THE BALLOON MAN

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Big Top Circus Performing In Teague, Monday, March 26

At B.T. Washington Mark

2/22/2012 Carson and Barnes Circus, one of the last of the great American traveling big top circuses, will perform two shows, at 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm, in Teague, at the B.T. Washington Park (Jefferson Street) on Monday, March 26. Sponsored by the Teague Chamber of Commerce, shows will be held at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, please visit www.BIGTOPSHOW.COM for ticketing information.
Since 1937 the Carson and Barnes Circus has toured America entertaining millions under the World's Biggest Big Top tent. Barbara Miller-Byrd is the third generation owner of the circus that travels to over 200 towns each season. "For more than 75 years our family has brought the excitement and magic of the circus to people in towns of all sizes," said Byrd. In fact, most communities on Carson and Barnes's 2012 tour have a population of less than 30,000.
"There is no bigger entertainment opportunity, or better value for the dollar than this year's show under the big top," said Byrd. Ticket prices will range from $14 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under when purchased in advance online or from local Teague area ticket locations. Discount coupons for a savings of up to $4 on adult tickets are available locally and at WWW.BIGTOPSHOW.COM

Circus families keep Big Top traditions alive

By AFP

Published Sunday, February 26, 2012

As a kid, Clayton Rosaire didn’t share his home with average housepets.His backyard was filled with lions and tigers.
"I’m actually the ninth generation of my family to be a animal handler and entertainer//I chose big cats because that’s what I love - that’s what I grew up around They've always been a part of my family, and I have a special bond with big cats."
The Rosaires are one of a handful of circus families in Sarasota, Florida who make sure that circus entertainment lives on.
After years of performing around the world, their act now supports a big cat sanctuary they founded to rescue exotic animals.
"Well you feel very proud of your heritage you know. We're proud of who we are, because it's a great art form."
"After spending my whole life around animals and you know really having them as part of my family since the day I was born - you can't help but fall in love with them.”
Just down the road, another circus act is performing.
A seventh generation circus entertainer, Alex performs with his dad Tino Wallenda in The Flying Wallendas.
"As I grew up, I was always watching my parents first - and then sooner or later my sisters - go up on that high-wire and it was just a natural inclination to want to get up there and be performing and spending time with my family."
The Wallenda family has been a circus act for more than 200 years. During the circus glory days they were a main attraction for The Ringling Brothers’ "Greatest Show on Earth".
The risky business of walking tight rope might be dangerous, but the Wallendas know it's a way to keep the circus tradition safe for generations to come.

Fair Opens This Morning At New Site

Originally published Oct. 9, 1951

Dixie Classic Fair, 1992.

By: JournalNow Staff Winston-Salem Journal

Published: February 26, 2012

The gates of the 1951 Winston-Salem Fair will open at 9 a.m. today at the new 80-acre grounds at Twenty-seventh and Cherry Streets.
Yesterday it was a chaotic jumble of dismantled rides, and frantic exhibitors, but by nightfall the hot dogs were sizzling in some of the stands and things were taking on a semblance of order.
Most of the shows on the midway were up by mid-afternoon, and among them were the Monkey Circus, a freak show, the French Casino, Ebony Club, Bug House, Fun House, Penny Arcade, Dorita, and one called "Sensational Expose," or "What is Woman?"
Among the agricultural fields, the cattle show will be the outstanding event of the week, with some 400 cows and bulls of all breeds filling the tremendous new cattle barn. Between 120 and 130 horses are expected to arrive during the week for the harness races which are to be held each afternoon, Tuesday through Friday. The poultry and swine will be housed in tents this year.

Journal File Photo

Patsy Haws, a champion motordome rider, thrilled the crowds in 1955.
Commercial and agricultural exhibits were filling the new exhibit hall to overflowing yesterday afternoon as men, women and children rubbed elbows stringing crepe paper and arranging everything from pumpkins to refrigerators.
Tons of crushed rock were spread over the walkways to help keep down the dust or mud, whichever the case may be. Manager T.S. Blum said he has a preparation all ready for spreading to keep the dust at a minimum if no rain falls. He said the entire grounds would be sprinkled last night.
Governor Kerr Scott will speak at 1 p.m. Thursday at a dedication ceremony of the new grounds. In connection with his visit, there will also be a cattle parade in front of the grandstand.
Each afternoon and evening the George Hamid Revue will be presented before the grandstand. Box tickets for each day will be on sale at Walgreen’s Drug Store from 9 a.m. to noon.

Credit: Journal File Photo

5-year-old Charles Gray makes a friend at the Dixie Classic Fair in 1964.
Fifteen-minute bus service will be given from the Twenty-seventh Street entrance by Duke Power Company. Twin City Lines will not provide service, C.W. Caudle, president, said yesterday. Twin City applied to the Board of Aldermen to run its buses down to the Twenty-seventh Street Gate, but was turned down after Duke Power objected. Mr. Caudle said it would be too dangerous for his buses to load and unload on the Cherry Street side.
All city schools will be closed during the afternoon today to allow the students to attend the fair. Wednesday is county school day.

MORE MEMORIES FROM

THE DIXIE CLASSIC FAIR

Dixie Classic Fair, 1961.

The rides may change, but the screams still echo. The “Orbitron” in 1990

Dixie Classic Fair, Chitwood thrill show, 1976.

Dixie Classic Fair, 1979.

Dixie Classic Fair, 1962

Kids get in on the fun at Circus Gatti

Photo by Ron Longwell, Ron Longwell (ronlongwell.com)

Ron Longwell/Special to the Reporter-NewsAn offer to let kids ride an elephant at Circus Gatti was quickly accepted by several youngsters Saturday at the Taylor County Expo Center.

By Carl Kieke Abilene Reporter-News

February 25, 2012

Getting close to the seven-foot-long Columbian red tail boa constrictor at Circus Gatti likely never entered Zachary Chandos' mind — until the opportunity to get a photo with the snake was announced at intermission of the circus show at the Taylor County Expo Center on Saturday.
"I just wanted to do it. I thought it would be cool," the 11-year-old Bassetti Elementary student said. And to classmates who wouldn't dare do such a thing, Zachary said would laugh and call them scaredy-cats.
For the more squeamish, milder activities were available at intermission, such as face-painting and elephant rides. Of course, there is a slight scare factor in climbing onto an animal so big you need a ladder.
"Bumpy," was the one-word description by 7-year-old Joslin Power of Abilene. Her friend Lara Reeves said, "Exciting."
Brandi Power, Joslin's mother, said they decided to do it as soon as it was announced.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I knew it was something that they would surely remember," she said.
In one family, the 5-year-old son was impressed by the bikers while the 7-year-old daughter preferred the ponies. The youngest, 2, decided when the lights went down that "it was time to go."
Emily Scott and Tadum Johnson, both of Buffalo Gap, were wowed by the dancing and the bikers' performances. Tadum said she would love to work in a circus, probably as one of the young women who twirled and swung around ropes hanging from the rigging.

Photo by Ron Longwell, Ron Longwell (ronlongwell.com) Ron Longwell/Special to the Reporter-News

Clown Leo Acton entertains the audience at a Circus Gatti performance at the Taylor County Expo Center on Saturday.While he's probably not much of a twirler, Leo Acton can likely relate.
Acton, who bills himself as "the world's furriest funny man," got into circus work as a 19-year-old.
His trademark is a heavy mutton chop beard that ends about halfway down the jawline on both sides. The beard was his wife's idea, Acton said.
"As ridiculous as it looks, there's a lot of maintenance, a lot of clipping, snipping and hair spray," the veteran clown said. "I have a strange appearance, so I get an initial shock or initial reaction. But when people see me, they almost always love me."
He got into circus work in 1998 when he auditioned for and was accepted by Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey clown college. This is his third year with Circus Gatti.
"I'm running from the law," he said of his choice of the circus life — then quickly laughed the answer off in favor of a more serious reply.
"The circus is an amazing American tradition of family entertainment," he said. "It's a great way to see our country and bring wholesome entertainment to everybody."

Looking Back: Plainview's own Sunset Carson once among Hollywood greats

Former Western film star Sunset “Kit” Carson shows a bulging scrapbook filled with press clippings to Thrane and Imogene Parsons during a 1967 visit to Plainview following a 10-year world tour.

By DOUG McDONOUGH Herald Managing Editor

From: myplainview.com

Saturday, February 25, 2012
During the height of his movie career in 1946, he was on the top-10 list of money makers for western stars, but that was the same year he left Republic Pictures, and his stardom began to fade.
Born Winifred Maurice Harrison (some sources say Michael Harrison) on Nov. 12, 1920, in Gracemont, Okla., he moved to Plainview with his parents — Maurice Greely Harrison and Azalee Belle McAdams — at a young age.
Growing up in Plainview he was known to family and friends as Mickey or “Mick.” And it was during his time in Plainview, according to the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com), that he became a successful rodeo performer.
Writing for IMDb, biographer Jim Beaver said Tom Mix give Carson a job in Mix’s touring circus and Wild West show after watching Carson at a rodeo. From there, Carson traveled to South America in 1940 to tour in a rodeo circuit and ended up winning Champion All-Around Cowboy awards in Buenos Aires two years in a row.According to Wikipedia, Carson returned to the U.S. in 1942 and made his Hollywood film debut with a small part in 1943’s “Stage Door Canteen,” followed by the 1944 film “Janie.” Both billed him as “Michael Harrison.”
Those performances, along with his size, looks and horsemanship, drew the attention of Republic executive Lou Grey. Soon, Carson received a contract to star in a series of B-Westerns.read more:http://www.myplainview.com/news/article_c1ee0558-6018-11e1-bb6b-0019bb2963f4.html

First part of Disney's Fantasyland expansion to open in March

A look at the new Storybook Circus, with two sides to the Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride, and games under the Big Top. (Image: Walt Disney World)

From: cfnews13.com

Last Updated: Thursday, February 23, 2012

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Part of the Fantasyland expansion will be open by the end of March, while a longtime Magic Kingdom ride gets its official closure date.
Disney announced Thursday that one carousel of Dumbo the Flying Elephant will be open by the end of March.
Also opening by then -- the Great Goofini, a rollercoaster that is a re-imagining of the Barnstormer ride that ran in the old Toontown area, and the Fantasyland Station for the Walt Disney World Railroad.
This is all part of the Fantasyland expansion, a major update to the themed land behind Cinderella castle. Eventually Dumbo will be expanded to two carousels. The area will also have a Beauty and the Beast area, a new Little Mermaid ride, and a new Snow White ride.
Closing, however, will be the original Snow White ride.
Snow White's Scary Adventures was one of the original rides that opened with Magic Kingdom in 1971. The ride will close May 31. The area will instead become a meet-and-greet section for Disney princesses

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Lost and Found Circus, Dogs and Oscars Top the Weekend: Time Out Chicago

Friday, 24 Feb 2012,

FOX Chicago News and Time Out Chicago

Amazing acrobats: Fairbanks Concert Association brings the New Shanghai Circus to town

The New Shanghai Circus is considered China’s most celebrated acrobatic company. The group celebrates the exotic wonders of China while showcasing dramatic interpretations of ancient dances. Photo courtesy of Fairbanks Concert Association

by Julie Stricker / jstricker@newsminer.com

Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Feb 24, 2012

FAIRBANKS - There are few things more cherished in a child’s life than a trip to the circus.

The Fairbanks Concert Association is bringing that dream to life for hundreds of children in Interior Alaska on Sunday with the New Shanghai Circus.

The New Shanghai Circus is an extravaganza of 23 gravity-defying acrobats, jugglers and contortionists whose skills have won rave reviews and sold out shows across the country.

Performers, whose routines are grounded in 2,000-year-old old Chinese harvest festivals, perform amazing feats of strength, agility, timing and balance.

Acts include a Chinese yo-yo performance, bicycle tricks, stacked chairs, spinning plates, spinning humans and humans contorting themselves in impossible positions.

“It’s kind of an amazing show,” said Anne Biberman, FCA executive director. It’s tailor-made for families, which is deliberate on the part of the Fairbanks Concert Association, Biberman said. “We have at least one program every year that we charge about half what an average concert costs so that families can afford to go to it together,” she said. “We think that’s a good thing and we’re committed to that.”

New Shanghai Circus.

Photos courtesy Fairbanks Concert Association

New offbeat circus combines acrobats, break dancing, basketball
‘Traces,’ a new circus from Quebec that combines acrobatics, basketball, music and dance, comes to Segerstrom Center next week

Combining acrobatics, dance, music, song, skateboarding and basketball, "Traces" is the product of an unorthodox Quebecois group, “les 7 doigts de la main” (seven fingers of the hand). “Traces” comes to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts from Feb. 29 through March 4.
TEXT BY PAUL HODGINS, PHOTO BY MICHAEL MESEKE

By PAUL HODGINS / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Cirque de Soleil, the Quebec-based circus that took Southern California by storm a generation ago, opened the door to a colorful realm of new entertainment forms. Suddenly, mainstream audiences embraced offbeat culture: The Blue Man Group's mute, crazy antics and Stomp's noisy percussion celebrations are just two examples of the world the Cirque helped open up.
"Traces" is the latest example of the trend. Combining acrobatics, dance, music, song, skateboarding and basketball, it's the product of another unorthodox Quebecois group, "les 7 doigts de la main" (seven fingers of the hand). "Traces" comes to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts from Feb. 28 through March 4.

The Register talked to Shana Carroll, who cofounded "7 doigts" in 2002 and directed "Traces."
The Orange County Register: Besides not being in a tent, what differentiates a show like yours from a Cirque du Soleil production?
Shana Carroll: It's circus on a human scale. We want to make sure that the seven performers are easy to relate to. We want the audience to feel that each performer could be someone they know. The costumes are very minimal. Throughout the show they reveal bits of personal data, telling the story of their lives. Little by little, you get to know them.
Register: What else makes your show unique?

Friday, February 24, 2012

FROM: LANE TALBURT--

Circus music: And the beat goes on

February 24, 2012

Richard Whitmarsh has been recording his "Sounds of the Circus" series for the past 40 years and, at age 88, shows no signs of slowing down the pace. Lane Talburt sat in on the band's most recent recording session--for albums 57 and 58 (to be released later this year)--on the stage of the East Bridgewater, MA, high school auditorium. He interviewed Whitmarsh and members of the band about their contributions to preserving the rich heritage (and variety) of circus music in America.On a personal note, my 52 videos--now 53--logged their 50,000th hit earlier this week. I've been uploading videos to YouTube since March 2010.

See you down the road.

Lane Talburt

Circus music: And the beat goes on

Uploaded by LaneInConn on Feb 23, 2012
With Richard Whitmarsh as its four-decades-long conductor, the South Shore Concert Band gathers on a high school auditorium stage in Southeastern Massachusetts to record circus music for its 57th and 58th albums. Lane Talburt videotaped the session and chatted with Whitmarsh and windjammers.

Yankee Doodle Circus proves to be a big hit

Wicked Local staff photo by Tom Gorman.

“The Fashionista” performs .

By Jeanne M. Rideout

Wicked Local Holbrook

Posted Feb 23, 2012
Holbrook — Poodles and ponies and clowns were part of the Yankee Doodle Circus at Holbrook Junior/Senior High School Feb. 18.
By popular demand, the circus will return to Holbrook next spring.
“The Yankee Doodle Circus was a huge hit,” said Maggie Brady, co-chair of the sponsoring Holbrook Junior/Senior High School Parent Group. “Parents and children alike were raving on how fun the day was, and told us they enjoyed the show. We will definitely be bringing back the Yankee Doodle Circus next year.”
More than 203 adults attended, most with two children in tow.
The profit for the parents group from the fundraiser was $2,070, double the estimated $1,000 the group had hoped for, Brady said.
One sign of the success of the circus was online sales.
“We had 66 online tickets sold, which is a large amount, according to the circus' engagement director Margaret Naughton,” Brady said.
Yankee Doodle Circus offers clowns, pony rides, mini-trapeze artists and acrobatic puppies, and Brady recommends it to other groups seeking a fundraiser.
“Mike Naughton, who is the ringmaster and developer of the circus, is a true professional, and it was such a pleasure to have them come to Holbrook,” she said. “He has many fond memories of the previous trips to Holbrook. They are a self-contained fundraising unit and take care of absolutely everything.”
Proceeds from the three performances of the Feb. 18 circus will enable the parents group with activities such as funding the annual $250 scholarship for a graduating Holbrook High senior. The group hopes to establish a second scholarship. The parent group also funds projects, including purchasing technology for classrooms, supplying lab equipment for science classes and bringing academic enrichment programs to Holbrook.
For more, see the Feb. 24 Holbrook Sun. Read more: http://www.wickedlocal.com/holbrook/news/x1793848844/Yankee-Doodle-Circus-proves-to-be-a-big-hit#ixzz1nJEE7lF6

YANKEE DOODLE CIRCUS FOTOS

Wicked Local staff photos by Tom Gorman

Yankee Doodle Circus clown Pat Cashin spins a plate.

Ivan Arista performs on his unicycle.

Alex Arista circles the ring on a unicycle.

Youngsters applaud the performances.

Cirque Romanè: The Gypsy Circus in danger of deportation

Thursday, February 23, 2012

- From Naïve to Native in Madrid

by Scott Figatner

from: wahingtontimes.com

MADRID, February 23, 2012—Societal outcasts in many European countries, gypsies often struggle to integrate themselves while retaining their cultural identity. One group of successful Parisian gypsies clearly knows the ropes.
Cirque Romanè, the only remaining gypsy circus in Europe, is holding on tightly to their roots. Parisians have filled the bleachers of the circus tent for 18 years to watch a show combining various spectacles such as acrobatics, dancing, juggling, tightrope walking and animal tricks.
Surrounded by trailers, the circus tent is dark. A few spotlights illuminate the worn area rugs, which form the stage. Bursting out from behind the sheets that form the backstage area, musicians play with drunken jolliness while dancing and shouting. The performers, both children and adults, do stunts and tricks with a contagious playfulness and a third-try’s-the-charm attitude.
However, any show could be their grand finale.
On August 26, 2010, France deported 700 gypsies to Romania and offered small monetary rewards for anyone who left voluntarily. The previous year, the government reported that they deported over 10,000 Roma sans citizenship.
The authorities refused to validate the work permits of five musicians who are in danger of deportation.
Combating accusations of the integrity of their circus, the family rallied with thousands against gypsy deportations in October of 2010. While deportation was the spark that started the fire, issues go far beyond politics.
In Spain, the rejection of gypsies from society is an age-old phenomenon. Roma have lived in Spain since the 15th century and have endured harsh laws, treatments and overall attempts to exclude them.
Madrileños, people from Madrid, can usually spot them on the street and most keep their distance. They also have a “mala fama” or bad reputation for being thieves. The majority of madrileños would think twice about using a cleaning service run by gypsies or allowing them in their homes at all. Many neighborhoods refuse to accept them.
Beyond rejection, “gitanos” are often the victims of public anger and racism.
read more at:http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/naive-native-madrid/2012/feb/23/gypsy-circus-hangs-roots-uprooting-spanish-stereot/

In ‘Circa,’ Australian circus comes to town

Australian troupe Circa blends traditional circus, contemporary acrobatics

Justin Nicholas In “Circa,’’ sensible shoes are not necessarily de rigueur.

By Jeffrey Gantz Globe Correspondent

from: bostonglobe.com

February 24, 2012

Circus is something of a new look for the Celebrity Series of Boston, which for decades was mostly a showcase of the best in classical music, jazz, and dance. Of course, when you consider that Gary Dunning, the organization’s new president and executive director, was the longtime executive director of the Big Apple Circus, you see an apparent connection to next week’s Boston debut of Circa. But Dunning points out that when he came on board last year, Circa - an Australian contemporary circus company - had already been booked for some time.
Circa has several shows in its repertory, but “Circa’’ is the one it will perform Wednesday through March 4 on the Paramount Center Mainstage, with a cast of seven and music ranging from Leonard Cohen to Sigur Rós, Aphex Twin, and Venetian Snares.
“Some of the techniques in balancing hand-to-hand come straight out of the old tradition,’’ Dunning says, “but it’s been blended with a contemporary stage and dance vocabulary.’’read more at:http://bostonglobe.com/arts/2012/02/24/australian-circus-comes-town-circa/Zi6l5rbyWBOCfomXqaDttO/story.html