By Michele Steinbacher msteinbacher@pantagraph.com July 22, 2010 NORMAL — The Circus Historical Society choosing Bloomington for its annual convention this week doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows circus.
The city was a training ground for trapeze acts in the heyday of circus, and Normal is home to ISU’s Gamma Phi Circus, the nation’s oldest collegiate circus.
“It’s a unique segment of Bloomington’s local history, and it’s a part of popular culture often ignored,” said Steve Gossard, curator of circus collections at Illinois State University’s Milner Library, and a member of the society’s board of directors.
He said nearly 100 people are expected for the convention that opened Wednesday and continues through Saturday.
Places like Baraboo, Wis., Peru, Ind., and Sarasota, Fla., are standouts to circus fans. As is Central Illinois. “This is a pretty big city on the circus map. Bloomington is kind of unique. It’s not that a lot of circuses came out of here, but a lot of performers sure did,” said Fred Pfening, editor of the society’s journal, Bandwagon Magazine.
“The two biggest names that come to mind are Eddie Ward and Arthur Concello. They were the grandfather and the father of most flying trapeze acts in the United States up to the mid ’50s. Everyone was a protégé, and they trained here in the winters,” he said.Beginning in the 1870s and for more than a hundred years, this area produced hundreds of circus performers. By the turn of the century, two of the most famous trapeze troupes — The Flying LeVans and the Flying Fishers — hailed from Bloomington.
In the years that followed, Ward’s training barn became legendary, producing many spin-off acts from his Ward Flyers.
Pfening, a historian from Columbus, Ohio, grew up in the world of the big top — his father owned a circus. He said attending the annual convention is a time to see old, but not ordinary, friends.
“There’s one guy whose specialty is elephants. And another who is researching the ‘specs,’” said Pfening. Specs, or spectaculars, were huge production numbers popular in the circuses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
This convention’s focus on flying trapeze will come to life with the appearance of some of the most famous flyers, many recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for their feats, said Gossard.
They include Miguel and Juan Vazquez, owners of the quadruple somersault; Tony Steele, the first to complete 3 ½ back somersaults to a leg’s catch, who has also performed at the Gamma Phi Circus; Terry Cavaretta, one of the world’s most famous female flyers; and Richie Ganoa, a movie stuntman whose family is among modern innovators of the sport.
Also on hand this week will be filmmaker Philip Weyland. He and his crew are collecting interview footage for the documentary “The Last Great Flyer,” a film about the Vazquez brothers.
Big Top studies
The Circus Historical Society celebrates the art of the flying trapeze this week in Bloomington during its annual convention. Here are some details:Big Top studies
The Circus Historical Society celebrates the art of the flying trapeze this week in Bloomington during its annual convention. Here are some details:
-- “A Passion for Circus,” Illinois State University’s Milner Library opens its Circus and Allied Arts Collection with a public event 2-5 p.m. today. For information, call 309-438-3527.*
-- Flying trapeze workshop: Some of the world’s most famous living trapeze legends lead a Saturday workshop for convention attendees, at ISU’s Gregory Street fields.
-- Panels will focus on everything from the history of animal welfare in circuses to the extreme athleticism of circus performers. A few offer a local twist:
-- Walter and Dorita Estes share tales of circus life. Dorita Estes and her sister, Ronna Sutton, grew up in Bloomington, training here. Their parents were China and Dorthy Durbin, one of Arthur Concello’s flying acts of the Ringling Bros. Circus in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
-- Cherie Valentine talks about the Valentine Trapeze Acts of Bloomington. George Washington Valentine and Lillian Richards raised four sons here who became flying trapeze performers: Cherie Valentine’s father, George Dewey Valentine, led the famous Flying Valentinos.
-- To learn more about the society visit www.circushistory.org
* Most events are only for those who have registered for the convention. However, the Milner event is free and open to the public.
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