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!


CIRCUS NOW OPEN!

2014 Convention

SAVE THE DATES

SAVE THE DATES



Saturday, February 14, 2009

BARNES & DAILEY CIRCUS 1974 #1 (Hartland Smith)





Barnes & Dailey Circus was owned by Melvin & BK Silverlake.
It toured, I beleive, for 4 years, mostly in the Mid-West.
If you have anymore info on this show and would like to
share it please let Me know.
The photos were used with permission of Mr Hartland Smith from his
website, GREAT AMERICAN CIRCUSES, which I have a link for on
the sidebar under links.
Thank You Hart!

BARNS & DAILEY CIRCUS #2 (Hartland Smith)







BARNES & DAILEY CIRCUS #3 (Heartland Snith)




Friday, February 13, 2009

SHARK ENCOUNTER

NEW SIDEBAR FEATURE

Hi! Dick here.
Some of you may have noticed my new side bar item.
It's just below the about me item.
But first I want to thank all of you for visiting my blog quite often.
As you may have noticed we've just past the 18,000 hits mark.
I think this is just great!
What with all the other circus blogs that are around.
To get back to the FOLLOWERS section--
It would be nice to know who's visiting the blog.
It's not hard to do and won't take but a couple of minutes to sign in.
It would make Me feel GREAT if you would do it!
I promise you there won't be any spam or junk mail to come from it.
The only pay I receive,besides the penny for every hit on the advertisements,
is the fact that you are interested enough to keep comming back.
Thanks!

TAMPA FAIR REPORT

TENTED SEASON HAS OFFICIALY BEGUN!

Well the 2009 tented season officially opened last night in
Brownsville, Texas!
According to Ryan, one of the new Joeys over there, they showed to
two full houses.
I hope this is a good sign for the season to come!
Don't forget the link for Ryan's Blog on the sidebar.

BAILEY BROS CIRCUS 1947 #1 (From Fred Hoffman)

I thought I'd just leave the photographer's captions on to describe each picture.






DONT FORGET TO CLICK ON EACH PICTURE TO ENLARGE!




BAILEY BROS CIRCUS 1947 #2 (From Fred Hoffman)







BAILEY BROS. CIRCUS 1947 #3 (From Fred Hoffman)







Thursday, February 12, 2009

FLORIDA STATE FAIR WEB CAM (6:15 TONIGHT)



HOXIE BROS CIRCUS HOME MOVIE FROM YOU TUBE--AROUND 1976

A LETTER TO THE EDITOR FROM GORDON TAYLOR

Monday, February 9, 2009 5:15 AM EST

It is a well-recognized, worn-out fact that the letter to the editor "All circus animals are prisoners of profit, cruelty," (Nov. 14, 2008) written by J. Correro, came right out of the animal rights handbook for media use.The comments pertaining to the abuse of the bullhook have always been very easy to imply due to its awesome look, and have been misunderstood by many. The "ankus" has been used for ages by mahouts and is still the best instrument to guide and steer an elephant.Elephants that know people will understand and respond to some 30 vocal commands that are cued extensions to the animals’ natural behavior. Trust between the trainer and his animals is very important. To inflict injury to a valuable animal would not only be foolish, but dangerous and unproductive.Circus animals are governed by the USDA and are subjected to unannounced inspections by both welfare and safety authorities. With the laws and regulations regarding the care of animals, methods such as these mentioned could never be employed.
Many distorted allegations of animal abuse and deaths have been made by the activists’ groups. It is an unfortunate situation that the same attention is hardly ever devoted to the end results of the final inspections. They are dismissed due to the lack of standings. One looming scenario has been postponed nine times by the activists in the last five years, for lack of evidence.The circus has made the greatest strides in working with and understanding these animals and is one of the only places left capable and willing to support this role.The Ringling Bros.-Barnum & Bailey multi-million-dollar complex, which is devoted to scientific study for the breeding and retirement needs of elephants, has experienced more than 20 births within the last 12 years.Currently, the bulk of performing elephants are some 30 years of age. The oldest, which has lived well into its 70s, has been retired. Elephants have the same life spans and reasons for dying as humans.Out of the more than 30 million people who attended circuses last year, 75 to 80 percent came to see and enjoy the animals. The No. 1 attraction was the elephants. You can be assured that the public will be a very good judge to identify cruelty if it exists. The circus has nothing to hide.
Gordon Turner, Albany

RINGLING RINGMASTER (From the Greensboro Dailey Newspaper)


After a modest start, magician now Ringling Bros. Ringmaster



GREENSBORO - When it comes to ringmasters, Alex Ramon is not what you'd expect.
He's not linebacker big, with hands as wide as platters and a voice uncannily deep.
Nope. That's not Alex. He'd get lost in a crowd.
He's 137 pounds and stands 5-feet-8. And he doesn't sing. He does magic. Matter of fact, he does magic well enough to make a 4-ton elephant disappear.
And he's only 23.
"I knew card tricks,'' Alex said a few hours before his Wednesday night performance at the Greensboro Coliseum. "And here I am.''
Well, kinda.
A decade ago, Alex Ramon was known as Alex Ramon Gonzalez, a second-generation Mexican American, the youngest of three from a city bordering the San Francisco Bay.
And Alex had never seen a magic show.
One day, a guy named Paul Brown, one of his dad's friends, showed Alex a few card tricks. The one trick that hooked him was when Brown crumpled a napkin into a ball and placed it into Alex's hand.
"Wiggle your fingers over it,'' Brown told him.
Alex did. The napkin floated right out of his hand.
"I thought I was dreaming,'' Alex said. "I thought I saw something impossible.''
For Christmas that year, Alex's dad bought him a 370-page book on magic. For the next 18 months, Alex stayed in his bedroom, reading his book and perfecting his sleight of hand on coins and decks of cards.
He practiced so much the backs of the cards turned his fingertips blue. But he was shy. He never showed anyone, other than a few magic tricks for his mom or dad.
Then, the question came.
"Why don't you perform for your dad's 50th birthday party?'' his mom asked.
So he did. He changed the color of scarves and made candles disappear and reappear. And he was horrible. Still, that was his start, in a community center in his hometown.
He began performing magic shows for his family's friends. His rate: $20 an hour. Big money for a teenager.
Later came magic shows at restaurants, libraries, conferences and variety shows. At 18, he won a national championship in magic in Las Vegas. Then, Alex got a call from Disney about joining a tour of young magicians.
He dropped out of community college and spent nearly three years traveling the world.
Then, in late 2007, the same producers of the Disney show approached him about their "Big Show,'' the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. They wanted him to be their star, their ringmaster.
"Man, you've been handed the keys to the largest circus in the world,'' one of his friends told him.
Yes, he has. Alex is just into, maybe, his sixth city on a two-year tour. After Wednesday night, he'll perform eight more times this week in Greensboro before heading to another city, another crowd.
He sprinkles in bits of magic as he carries out
13 illusions, wears three different outfits, downs
four half-liter bottles of
water and changes his sweat-drenched shirt four times during a two-hour show.
And all after yelling that famous phrase, "Laaaadies and gentlemen ...''
All because he knew a few card tricks?Well, not quite.
From the Greensboro News Record, February 9, 2009

FROM DAVID P. ORR--

OABA CIRCUS UNIT MEETING
- Feb. 13th - East Tampa Crowne Plaza - 10:00 AM - 12 NOON. SPECIAL ALL DAY "SPANGLES, Elephants, Violets and Me" book signing by Victoria Cristiani Rossi, author of the this great circus book about real circus people and animals. Victoria will be donating all proceeds to the OABA CIRCUS UNIT FUND. An OABA CAMEL PIN will be given out with each purchase of SPANGLES...Come early and get a signed book.


CARSON & BARNES 1994 ROUTE BOOK THE FINAL PAGES

DON'T FORGET--CLICK ON EACH PAGE TO ENLARGE!






CARSON & BARNES 1994 ROUTE BOOK THE FINAL PAGES







CARSON & BARNES 1994 ROUTE BOOK THE FINAL PAGES


INSIDE BACK COVER

BACK COVER


Siegfried & Roy: 'The Magic Returns'

(February 6th)
Today, ABC News announced "Siegfried & Roy: The Magic Returns," a special edition of "20/20" airing March 6 and anchored by Elizabeth Vargas Siegfried Fischbacher, left, and Roy Horn, pose with a white tiger in this undated image provided by the Mirage Resort in Las Vegas. In the upcoming ABC News special, "Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Returns," the illusionists will reunite for one night and one cause. They last performed on Oct. 3, 2003, when a tiger carried Roy Horn offstage by his neck. Doctors thought he would never walk again, much less perform onstage.

Siegfried Fischbacher, left, and Roy Horn, of the illusionist team of Siegfried & Roy, play with a six-week-old white-striped tiger cub at their Las Vegas home, Thursday, June 12, 2008. The pair are welcoming five new tiger cubs to their exotic habitat on the Las Vegas Strip. Fischbacher said Thursday that working with the tigers is the perfect rehabilitation for Horn, who was critically injured when he was mauled by a 380-pound white Bengal tiger onstage in 2003. (AP Photo/Louie Traub) (AP)



Thanks Mike Naughton!









Wednesday, February 11, 2009




AL G KELLY & MILLER BROS CIRCUS 1951 (FRED HOFFMAN)

These pictures are from the Fred Hoffman collection
The captions below some of the pictures were written on the back of each.
The date was August 1st, 1951 and the town was Wellington and Norwalk Ohio. Notice the hay stack!
" Gorilla Pit Show and one of the two ticket wagons"


AL G. KELLY & MILLER BROS CIRCUS 1951 (fRED hOFFMAN)

"Wardrobe Wagon. Girls dressed on the sides, clowns in the center and
have their bunks in this wagon also."
"Norwalk, Ohio"

" 9 AM--All Wild Animals are fed and are a free attraction."
This is a Lions Den.


"Wardrobe Truck"




AL G KELLY & MILLER BROS CIRCUS 1951 (FRED HOFFMAN)

" Spool Wagon. Rolls up canvas.
Big Top only laced in center"
"8 Camels carried on show this season!"

And last, of course the Donnikers!
"Men on one end and women on other.
For show people only in backyard."




Tuesday, February 10, 2009


TO VISIT OUR PAST POSTS--SCROLL DOWN THE SIDE BAR. ALSO LINKS ARE FURTHER DOWN