THE BALLOON MAN

Big E's Wayne McCary lives out his dream as president of the Eastern States Exposition

G. Wayne McCary is marking his 20th year as president and chief executive officer of the Eastern States Exposition.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

By Cynthia Simison, The Republican

From: MASSLIVE.COM

The intricately-carved carousel horse in his office is a major give-away.
So, too, are the vintage Cole Bros. Circus poster framed on one wall, the elephant lamp, the shelves of books about the history of the circus and the plastic bag filled with Bello Nock clown dolls that sits near his desk.
G. Wayne McCary loves the circus. Really loves the circus.
“At some time in your life, I think everyone feels like running away to join the circus,” McCary says. “Not everybody gets to fulfill that dream. I really have.”
He caught the circus bug in childhood. As a real-life kid of the 1950s, McCary would help tear down the merry-go-round for New England’s popular Coleman Brothers traveling carnival as it made its way through Connecticut.

Big E president G. Wayne McCary is shown here in 1996 with circus ringmaster John Herriott, left, and Sylvia Zerbini. Dave Roback
Fresh out of college, he was booking circus and entertainment acts up and down the East Coast for a Boston talent agency.
Today, McCary is living out a dream-come-true job as he marks 35 years of service to the Eastern States Exposition, the last 20 of which have been as president and chief executive officer. It’s a job which has taken him from the White House to the royal palace of Monaco; he’s a hall-of-famer for state, regional and international associations in the fair industry; and he’s producing shows that now feature a second generation of circus stars he’s booked over the years.
McCary is just the sixth CEO of the exposition, an enterprise which has annual revenues approaching $20 million and pumps nearly $225 million into the region’s economy each year, according to an independent survey of the fair’s economic impact.

The Big E Super Circus is produced by exposition president G. Wayne McCary. This 2002 photo shows McCary conferring with the late Tom Hanneford of the Hanneford Royal Circus which provides the equipment and personnel for the Big E Big Top. Hanneford died in 2005. David Molnar
The exposition is a non-profit organization established in 1916; its federal stax records show it “provides year-round opportunities for the development and promotion of agriculture, education, industry and family entertainment.” The exposition gives 1 percent of its revenues annually – last year the amount was about $184,000 – to a trust fund established under McCary’s guidance in 1994 to aid local charities.

Bello Nock, left, clown-daredevil and star of the 2011 Big E Super Circus has some fun with the man who produces the circus, G. Wayne McCary, president of the Big E, during a performance. - Don Treeger
The exposition is a non-profit organization established in 1916; its federal stax records show it “provides year-round opportunities for the development and promotion of agriculture, education, industry and family entertainment.” The exposition gives 1 percent of its revenues annually – last year the amount was about $184,000 – to a trust fund established under McCary’s guidance in 1994 to aid local charities. In 2010, the exposition’s gross revenues were $18,460,049; McCary, who earns a base salary of about $400,000, oversees a staff of 1,000 (along with another 1,000 who volunteer and 2,500 who work for vendors and concessionaires). read more at:http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/10/big_es_g_wayne_mccary_lives_ou.html