QUOTE OF THE DAY--

"One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain." - Thomas Sowell, Ph.D.

FROM CIRCUS VERN--

Circus World Museum closes for winter

By Meg Jones of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Dec. 17, 2009
Because of a money crunch and low visitor turnout, Circus World Museum in Baraboo has closed for the winter.
The museum board decided earlier this week to close the facility located at the site of the Ringling Brothers winter quarters and lay off four employees.
Circus World Museum will reopen as scheduled May 22.
Executive Director Steve Freese said the museum averages only 1,700 visitors between Jan. 1 and May 21 and about half get in for free because of promotions. And between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, only about 2,000 visitors come to Circus World Museum. Attendance this year was 62,000. Because much of the museum is outdoors, few people showed up last week and this week because of cold weather.
"We have challenges just like all nonprofits," Freese said Thursday afternoon. "Our funding has been impacted by our donors because of what has happened to the stock portfolios."
Freese pointed out that the museum, which celebrated its 50th year this season, closed during the winter between 1959 and 1991. Circus World Museum is owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society and most of the other properties owned by the society close down during the winter.

Advertising of the Dream Circus is seen in the rubbish in the city of Yakutsk, about 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) east of Moscow, Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009.

Eight tigers and a lioness belonging to a Russian traveling circus died during a 20-hour truck journey across Siberia, police said Tuesday. The animals were dead when they arrived early Tuesday in the city of Yakutsk, police spokesman Nikolai Sizykh said.

No cause has been determined, but among the possibilities under investigation are poisoning from exhaust fumes or food poisoning, he said.

(AP Photo/Yakutsk Vecherny, Alexander Li)

AL PRIDDY (1926)

Don't forget!

Click on images to enlarge

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM DICK

WALL OF DEATH WITH CHIPPERFIELD'S (YEAR UNKNOWN)

CELTIC WOMEN "THE CHRISTMAS SONG"

FROM DICK AND THE BALLOON MAN BLOG!

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM HAL GUYON

To all our circus and carnival friends, I want to wish all of you and your`s a " Very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year" !

Hal & Kathy Guyon

VALLACITA'S LEOPARDS 1906

DOWNIE BROS. CIRCUS (YEAR ?)

AMUSEMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE (BILLBOARD) 02.11.1984

Don't forget: Click on images to enlarge and read!

DAVID LARIBLE (FROM GIOVANNI LAGORIO)

MEXICAN WEDDING WITH PEDDLERS! (FROM BOB COX)

Merry Christmas to All... I went to a Mexican Wedding yesterday and thought you might be interested in these photos...In Mexico everything goes when the whistle blows...there was a castle moon bounce, a novelty stand and a cotton candy vendor at the reception. This could be a whole new field for show biz.

MORE FROM THE AMUSMENT BUSINESS (BILLBOARD) 02.14.1984

SARASOTA'S SAILOR CIRCUS

2009 Holiday Spectacular

December 27 at 2:00pm
December 27, 28, 29, 30 @ 7:00pm
Celebrate the holidays with wholesome family entertainment! Appealing to audiences from age 2 to 92, this Holiday Spectacular performance should be on the top of your list of "Must See Events"

Advanced ticket sales are recommended as there are ONLY four showings of the Greatest "Little" Show on Earth!

CANDY CANE LIST (FROM CASEY GIBBS)

RINGLING "PROGRAM" #1, 1910

Actually this is what we call today a routebook.

It contains information about the season's tour, personnel, route played

and other pertiant information about the season.
It contains over 100 pages!

Of course I won't even try to post all of them.

I found this information on the University of Southern Mississippi Historical Website.

Don't forget---Click on each image to enlarge!

RINGLING "PROGRAM" #2