THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO MY TWIN BROTHER, BILL DYKES (1943-1995). WE WERE NOT ONLY BROTHERS BUT PARTNERS IN BUSINESS AND BEST FRIENDS!AND TO ALL THE "BUTCHERS" THAT HAVE PASSED ON TO THE BIG LOT IN THE SKY!
from: news-leader.com Written by Thomas Gounley Mar 6, 2013 Springfield,Missouri--A springtime tradition is heading down the road.
When the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Circus comes to town next month, the six shows will take place in JQH Arena — ending decades of performances at the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque at the corner of Kimbrough Avenue and St. Louis Street.
Shrine Mosque administrator Tom Morris said the change was prompted by United States Department of Agriculture regulations that, while not necessarily new, are being enforced more strictly in the wake of the formation of third-party organizations monitoring the safety and treatment of exotic animals. “We can no longer get the cages in the building for the cat act,” he said.
Additionally, Morris said, there were issues with the closeness of the elephants to the crowd and their storage on the street. JQH Arena, he said, is better equipped for the shows.
“We’re looking forward to being over there,” he said.
Morris said he has traced the three-ring circus in the Shrine Mosque back at least 65 years but can’t be sure exactly when the tradition started. The circus is an annual fundraiser for the Shriners organization.
This year’s Shrine Circus has a Broadway theme. Human attractions include “The Human Cannonball,” two-and-four-wheeled “Extreme Circus Riders” and the trapeze act of “The Flying Bells.” Animal attractions include tigers, a liger (think lion and tiger) and dancing elephants — including “Broadway Bo,” billed as the world’s largest performing elephant.
“We’re bringing a big show, the biggest we’ve ever put together,” George Carden, the founder of the circus, said in a media release.
“The spirit of the circus is to top anything and everything, each year.”
Performances will be held on April 5, 6 and 7
No Ordinary 'Acrobat': An Unconventional History Of The Circus
The Ordinary Acrobat A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present by Duncan Wall from: npr.org by Drew Toal March 06, 2013 Whenever I think of the circus (which, admittedly, is rarely), the first thing that comes to mind is Bruce Davidson's famous photograph of a forlorn clown smoking a cigarette and clutching a fistful of wilted flowers in the mud outside a ratty circus tent. Fittingly, I first saw this striking image on the cover of Heinrich Boll's 1963 novel, The Clown. The titular protagonist isn't the creepy backyard children's entertainer we've come to associate with the form. He's troubled and high-strung, and sees himself first and foremost as an artist — and something of a mystic, to boot. Judging by Duncan Wall's memoir/history, The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present, Boll's portrayal is far and away the more accurate one.
For Wall, and most Americans, the circus barely registers as a cultural entity. Of his limited childhood circus experience, Wall writes, "I can remember walking across the enormous asphalt parking lot with my father, hand in hand, past the rows of cars and the soot-stained trucks. ... I remember watching the show with a mixture of confusion and boredom. The overweight acrobats wore out-of-style sequins. The tigers looked sluggish and distracted." It sounds more like a High-Stalinist carnival where attendees were forced to mime joy, but fits well with Davidson's stark photographic representation. read more: http://www.npr.org/2013/03/06/172608511/no-ordinary-acrobat-an-unconventional-history-of-the-circus
Coney Island Gala: Hurricane Sandy Jeopardized Circus Sideshow's Future - Here's How You Can Help
The Huffington Post By Andy Campbell 03/06/2013 The famous Coney Island Circus Sideshow is about to become a no-show.
Much of the neighborhood in Brooklyn was under five feet of water during Hurricane Sandy, devastating much of the Coney Island USA attractions -- including its 1917 landmark building that included a gift shop, bar and sideshow theater -- and resulting in damages of about $405,000. Now the Easter opening of New York City's most beloved destination is in jeopardy. The people who bring you the Mermaid Parade, the Coney Island Circus Sideshow and the Coney Island Museum are running out of fundraising options.
"Everything was destroyed," Coney Island USA head Dick Zigun told HuffPost Weird News. "We simply cannot get reopened on time without help."
Coney Island needs your help to raise money (and party down) on Saturday.
The Coney Island USA Spring Gala is here, and this time the burlesque-and-booze-fest is for a good cause. The four-hour event will be held Saturday, March 9 at Webster Hall in New York City, and will feature sideshow legends, go go girls, DJs, celebrities, and raffles. Tickets go for $60-250, depending on how much free booze and V.I.P. access you want.
"We are tooting our own horn, but are letting people know that it was this organization that started the neo-burlesque movement thirty years ago," Zigun said. "This is going to be the best party yet." If you can't make it to the event, you can still donate to the Coney Island USA recovery effort by clicking here: http://shop.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=1648
Sarasota Circus Clowns Do The Harlem Shake
Circus Sarasota trying to attract donations in the 36-Hour Giving Challenge through a Harlem Shake video.
from: sarasota.patch.com
Up Chuck-- By Charles Schelle
March 5, 2013
If anyone does a Harlem Shake video, we'll pretty much link to it. Especially if it's a good cause like the 36-hour Giving Challenge.
One of the latest is the esteemed Circus Sarasota, bringing out their best clowns to shake what the circus ring gave them along with tons of teens from its Sailor Circus program for teens and children. As for presentation, this is one of the best Harlem Shake videos considering the perspective inside the Sailor Circus dome on Bahia Vista Street.
The Arts and Cultural Alliance and the HuB teamed up for several Harlem Shake videos for organizations in Sarasota, and they are all listed on the HuB's special Shake Up page.
To give to Circus Sarasota, which produced this year's Nik Wallenda show, visit www.GivingPartnerChallenge.org and enter in the organization's name.
Ringmaster Peter Sturgis and Hamid Circus Inc. Kids!!
— with Haley Hamid, Shirley Hamid, Belinda Hamid, Olivia Hansen, Alecia Hansen, Peter Sturgis, Madison Hansen and james Hamid.
Man Killed by His Beloved Pet Hippo
Description:A South African man was found dead after being attacked by his six year old pet Hippo, Humphrey.(1:34)
Source: Newsy
1920s : “Sky High Madison”
Curated by Chris Wild
from: retronaut.com
“Ralph Madsen (1897-1948) was nicknamed “Sky High Madison”, “High Bill Madesen”, “Sky Hi”, “Big Boy”, “Atta Boy” and “Mr. Longfellow”.”-- The Tallest Man
from: heraldbanner.com By BRAD KELLAR Herald-Banner Staff March 4, 2013 GREENVILLE, TX — The big top is coming to Greenville later this month.
The Carson and Barnes Circus is set to visit the city for two days of performances benefiting Ridgecrest Hispanic Baptist Church.
The shows are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 5 pm. March 16-17 at the Hunt County Fairgrounds.
The Hugo, Okla.-based circus comes complete with trapeze artists, jugglers, acrobats, horses, dogs, elephants and, of course, clowns.
The circus began in 1937, and in 2012, visited more than 250 communities across 15 states, performing more than 700 shows.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
RAW: The circus is in town!!
Published on Mar 5, 2013
http://www.midlandsconnect.com
You know the Ringling Brother's Barnum & Bailey Circus is in town when a few elephants hit the streets of Columbia. Check out this video of their arrival Tuesday morning!
Help the OABA maintain the right of Circuses and USDA licensed animal exhibitors to provide Americans with educational performances of exotic animals. Contribute a minimum of $25 to the OABA Circus Fund to receive your NEW 2013-2014 Horse Pin! Your contribution will be listed in the next issue of the ShowTime magazine. Donations of $50 or more will be listed in ALL issues of the campaign year.
Circus, act three Ringling Bros. returns to NY for the first time in three years as third-gen owners the Felds try to keep show fresh and relevant.
Nicole (left) and Alana Feld are carrying on the family tradition of running the circus. Photo by Buck Ennis. from: crainsnewyork.com By Miriam Kreinin Souccar March 3, 2013 When the circus parades into the Barclays Center later this month, elephants will dance to the pop tune "Gangnam Style." The lighting will make it look like a rock show. A basketball team will take it to the hoop while perched on unicycles. And all the excitement will be staged closer to the audience than ever before.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—now in its 143rd year—is trying to stay exciting and relevant in order to compete with today's overstimulated generation.
"We spend a lot of time trying to understand what kids' attention spans are like today," said Nicole Feld, executive vice president and producer of Feld Entertainment Inc., the Vienna, Va.-based company that bought the circus in 1967.
This year's circus, whose theme is "Built to Amaze!," runs from March 20 through April 1. It marks the first time Ringling Bros. has staged a major show in Brooklyn since the late 1930s. Though Ms. Feld declined to say how many tickets have been sold so far, she is expecting big crowds. The circus has not played the past couple of years in New York City because its usual home, Madison Square Garden, has been under renovation. The company expects to sell about 250,000 tickets during its Brooklyn run, hoping to benefit from the borough's image as a destination for the young and hip—many of whom now have children.
"Barclays is new and generating lots of buzz, so [Ringling Bros.] wants to be there," said Ernest Albrecht, editor of Spectacle magazine, a circus trade journal.
The circus, and all the other properties that Feld Entertainment produces—such as Disney on Ice, Disney Live! and Monster Jam—are now in the hands of the three Feld daughters, the third generation of Felds to run the company. Nicole, 35, and her sister Alana, 32, are in charge of the circus. The third Feld daughter, 29-year-old Juliette, produces Disney on Ice. Though Nicole and Alana are based in New York, they grew up traveling with the circus, so the world of clowns and animal trainers is in their DNA. read more--- http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130303/MEDIA_ENTERTAINMENT/303039987
Circus performers + Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra = thrills, chills, hopefully no spills in Cirque Musica
Rope trick master AJ Silver will other Cirque Musica acts performing with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra at Miller Auditorium March 9. from: mlive.com By Mark Wedel | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette March 05, 2013 KALAMAZOO, MI-- Maybe there's a reason why circus acts don't often perform with live symphony orchestras. Picture Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra musicians playing complex music "with people standing a few feet in front of them doing stuff that could potentially kill that person and maybe destroy an instrument," Matt Roben, master of ceremonies for Cirque Musica said.
The group of circus performers will be with the KSO at Miller Auditorium March 9. They have acts like the "rolla-bolla," where an acrobat is balanced unstably on a stack of rolling metal cylinders, that could result in the type of catastrophe that KSO musicians usually don't have to worry about.
The closest to disaster they've come was when cowboy rope trick master AJ Silver whipped out a rope "and it stopped a foot away from one of the musicians, and another one looked at him with a 'watch it, buddy!' look on his face," Roben said.
http://www.korashriners.org/shrine-circus/shrine-circus
The promoter this year for the 2012 Kora Shrine Circus is Hamid Circus, Inc. The Kora Shrine Circus is proud of the acts we are featuring this year. We will have tigers/lions and elephants this year. We will also have a mixed animal act featuring llamas and horses, a double trapeze act and a motorcycle thrill show surely to dazzle and delight. A quick change couple will amaze you with their ability to swap outfits in the blink of an eye. The circus ring will also feature a dazzling display of horses as well as a pound puppy review. Larry the clown returns to entertain all with his crazy antics as well.
Peter Sturgis - Ringmaster
Hamid Circus, Inc.’s Ringmaster, PETER A. STURGIS, has traveled a long way from his 1956 birthplace of Brookhaven, MS. To the bright lights and glamorous glitter of the circus world.
PETER’s first show business experience was that of a magician’s assistant in a small Myrtle Beach, SC. amusement park.
From there he traveled extensively with various magic/illusion shows and even became the “talker” for a “Girl to Gorilla” sideshow on a carnival.
1981 was a major turning point in PETER’s life when he was “discovered” at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI. He was told he looked like a ringmaster and thought, “What the heck, I’ll give it try.” Not only did PETER look the part, he sounded great.
PETER is recognized as the premier circus ringmaster in the world today and Hamid Circus, Inc. is proud to have him a major component of annual tours.
When not working with the circus, PETER owns and operates a small kiddie carnival, which operates exclusively in Wisconsin.
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