAGONS and be on the lookout for more videos soon!

Ringling Bros. - 2011 Thanksgiving Elephant Brunch

Uploaded by ringlingbros on Nov 29, 2011

On Thursday November 24th, elephants from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast of their own consisting of a cornucopia of fresh fruits, vegetables and bread. We hope that everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

A 140-year tradition that combines the classics -- extraordinary animal performances, captivating clown escapades and daring high-wire acts -- with contemporary surprises and thrills to make the circus-going experience memorably unique and a family tradition handed down from generation to generation With three independent units, Red, Blue and Gold, Ringling Bros. hosts millions of visitors and travels to more than 90 cities in North America each year.

Circus Vargas cancels Thursday show due to windstorm

from: Pasadena Star News

Posted: 12/01/2011

ARCADIA - Circus Vargas is canceling their traveling show tonight at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia and will resume Friday to ensure public safety in the wake of a severe wind storm that damaged its big top tent and their living quarters. Minor damage was sustained to the big top and the midway, the marquee was blown over and a few personal trailers where our crew and their families live was also damaged, according to a spokeswoman.
The crew is working to repair the damage. It will also rearrange the usual layout of trailers and big rigs to surround the big top to block it from the expected return of high gusts this evening. The blue and gold tent itself is made to withstand winds up to 100mph, the spokeswoman said.

Trial date set for Anne the circus elephant's ex-owners

Court appearance: Anne's the elephants former owners Bobby and Moira Roberts are facing charges of animal cruelty over their treatment of the animal

By Katherine Faulkner

from: The London Daily mail co.uk

2nd December 2011

Soberly dressed and speaking only to their solicitor, the pair arrived at Corby Magistrates’ Court before the hearing, but were not required to be in the courtroom. During the brief hearing, their solicitor John Whiston indicated they would deny the charges. The couple, from Oundle, Northamptonshire, will now face a trial on June 18 next year.Prosecution barrister Helen Law said the case ‘rests heavily’ on the video of Anne being beaten, which was exposed by the Mail. The footage was obtained by campaign group Animal Defenders International. Jan Creamer of ADI said yesterday: ‘It is the first prosecution of a circus under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 so it really is a landmark case.’
She added that Anne was going from ‘strength to strength’ at her new home in Longleat Safari Park, where a sanctuary is being built for her thanks to £400,000 raised by Daily Mail readers.

Fit and healthy: Anne now has a home at the Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire following a Daily Mail campaign to have her releasedAnimal campaigners say the trial of her former owners will be a landmark case which will test the strength of new animal cruelty laws brought in in 2006.

Prosecution Barrister Helen Law said the case ‘rests heavily’ on the shocking video footage of Anne being beaten, which was first revealed by the Daily Mail.The video shows Anne flinch as she is repeatedly whacked with a pitchfork by Nicolai Nitu, a Romanian groom employed by Mr and Mrs Roberts to care for Anne.The groom, who is in his late 20s, is thought to have fled to his native Romania when the Daily Mail broke the story.Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068766/Owners-circus-elephant-Anne-face-trial-accused-causing-unnecessary-suffering.html#ixzz1fNLppS7g

History series to discuss railroad circuses

from: Asland, Oregon Mail Tribune

December 01, 2011

Learn about railroad circuses that visited the Rogue Valley from 1884 to 1958 in presentations from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the Medford library, 205 S. Central Ave., and noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the Ashland library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd.
The presentations will be titled "When the Circus Comes to Town."
The events are open to the public. They are part of the Windows in Time lecture series sponsored by the libraries and the Southern Oregon Historical Society.
For more information on the series, call Jackson County Library Services at 541-774-6996 or 541-774-8689, or the Southern Oregon Historical Society at 541-899-8123.

COMMUNITY COMMENT: Ford Center a step in right direction to reclaiming Downtown

By Jennifer Engler

Special to the Courier & Press Jennifer Engler is a resident of Evansville. Evansville Courier & Press

Posted December 2, 2011

I just returned home from my first event at the Ford Center, The Hadi Shrine Circus. Let me just say that I was very impressed. The circus was just as spectacular as I remembered, and the new venue was fantastic as well.
I really love the modern design of the arena, and could appreciate the functionality of features in it. The view of Downtown from the south-facing wall of windows is quite lovely, and looking out at the buildings made me think of what Downtown used to be and has the potential to be again.
Many have been displeased by the very idea of an arena to replace Roberts Stadium, but I have remained optimistic. My optimism increased when, despite dire predictions, we found street parking within two blocks of the arena; we also left our seats (within 10 rows of the Ford Center floor) and got out an exit door in only 10 minutes (with twin toddlers in tow). There is hope for our sad Downtown area.
Hope begins with our shiny new arena and other businesses taking the road less traveled to Evansville's Downtown. Our family makes an effort to patronize small businesses in the Downtown area. We have become well acquainted with the streets, the architecture and the lovely Riverfront. We would encourage everyone to do the same.
Why not dine Downtown and stroll comfortably back to your vehicle? Why not attend a Philharmonic performance or a ball game? Why not take your kids to CMOE on a rainy day? Why not revisit Evansville's history at the Reitz Home Museum?
Let's improve upon what we already have available. What about a comedy club? A jazz club? An arthouse theater? A daily market for downtowners' grocery needs? Why not more public parking garages and fewer empty parking lots? Why not more bistros and cafes and fewer chain restaurants? Why not Evansville?

Georgia State Fair sold to Memphis promoter

By JIM GAINES From: www.macon.com
Operation of the Georgia State Fair will be sold to a Tennessee firm, and that means it may be back on schedule for 2012 instead of being canceled as previously announced.
Members of the Exchange Club of Macon, which has run the fair since 1942, voted almost unanimously to sell the fair for an undisclosed price, fair board President Don Johstono said Thursday.
“The club met as the Georgia State Fair Association this afternoon and decided to accept the offer of selling the fair to a company: Universal Fairs, out of Memphis, Tenn.,” Johstono said. “They are excited about the fair, and they are actually talking about making plans to have the fair in 2012, here in Central City Park.”
The Exchange Club voted narrowly in August not to hold a fair next year, due at least in part to several years of low income. Then Universal Fairs’ offer arrived, Johstono said, in late November.
Company President Mark Lovell was unavailable for comment Thursday, but in 2010 he wrote an e-mail regarding the firm’s (ultimately unsuccessful) bid to operate the Tennessee State Fair: “My company, Universal Fairs, is in the business of helping restore fairs and festivals to their original glory and to make them profitable.”Read more: http://www.macon.com/2011/12/02/1808237/georgia-state-fair-sold-to-memphis.html#ixzz1fNQlKFs4

State Fair of Virginia files bankruptcy

CBS6 Web Staff

December 1, 2011

The not-for-profit corporation which manages the State Fair of Virginia has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Don’t worry though, the 157-year-old tradition has not come to a screeching halt, not yet.SVFA, Inc., in a press release, announced that they plan to continue normal operations.The organization claimed that the stock market drop of 2009 affected the financial portfolio that backs the bank loan. They said it is half of what it was in 2007.
Curry Roberts, president and chief executive officer of SFVA, said that 2011 was a good year for attendance at the fair, with crowds increasing by 32 percent from 2010.
Roberts noted that the organization is current with loan payments, and also mentioned that the State Fair of Virginia is one of just a few state fairs that operates independently of public funding. He said this move is intended to bring them back into finanical stability.
SFVA also operates the Strawberry Hill Races, founded in 1895, and the Meadow Highland Games & Celtic Festival, founded in 1995.

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