Questions precede circus this week
By STANLEY DUNLAPsdunlap@jacksonsun.com• April 26, 2010
A father-son team whose circus is set to visit Jackson next week has a long history of being accused of scamming circus-goers and arenas across the country.
The Piccadilly Circus - described by promoters as affordable family fun - is scheduled to take place Wednesday the Oman Arena. Over the years, the circus' producer Niles Garden and his father, Richard Garden, have been sued about 40 times in two Florida counties over various business ventures.
In 2004, a Toby Tyler Circus event operated by Richard Gardner at Oman Arena caused some West Tennessee attendees to complain about what they believed were misleading promotions. At the time, some of the people who went to the circus told The Jackson Sun that the cost to get in was higher at the door than was promoted on fliers and that common circus animals such as giraffes and elephants were no-shows.
In 1986, The Sun reported that the Toby Tyler Circus canceled a performance in Jackson, leaving $3,500 in debts and a number of paid tickets.Oman Arena manager Mose Burton said last week that arena officials have taken precautions to ensure the Piccadilly Circus would go on without a hitch.
Burton said he was aware of the allegations made against the promoters but declined to comment about them. He was not manager of Oman Arena when the circus, previously known as the Toby Tyler Circus, performed there in 2004."The promoter has to pay us before the event starts, and we have to have a certified check before the event," Burton said.The arena doesn't have any control over ticket prices because the promoter sets them, Burton said.
For this next week's Piccadilly Circus, fliers placed at various Jackson area businesses offer free admission for children.
Messages left for Niles Garden by The Jackson Sun were not returned.In December, Niles Garden was arrested in Sarasota County, Fla., after he was accused of scheming to defraud more than $50,000 from participants in unrelated shows, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Rory Martin, president of the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair Association, said he won't let the Gardens back on the county's property."They were supposed to have paid up front, but they did not," Martin said. "I was about to cancel their event, but they brought in partial payments, which turned out to be bad checks.
"Martin said the Gardens were holding a home show last February, but because of low attendance, they pulled out."They owe us more than $5,000," he said.
Niles Garden also is being sued for about $150,000 in unpaid bills by the U.S. Postal Service for a canceled trade show promoted by a company in which he is the president and his father is vice president, the Herald-Tribune reported.
In March, Richard Garden was arrested in Florida on two charges of fraud for insufficient funds for checks.
Jackson Sun reporter Tajuana Cheshier contributed to this story.- Stanley Dunlap, 425-9668
From the Jackson, MS Sun
Hey Dick cheated me out of 800 dollars in 1987, but i did enjoy traveling with the circus as a young man. Too bad he takes advantage of so many people along the way. He is not a man of his word. Nobody is all bad though. He has brought a lot of entertainment to people through the years. I learned to get everything in writing after my last dealings with the show. Good schooling. Len the former tuba player.
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