THE BALLOON MAN

Saturday, May 24, 2014

ROYAL HANNEFORD CIRCUS

AT MORRISTOWN N.J. SHRINE DATE

Shrine Circus at Mennen Arena

Elephant kindergarten. Photo By George!

The Daring and Lovely Angela. Photo By George!

Miss Aravik stands on her head. Photo By George!

Top dog: Susan Sheryll's Royal Afghan Champions. Photo By George!

Shrine Circus at Mennen Arena

The Sensational Seyranyan Sisters tie themselves in knots. Photo by Hal Crosthwaite.

The Sensational Skymasters. Photo By George!

Circus dazzles Galion community

from- limaohio.com

May 22.2014

The Culpepper and Merriweather Circus was in Galion this week, thanks to the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs of Galion. The big top, one-ring circus went up in Heise Park on May 20 and two shows were offered to the community. The exciting performance opened with three jungle cats named Soloman, Delilah and Francis. Also appearing in the ring were a family of unicyclists, a trapeze artist and a contortionist, among others. For the finale, “Los Moralitos” took a spin on the Wheel of Destiny, a massive, death-defying rotating arm with a wheel on each end.

Circus is coming to town

from- sasklifestyles.com

BY MACKENZIE HIENTZ

MAY 22, 2014

The Estevan yand District Shrine Club will be bringing tleshe Shrine Circus to Affinity Place in Estevan on June 3. There will be three shows: 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Funds raised from the circus will go towards the Shriners Hospitals for Children that are located throughout North America, including their hospital in Montreal, said local Shrine club member Gene Davis. The money also helps patients with the cost of travel to the hospitals, as well as medical services.

“The service that the Shriners provide through their hospitals for children has no attachments for ability to pay…it’s provided to them at no cost, said Davis.

As for the show, Davis said that spectators should expect traditional circus performances, which include elephants, trapeze performers and clowns. He said the Shriners are hoping to get big cats for the circus, too, as they were part of last year's show.

The Estevan and District Shrine Club’s goal for the circus this year is for every child in Grade 6 and under to attend the circus for free. Davis said the Shriners hope that businesses within in the city will buy a large amount of tickets to give to school systems, so the children can go to the circus.

“We hope to get enough support through the business community to enable us to do that, and that’s the type work we do here at the club,” said Davis.

Overall the circus is a great fundraiser for the Shriners Children's Hospitals, as in the past Davis said that the event was usually well attended.

Giffords Circus rolls into town

Tweedy the Clown stars in the new season of Giffords Circus

From: gloucestershireecho.co.uk

By Gloucestershire Echo

May 23, 2014

YOU know summer is here when Giffords Circus appears on a village green near you with their latest show.

Sudeley Castle in Winchcombe is the first venue for this year’s production The Thunders by Nell Gifford and her international cast of circus performers.

Based loosely on the ancient Greek legends, the show is touring for four months around Gloucestershire and surrounding areas.

Everybody’s favourite clown Tweedy is back and getting his head round the Trojan horse, while Ethiopian jugglers Bichu and Bibi are also back in the Big Top for the season.

Authentic costumes with plenty of tunics, gladiator sandals, laurel wreaths and silver headdresses are lined up, along with an original music score by James Keay.

And the show also features four rescue dogs, which have been trained and will appear alongside the humans doing tricks like riding ponies and jumping through hoops.

Nell said: “We’ve played very fast and loose with the legends but it is very beautiful and hopefully very funny.

“The set is like a 1960’s film type set with a dreamy, picturesque look; it’s very pre-Raphaelite.”

Created by Nell and directed by Cal McCrystal, the show also features heroic Theseus, the terrifying snake-headed Medusa, goddess of harvest Demeter and a beautiful siren from the deep.

New acts to watch out for this year include horse riders from Martinique and Hungary, an Australian contortionist and a Polish singer.

Giffords Circus opens at Sudeley tonight at 6pm and runs until Tuesday, with midday, afternoon and evening shows.

It then moves on to Pittville Gardens in Cheltenham and other venues include Daylesford Organic Farm in Kingham, Frampton-on-Severn’s village green, Minchinhampton Common and Stratton Meadow in Cirencester.

Outside Gloucestershire, the circus also visits Blenheim Palace and Alice Park in Bath.

Read more: http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Giffords-Circus-rolls-town/story-21133374-detail/story.html#ixzz32ZC7VGW6

Read more at http://www.gloucestershireecho.co.uk/Giffords-Circus-rolls-town/story-21133374-detail/story.html#JBu3CUDrRMfyymZ5.99

Family circus returns in June

Some kids enjoying the family circus last year on the grounds of Saxe Middle School. This year’s event will be held Saturday, June 21.

from: ncadvertiser.com

By New Canaan Advertiser

May 22, 2014

The New Canaan YMCA and Kiwanis Club of New Canaan announced that the annual family circus will take place on Saturday, June 21, at Saxe Middle School. It will feature new acts from the Zerbini Family Circus, the eighth generation circus who made their New Canaan debut last year.

Showtimes will be at 1:30, 4 and 6:30. Last year’s acts under the big top included aerialists, jugglers, acrobats, camels, and the death-defying “Wheel of Destiny.”

Proceeds benefit financial assistance for the Y’s summer camps, as well as the Kiwanis community fund, which supports youth programs throughout the community. Sponsors thus far include: TD Bank, Walter Stewart’s, Karl Chevrolet, Hawthorne Ackerly & Dorrance, Indian Rock Families, Fresh Dine, Simply Delicious, Sperry DeCew, and First County Bank. Event sponsorship is still available through Wednesday, May 21.

Tickets will be available starting Sunday, June 1, and are $20 in advance and $25 at the door; children 2 and under are free. They may be purchased the Y front desk as well as Baskin Robbins, Karl Chevrolet and TD Bank, as well as newcanaancircus.eventbrite.com.

Parade group may offer Circus World grant money

FROM: wiscnews.com

BY Ben Bromley

May 22,2014

Money left over from the last Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee may yet benefit Circus World Museum.

During his report Thursday to the nonprofit board that operates Circus World, Executive Director Scott O’Donnell said the Great Circus Parade Inc. has $55,000 left from the 2009 parade. The parade group may use that sum as seed money to offer matching grants to fund operational needs at Circus World.

“It could become sort of a yearly operation,” O’Donnell said. “It’s exciting.”

He also told the Circus World Museum Foundation board that organizers of this summer’s gala fundraiser have amassed about $150,000 toward their $190,000 goal for the event. That puts the gala ahead of last year’s pace.

“We should not take our foot off the pedal, to be sure,” O’Donnell said.

Cool weather limited attendance at the museum’s opening weekend, especially among Boy Scouts who were scheduled to camp out at the Sauk County Fairgrounds. Still, thanks to a $1 ticket price increase, revenue for the weekend was up. The museum netted about $11,550 for the opening weekend, up from about $9,700 the year before.

O’Donnell also reported on the Big Top Parade and Circus Celebration set for July. Entering its second year, the event has grown into a four-day festival, starting with a circus-themed installment of Concerts on the Square on July 24. Other festivities include a concert at the Al. Ringling Theatre by parade grand marshal Tom Wopat, the parade and circus festival, and a car show. “It really has expanded into a four-day celebration in town, with a goal of getting people here and keeping them here,” O’Donnell said. “We have a lot to trumpet.”

In other news, O’Donnell reported:

Candidates for the museum’s new development director position soon will be interviewed.

The long, bitter winter dried out the Gavioli band organ, which needs to be restored. “It’s one of our wonderful elements that makes a connection with our guests,” O’Donnell said.

Renovation of the museum’s steam calliope is 90 percent complete.

Circus World, Inc. has raised $16,000 toward restoration of the Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe float. “That allows us to start and get into it,” O’Donnell said.

Circus motorcycle crash evacuates Marietta

show

The circus finale ended abruptly when a motorcycle stalled in mid-air and crashed

FROM-11ALIVE.COM

Julie Wolfe, WXIA

May 22, 2014

MARIETTA, Ga-- The finale at the Shrine Circus in Marietta ended abruptly when a motorcycle malfunctioned and crashed.

Karen Webb was attending the Yaarb Shine Circus Wednesday night at Jim Miller park with her family. The show had entered the finale and included a stunt with two motorcycles jumping the center ring. "One of the two motorcycles crashed into the end of the landing ramp and fell to the ground," Webb said. "The ring master immediately requested assistance of a paramedic and told all in attendance this was not part of the show."

Richard Burke, Potentate of Yaarb Shrine, confirmed the crash with 11Alive's Julie Wolfe. Towards the end of the show, the two motorcycles took off on the ramp and were flying through the air towards the landing ramp when one of the motorcycles stalled. The performer hit the large, inflatable safety bags just up at the head of the ramp.

"It worked like it was supposed to work," Burke said, "And he did everything right, everything he was supposed to do."

Burke said there were paramedics on sight, and they responded within minutes. There was not an ambulance on site. One was called and transported the motorcyclist to the hospital. He was released after he was treated for two broken ribs.

The show runs through May 26th, and Burke said there will be no changes. There will be at least one motorcycle in the finale tonight. Originally, when the performer thought he only has bruised ribs, he was hoping to return before the show ended. Since he was diagnosed with broken bones, that won't happen.

Circus Flora readies its next move, 'The Pawn'

Dan Donovan

The Flying Wallendas, performing with Circus Flora in 2011. Handout photo

from- stltoday.com

By Calvin Wilson

May 22, 2014

Circus Flora will return to Grand Center next week with a chess-inspired show called “The Pawn.” The circus’ 28th season will feature some promising new acts along with some old favorites. But a familiar face will be missing under the Big Top: co-founder and longtime artistic director Ivor David Balding, who died May 9.

Balding had already passed the baton to Jack Marsh, 29, who was named his successor in 2012. The move was very much in keeping with the family spirit of the one-ring circus: Marsh’s mother is Cecil MacKinnon, its theater director. Audiences know her as the circus’ colorful narrator, Yo-Yo.

MacKinnon has been with the popular, nationally recognized circus since its beginnings.

“What kept me in Circus Flora was David’s vision, which was very much my vision — of what we wanted circus to be, and what we wanted to create,” she says.

Yo-Yo the clown, in Circus Flora's production of "A Trip to the Moon" in 2013. Handout photo

Like last year’s Circus Flora show, “A Trip to the Moon” (which was based on a 1902 silent film about astronomers and their lunar adventures), “The Pawn” is the kind of concept that lends itself to being explored circus-style, MacKinnon says.

The game of chess serves as a passageway to a story evoking the atmosphere of ancient India and Persia — with a pawn taking center stage. Circus Flora partnered with the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis in bringing the show to life.

Jeff Finazzo

Circus Flora's tent behind Powell Hall. Handout photo

“As opposed to the queen, the pawn is kind of out there and very vulnerable to the world, which makes for a dramatic situation,” MacKinnon says.

Also, Marsh says, chess is ideal for telling a story with a large cast.

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/circus-flora-readies-its-next-move-the-pawn/article_a8eda9bc-36db-57b5-b50f-4c51b79e7757.html

Clown, aerialist reveal life in Cole Brothers Circus

Big top show comes to Denville this weekend

Flying high

Aerialist Xan Kaplan, originally of Philadelphia, performs her show at Cole Brothers Circus, coming to Denville on Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24.

from: newjerseyhills.com

By ANTHONY LUSARDI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

May 22, 2014

DENVILLE - The shows of the Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars start off with roars from their white tigers.

And for 130 years, the tents have been popping all along the east coast from Maine to Florida, sometimes as far west as Louisiana, bringing performances to generations of American families since 1884.

No one knows this better than circus clown Julius Carallo, a.k.a. “Chips,” who travels with the Cole Bros. and also performs at birthdays, school shows, and corporate events.

Chips is just one of the dozens of attractions that the Cole Bros. Circus has to offer to Denville on Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24, at the St. Clare’s Festival Grounds, located on 22 Pocono Road.

The shows will begin at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 1:30, 4:30, and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Chips has been a clown for about 20 years. Before this, he had been a printing manager until he went to a local magic store in 1995 and put on make-up for the first time, thus finding a new calling.

Today at age 67, Chips lives on the road with Cole Bros.

“We are strong and courageous to do this type of work,” said Chips. “But we do it for the love and magnificence of this wonderful show.”

Chips explained that he and his fellow performers practice skits and plan new ones every day. They work for nine months of the year doing two or three shows a day, with no scheduled days-off, moving from place to place along with the circus all the while.

The performers are lucky if they get two to three hours of sleep, Chips said. “Sleeping becomes a job because you gotta maintain your strength.”

http://newjerseyhills.com/the_citizen/news/clown-aerialist-reveal-life-in-cole-brothers-circus/article_6b9496f4-e1c1-11e3-ac32-0019bb2963f4.html

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Circus Harmony Trapeze Center Swings Into Action At Union Station

Julia Campbell is airborne after leaping from the platform at the new Flying Trapeze Center at Union Station. "We hope everyone comes to fly and see how it feels," said Jessica Hentoff, artistic and executive director of Circus Harmony. photo by Diana Linsley

from: westendword.com

by Jaime Mowers

May 21, 2014

Imagine flying through the air and flipping from a 25-foot-high trapeze – defying gravity isn't just for circus performers anymore.

Circus Harmony, a nonprofit organization that teaches the art of life through circus, is making it possible for anyone to experience the thrill of flight at its new Flying Trapeze Center. The center – the only one of its kind in the area – is located just outside Union Station next to the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown St. Louis.

The center is bringing the joy of trapeze to anyone who is willing to take a flying leap off the platform – while tightly secured in a safety harness, of course.

"Remember when you were little, running around with a cape on your back and wishing you could fly?" said Jessica Hentoff, artistic and executive director of Circus Harmony. "Now you get to fulfill the dream of flying – you can defy gravity. We hope everyone comes to fly and to see how it feels."

Jaime Mowers of the West End Word experiences first-hand the thrill of the flying trapeze. photo by Diana Linsley

Webster University student Toni Campbell loves the flying trapeze.

"It's exhilarating," she said while taping her hands before her fourth class at the center. "It's terrifying at first, but it's a really fun experience. It's also a great workout at the same time."

Fly for fun. Fly for fitness. Fly to

Webster University student Toni Campbell loves the flying trapeze.

"It's exhilarating," she said while taping her hands before her fourth class at the center. "It's terrifying at first, but it's a really fun experience. It's also a great workout at the same time."

Fly for fun. Fly for fitness. Fly to overcome fears and find inner strength.

Read more: http://www.westendword.com/Articles-Features-c-2014-05-20-192376.114137-Circus-Harmony-Trapeze-Center-Swings-Into-Action-At-Union-Station.html#123#ixzz32MzrEf5I

A circus travels on its stomach

Pie car manager Matt Loory crisscrosses the country by train, serving meals to the performers and crew with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. "We are one big family out here," he says. (Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey photo)

From- yorkdispatch.com

By MEL BARBER

May 20, 2014

A circus train is a microcosm of the world, and the pie car manager is at the center of the action.

Matt Loory, 23, is the youngest pie car manager, aka top chef, in the history of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, which is running its "Legends" show at the Giant Center through Monday.

While working at a breakfast chain restaurant and getting his degree Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando in 2012, he ran smack into the opportunity of a lifetime.

"I got to see the circus train; I got to see the pie car," he says of the interview process. The choice? "Stay in Orlando and go into management or fulfill every little boy's dream and join the circus."

With his family's blessing, he stepped into the center ring and hasn't looked back.

"I had grown up every year going to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus," the Georgia native says. Working with the circus, he adds, will be "a great story to tell my grandkids."

The kitchen: The pie car where Loory and his staff produce most of the 1,000 to 1,500 meals they serve each week is a 110-foot train car with 45 feet of that dedicated cooking and prep space.

"It's the social hub of the train," he says. "No matter where you are on the train, if you want to go somewhere, you have to pass through."

The main kitchen is filled with heavy-duty, marine-grade equipment to handle the load and fit the space. The floor is slatted to allow for easy cleanup, and where a stationary restaurant would boast enormous walk-in fridges and freezers, the pie car relies on reach-in models.

"Putting away a truck with 1,500 pounds of food can be challenging," Loory says, laughing. "We've become 'Tetris' masters."

On some days, the circus offers two or even three shows, and performers might be ducking in for a bite with 10 minutes to spare. The pie car crew runs at top speed to get everyone fed.

"We have to have something that's nourishing and that they can eat quickly," Loory says. "It's absolutely pandemonium between that first and second show."

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Natalie Cainan Chandler

Culpepper & Merriweather Circus

(2014)

2014

MORRESTOWN NEW JERSEY

SHRINE CIRCUS

Produced by Royal Hanneford Circus

The Human Cannonball, David Smith, 67, prepares for liftoff. It's a tough way to make a living, but the guy has 11 kids. Photo By George!

The 'Human Cannonball,' David Smith, blasts from a cannon. Photo by Hal Crosthwaite.

The sign adorns back of cannon that blasts 'Human Cannonball' David Smith through the air. If we were the cannonball, we would add an exclamation mark. Photo By George!

Sunday Favorites: When the Circus Came to Town

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was a huge event. This is a poster from the original circus.

from: thebradentontimes.com

by Merab-Michal Favorite

May 18, 2014

Today, we’re surrounded by entertainment options; we have the ability to travel at will and the world, in general, is much smaller than it used to be.

But 130 years ago the arrival of the Ringling Brothers circus was not only cause for celebration, but also for the chance to stand in awe and the pure spectacle of it all.

Towns literally shut down when the circus would arrive because it was an opportunity to see wild creatures like elephants and tigers, crazy acrobatic stunts, feats of strength and clownish buffoonery.

The circus production was so large and so extreme it was almost like a small town in and of itself, with thousands of moving pieces being carted around the nation from coast to coast.

When the circus was in town, it was bigger than the Super Bowl.

Circuses often arrived by train. In addition to the performing horses, some 400 other horses were used to transport goods.

A trip to the miniature circus at the Ringling Museum of Art really puts into perspective the lengths to which the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus went in order to put on a good show.

Even in miniature form, this behind-the-scenes look at the hundreds of performers, caretakers and general laborers needed to pull off the circus is impressive.

There were food preparation tents, dressing tents, and tents for sleeping. There were tents used for mess halls and tents used for nothing except food preparation for the hundreds of animals that needed sustenance.

Cars lined up to park, then families entered the midway where concessionaires hawked their goods by saying “step right up” outside one of many small tents. Toys were sold as souvenirs, food trucks sold circus treats, and circus-goers bathed in the general sense of celebration and awe that accompanied every show.

One of the most interesting tents was the sideshow, which was filled with oddities that delighted both children and adults. The sideshow, sometimes called "The Kids' Show," required an additional charge, unlike the rest of the circus experience, but rewarded those brave and curious souls that dared to venture inside the tent with a look at the truly strange and wonderful things the circus had to offer.