DERRICK ROSAIRE, JR.

Prominent Suncoast animal trainer has died

Updated: April 9, 2010 09:15 PM EDT
SARASOTA COUNTY - The most well known family of animal trainers on the Suncoast has suffered a tremendous loss. 55-year-old Derrick Rosaire, Jr. died Thursday night from stage four melanoma cancer.
He was best known for handling the bears at Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota County.
Although Friday's show was canceled, Saturday's show will go on.
In lieu of flowers, Kay Rosaire asks that the community donate money to the sanctuary in honor of her only brother, to take care of the very animals that will miss him.
Derrick Rosaire, Jr. had two sons

WATCH THIS CAT! (ABC TV-6)

CIRCUS MODEL BUILDERS SARASOTA CONVENTION (FROM SCOTT BUNDY)

CIRCUS MODEL BUILDERS SARASOTA CONVENTION (FROM SCOTT BUNDY)

AL G KELLY & MILLER BROS CIRCUS 1964 PART 2 (FROM RICHARD REYNOLDS)

LATEST DETAILS FROM WILKES BARRE (WNEP TV)

Deadly Circus Accident
8:27 PM EDT, April 9, 2010
An apparent freak accident Friday afternoon led to the death of a worker who handles circus elephants.
It happened at the Irem Shrine Circus, which is performing this week at the 109th Armory in Wilkes-Barre.
Despite the tragedy, the circus performers decided to go on with the evening performance.
It was an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the 109th Armory in Wilkes-Barre, eager to watch an evening performance of the Irem Shrine Circus.
It was a sharp contrast to the tragedy that occurred just hours before.
Wilkes-Barre Police say a handler was killed after being kicked by an elephant in between the morning and evening shows.
Police believe the elephant was startled by something when it kicked out and according to circus organizers the elephant seemed fine shortly after the incident.
"When the first person got there the animal was perfectly calm, obeyed all commands, did everything it was told to do, it was walking loose, as it always has the entire week," said John Richards, with the Irem Shrine.
The Irem Shrine says the elephant involved in the accident is female African elephant named Dumbo and is the only elephant in the act.
Richards says the victim was in charge of taking care of the elephant.
"The victim of this accident was paid to handle this animal, that's his job to groom this animal," said Richards.
Wilkes-Barre Police say they have ruled the death as non-criminal and turned their investigation over to federal safety officials since this a work-related incident.
The Humane Society was also contacted for a safety inspection of where the animals are kept.
As for the decision not to cancel the evening performance, the Shriners say that call was made by the performers themselves.
"As true performers they said the show has to go on. They'll have a time to grieve and they will have their time," said Richards. "So they are putting the show on, with heavy hearts, but their putting the show on."
The Irem Shrine tells us the Humane Society was at the Armory on Thursday for inspection, which they passed.
The name of the victim has yet to be released, pending the autopsy to be held Saturday morning.

UPDATE ON WILKES BARRE TRAGEDY

Posted: 6:22 PMUpdated: 7:42 PM
UPDATE: Report: Circus trainer killed
UPDATE: 7:37 p.m.
Wilkes-Barre police Lt. Steve Olshefski confirmed that an animal groomerat the Irem Shrime Circus at the 109th Field Armory was killed by the show's elephant, Dumbo, Friday evening sometime before the 7:15performance. He was unable to provide neither the groomer's name nor details of what happened.
Olshefski said the investigation has been turned over to the the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which had investigators on the scene.
Dumbo, an African elephant, is the only elephant in the show's entourage. The 7:15 p.m. performance went on as planned, but Dumbo did not participate, a circus spokesman said.
Luzerne County Coroner John Corcoran was also investigating the death. He was unavailable for comment.

BREAKING NEWS FROM WILKES BARRE PA--

 

AL G KELLY & MILLER BROS CIRCUS 1964 PART 1 (FROM RICHARD REYNOLDS)

Hi Dick, I am sending you some photo's of the 1964 Al G. Kelly Miller Bros. Circus setting up in Claremont, NH.

This is the first part of three over the next few days. Hope you enjoy seeing them.

RJ Reynolds

IREM SHRINE CIRCUS WILKES BARRE, PA (THIS WEEK)

ALTOONA SHRINE CIRCUS 2010

CLAY COUNTY FAIR--GREEN COVE SPRINGS, FL

IT'S OFFICAL--RINGLING GOLD RETURNING TO CONEY ISLAND (FROM MIKE NAUGHTON)

New York City, April 7, 2010

New York City Economic Development Corporation Announces Return of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey® To Coney Island for Summer 2010 Season
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents The Coney Island Illuscination! opens June 17 and runs through September 6, 2010
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will return to Coney Island for the summer 2010 season with a special edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents The Coney Island Illuscination! NYCEDC, Ringling Bros.®, and Luna Park, in collaboration with community-based organizations and local officials, have also begun workforce outreach for full and part-time seasonal positions in Coney Island this summer.

Working with Feld Entertainment, producers of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, and Taconic Investment Partners, we helped to secure the same location at Surf Avenue and West 21st Street where Ringling Bros.® raised its tent last year. The Circus will run Wednesdays through Sundays from June 17 to September 6. Tickets starting at $10 will go on sale Thursday, April 29th. In addition, thousands of free tickets will be distributed to community members and local youth who may otherwise not have the opportunity to attend.
“Ringling Bros.® employed more than 300 New Yorkers for their inaugural show in Coney Island last summer, nearly 90 percent of whom come from Coney Island – a great boost for this neighborhood faced with high unemployment rates,” said NYCEDC President Seth W. Pinsky. “This summer, in addition to their pledge to continue local hiring, the return of Ringling Bros.® will contribute to the economic revitalization underway in the neighborhood alongside Luna Park at Coney Island.”
“Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® is honored by the City of New York’s heartfelt, continued embrace to include America’s Living National Treasure® as a member of the Coney Island summer community,” said Stephen C. Yaros, Vice President Northeast Region of Feld Entertainment. “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s® 2009 inaugural summer welcomed more than 160,000 people that chose to attend The Greatest Show On Earth as a Coney Island family entertainment destination. This year with a whole new edition, the amazing and fearless performers of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents The Coney Island Illuscination! are looking forward to bringing more smiles and laughter to New York City families all summer long.”
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents The Coney Island Illuscination! is an all-new production showcasing daredevils, animal acts, and, of course, Ringling Bros.’® famous clowns. Acts include Illuscinator David DaVinci who performs illusions, transformations, and magic; Viktoriya and Widny, the Hairdaring Duo, who suspend themselves 35 feet up in the air using their hair; Francleib Rodrigues, the Sky-High Sensation, who walks upside down across the ring without a safety harness; the KungFu Kings, who combine mixed martial arts with strength feats; tightrope jumpers known as the Barons of Balance; and The Salsations, who combine aerial gymnastics with traditional dance moves. Animal acts include the Patriarch of the Pride, Brian McMillan, who will present golden lionesses and one rare white lion, and mother-daughter duo Heidi and Cassidy, known as the Devine Equine, who will introduce horses and miniature ponies that transform into The Living Carousel. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents The Coney Island Illuscination! will open 90-minutes prior to Showtime for the Animal Open House followed by the All Access Pre-show, both of which are free to all ticket holders. Additional information is available at www.ringling.com/coneyisland.

CHANGES FOR PAL CIRCUS, SARASOTA

TAKE A BREAK!

.....Little Big Top: Douglas man and father created one-quarter-inch scale model of circus

Dennis R.J. Geppert/The Holland Sentinel,

Bob and Kay Sapita stand in front of their 1/48th scale replica of a working circus built by Bob Sapita's father.

The Holland Sentinel Posted Jul 04, 2009 @ 10:00 PM

Douglas, MI — Outside the big top of the Al G. Barnes Circus, the band wagon, pulled by eight horses, slowly slides by.Under the canvas, the Girl Scouts stare, transfixed by the lion walking the tightrope.Trapeze artists swing to the top of the tent. There is no fear because the safety net is taut.Bob Sapita knows — the Douglas man tied the tiny ropes himself. And his dad built the big top scene from the ground up.Now hundreds of people will get to see the miniature circus world at the Circus Model Builders International convention in Peru, Ind., at the end of the month.“This is American history,” said Kay Sapita, Bob’s wife. “This is recreated from pictures, photos, newspaper articles. It’s all based on fact.”Bob had the one-quarter-inch scale model of a 1930s circus spread out on its 10-foot-by-20-foot platform in his garage last week, checking out a million details, from the chain driving the parade to the motors twirling the acrobats.The miniature world started with that love of detail.Bob’s father, John, began building model circus wagons in the 1940s. The elder Sapita, who retired from Bethlehem Steel in Pennsylvania as an engineer, was not a circus performer but grew up near circus grounds. He applied his eye for mechanical detail to building scale models of circus wagons. John was inducted into the Circus Model Builder’s Hall of Fame in recognition of his skill as a model builder.

“Dad was building with these kits, but the kits were just a little off scale,” Kay said about her father-in-law’s early hobby. So, he scrapped the kits and started building from scratch.The to-scale red wagons in the display are alive with details such as metal racks on the side of the vehicle that held table tops and individually painted spokes in the wheels.His favorite circus wagons came from the Barnes show.“The Al G. Barnes were very rugged wagons. He liked that,” said Bob, a retired electrical engineer.Before his death in 2002, John had built more than 500 wagons representing several circuses, carnivals and wild west shows.John’s attention to accuracy permeates the large display. His son, a circus fan but, he laughs, not a fanatic, points to hidden craftsmanship with a flair of a P.T. Barnum.“This is how the roustabouts lived in a flea-infested bed,” Bob said as he lifted the roof off a circus rail car.

He pointed to the miniature map on the rail car wall and the slot machine tucked away in a corner of the car.Farther down, posters entice townies to visit the bearded lady and watch the sword swallower — and, yes, the sword moves.“It takes a lot of time to set up,” Bob added.The display is already back in storage for the trip to Indiana.The Sapitas are hoping to display the circus locally in the future.They have lived in Douglas for three years. Kay is a retired church organist/music director.

Copyright 2009 The Holland Sentinel.

ZIPPOS CIRCUS

From Laura's London Travel Blog

Zippos Circus
2010Tuesday April 6, 2010
I'll say it loud, I'll say it proud: I love the circus! And to be more specific I love Zippos Circus. I had a brilliant afternoon yesterday seeing the latest show from Zippos Circus: Encore! which will tour the UK till November 2010.
Their famous ringmaster, Norman Barrett MBE (got his Queen's honor this year) is such a professional it just takes me back to childhood trips to the circus (and he has been doing this for 60 years so it probably was him I saw then!) I also love his performing budgies and everyone around me was laughing at how excited I was waiting for his act.
So yes, Zippos Circus includes animals but we're talking beautifully groomed horses and Norman's birds, not zoo animals. The show does have other traditional circus elements including clowns, juggling, trapeze skills and high wire walking. The girls in the show seem even stronger this year and the new Chinese male balancing act, Ying and Yang, are incredible. The award for most jaw-dropping daredevils goes to The Marinhos with their Wheel of Death act. This father and son team are outstanding and have to be seen to be believed.
Tickets are priced from only £6 and are always cheaper to book online. I had ringside seats as I was with preschool children and we could feel the whoosh as the horses sped past! The show lasts over 2 hours (with an interval) and is better value than children's theatre, and the adults will enjoy themselves more too. Laura's London Travel Blog

DALLAS SHRINE CIRCUS

Nina Carden, an aerialist with the Dallas Hella Shriners' 42nd annual circus, practices with her partner, Florin Moraru, on Wednesday in preparation for this week's shows.

Shriners' circus heads to Fair Park

Thursday, April 1, 2010

By EUNAKA KIRBY / The Dallas Morning News ekirby@dallasnews.com
Dallas Hella Shriners' 42nd annual circus, known as an interactive circus, will offer elephant or pony rides, face painting and the opportunity to meet performers, all on the circus floor.
Nina Carden, an aerialist with the Dallas Hella Shriners' 42nd annual circus, practices with her partner, Florin Moraru, on Wednesday in preparation for this week's shows. Shows are this week at the Fair Park Coliseum. The group performed last week in Frisco and drew just under 20,000 people.
The three-ring circus is the major fundraiser for the Garland-based Hella Shriners.
"It allows us to conduct our community service," said Jerry Garey, chief rabban of the Hella Shriners and circus chairman this year.
The Shriners in Dallas are best-known for their community service, involvement in local parades and support of the Shriners Hospital for children.
Each year, they give several thousand underprivileged children tickets to the show.
"We want to put a face on the Shriners of Dallas," Garey said.
Audrey Michelle Alvarado of El Paso is one of only a handful of female ring mistresses in the circus world.
Alvarado was raised in the circus. Her father was an acrobat and hand balancer. Alvarado laughed while speaking of her mother. "She kind of ran away to the circus."
Formerly an aerialist and animal worker, Alvarado left the circus for a while to pursue a nursing career.
She returned after marrying Israel Alvarado, a former acrobat who serves as property manager for the circus.
Alvarado home-schools her three children, who travel with the show but are not performers.
Alvarado started her stint as ring mistress with the circus four years ago. "I love guiding the people through the circus," she said.
She said she hopes people see beyond the glamour of the show and learn about the work required to make it all come together.
She still gets stage fright before most shows.
"Every building is different, every crowd is different ... every city," she said.
She said she thrives on the crowd reaction.
Twenty-two acts make up the show, including the Mighty Bo, who is said to be the largest performing elephant in the world. A bear rides a scooter, juggles balls and performs somersaults.
Siberian tigers, aerialists, trapeze artists, sheepdogs, clowns, swing performers, roaring motorcycles, jugglers, a BMX bicyclist and an extreme contortionist also are part of the show.

IREM SHRINE CIRCUS--WILKES BARRE, PA

The show’s biggest star, Dumbo the Elephant performs tricks in the ring during the Irem Shrine Circus at the 109th Field Artillery Armory on Monday.

WILKES-BARRE – While many families spent Sunday morning having egg hunts and Easter brunches, folks gathered inside the 109th Field Artillery Armory began the day by hanging nets, preparing a cannon and assembling the wheel of death.

Produced by Hamid Circus

Three young tigers lounge in their cage outside the 109th Field Artillery Armory in Wilkes-Barre while workers set up for the Irem Shrine Circus.

A crew sets up the framework for the Circle of Death on Sunday at the 109th Field Artillery Armory. The Irem Shrine Circus begins today and shows continue through

Circus workers on Sunday prepare the big gun for the human cannonball’s performances this week at the 109th Field Artillery Armory in Wilkes-Barre. The annual Irem Shrine Circus begins today and shows continue through Saturday.

IF YOU GO

What: The Irem Shrine Circus
Where: 109th Field Artillery Armory, Market Street, Wilkes-Barre
When: Show times are 7:15 p.m. today through Saturday; 1:30 p.m. today, Tuesday and Saturday; 10 a.m. Wednesday through Friday; and 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Price: $6 general admission; reserved seating $10, $11, $14 and $18. Call 714-0783 for reservations, to volunteer or more information.

EGGROLL?

 

OAKLAHOMA CITY SHRINE CIRCUS

ARTHUR LAMKIN FORMER SHOW OWNER

Lamkin, Arthur W., 70, of Gibsonton, passed away on April 1, 2010.

Arthur was a Florida native who was a member of the Masons, the Jesters, the Gibsonton Showman’s Club, as well as the Tampa Showman’s Club.

He was also an Honorary Sherriff’s Deputy and rode with the Rough Rider.

He is preceded in death by his brother, George Lamkin and sister, Emma Jean Thomas. Arthur is survived by his loving family, children, Tammy Lukas, Theresa Keller, Dell Lamkin, Kevin Lamkin, Kasey Lamkin and Chase Lamkin; brother, Charles Lamkin; grandchildren, Heather, Nick, Kevin, Kristofer, Kadin, Dillon and Bella; and great-grandchild, Antonio.

He will also be fondly remembered by his extended family and many close friends.

There will be a visitation on Tuesday, April 6, 2010 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home.

Arthur’s funeral service will be conducted on Wednesday, April 7, 2010, at 11:00 am at the funeral home.

CULPEPPER & MERRIWEATHER CIRCUS 2009

FROM THE PAST---

1954 Ringling Mail-Out