THIS BLOG IS DEDICATED TO MY TWIN BROTHER, BILL DYKES (1943-1995). WE WERE NOT ONLY BROTHERS BUT PARTNERS IN BUSINESS AND BEST FRIENDS! AND TO ALL THE "BUTCHERS" THAT HAVE PASSED ON TO THE BIG LOT IN THE SKY!


CIRCUS NOW OPEN!

2014 Convention

SAVE THE DATES

SAVE THE DATES



Saturday, July 9, 2011

Lewis & Clark Circus Heads to Leetsdale

The two-day event includes four shows on July 24 and 25.


A sign advertising the circus is posted at the corner of Beaver Street and Ferry Street in Leetsdale. Credit Larissa Dudkiewicz Photos (1) Photos Credit Larissa Dudkiewicz
By Larissa Dudkiewicz
July 8, 2011
from: the sewickley.patch.com
The Easley, SC-based Lewis & Clark circus is bringing its family-oriented show to Henle Park July 24-25.
Albert Clark, co-owner of the traveling circus, said the attraction isn’t a sideshow but rather a full-fledged circus, complete with trapeze artists, bandmasters, jugglers and clowns.
“It’s not a dog and pony show,” Clark said.
Families can enjoy animals, entertainment and stadium seating all under an enclosed big-top tent in the borough's park at Ferry and Beaver streets. Proceeds benefit the borough recreation program, which coordinates events for local children.
Paula Scimio, president of the recreation board, said families who purchase tickets before the day of the show will get a significant discount. Advance tickets are $10 for an adult and free for children.
“It’s a great family night, and it’s not that expensive,” Scimio said, adding that “there has to be at least one adult with the children.”
On the day of the event, adults pay $15 and $5 per child.
Besides the classic circus attractions, Clark said, the entertainment includes a petting zoo, a moon walk and camel and pony rides.
Scimio said the big top tent would be set up behind the park memorial and would include a lot of crowd interaction.
“The kids love it,” Scimio said.
Last year, she said, children enjoyed horse and camel rides and even took pictures with reptiles.
“They do a lot of interaction with the crowds,” she said.
Lewis & Clark Circus almost canceled the event after high winds toppled the company’s tents, injuring several people, during a performance in Seward, PA.
Clark said the circus temporarily eliminated a few attractions but was able to reorganize so that the show could go on. The Leetsdale event was rescheduled for later this month.
Scimio said last year’s event only had two shows and sold out, drawing about 100 people to the park.
This year, there are four shows –- 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. July 24 and 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. July 25 –- that provide more people an opportunity to attend, Scimio said.
The Circus Comes To Dublin


Circus Vargas will feature shows from Friday - July 18./ pictureBy Erika Conner

July 8, 2011

from: pleasonton.patch.com

It's official. The circus is in town, the big top is in place and the show is ready to begin.
Starting Friday, circus fans can watch performers under the big top, a theater-style tent that seats 1,500 people. The tent consists of 90,000 individually placed stakes and more than four miles of rope and cable weighing more than 17 tons, according to the Circus Vargas website.
This year's show includes aerialists, acrobats, jugglers and comedians in a show for the whole family. This human-only circus uses no animals in its production.
Movie fans might recognize Circus Vargas. The blue and gold big top was seen in the recent film "Water for Elephants."
The circus is on the vacant lot west of Hacienda Crossings on I-580 and Hacienda Drive and will be in town from Friday - July 18

Circus fun


A cycling chimpanzee in George St, 1948
Published on Saturday 9 July 2011


THE circus was in town last week, but Russell’s International Circus in Stockwood Park was very different to those that visited in the ‘40s and ‘50s.
MPs recently defied the government and backed a ban on wild animals being used in circuses in England after a heated debate in Parliament.
The motion was approved without a formal vote and is not binding on the government, but it will increase pressure on ministers to act over the issue. The RSPCA estimates that 46 wild animals, including tigers, zebras and camels, are currently used in circus performances in the UK.


But Russell’s, which left Luton on Sunday after a five-day stay, is like most other circuses in restricting its acts to clowns, acrobats and jugglers.
The main picture, above, of a cycling chimpanzee was taken outside Luton Town Hall in 1948 during a publicity stunt for a visiting circus, probably Billy Smart’s or Bertram Mills’.
The policeman went ape when the cheeky chimp took his eyes off the road in George Street, but several spectators obviously saw the funny side of it.
The two smaller photos show chimps, an elephant and a horse in action in a Luton big top in 1953. It is believed to be a Billy Smart’s show, but do readers recall where it was held?


Kings Fair dominates weekend entertainment lineup


By Sentinel Staff Hanford Sentinel

July 8, 2011
The Kings Fair is back and packed with fun and entertainment, including the midway carnival, live music in the wine garden and other stages, the circus and many other events and activities.
Entertainment will be featured on three stages, with nightly shows on the main stage from Salt-N-Pepa, Tracy Lawrence and more. The fair opens at 5 p.m. tonight and noon Saturday and Sunday and closes at midnight each night.
Grammy Award winning group Salt-N-Pepa, which consists of Cheryl James and Sandy Denton (“Salt” and “Pepa,” respectively) and Deidre “Dee Dee" Roper (DJ Spinderella), will be performing live at the fair tonight.http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/entertainment/article_e700a08e-a8c2-11e0-b2c1-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1RbS5hvZv

Lake City hosts circus


Jeff Blankman Reportingjeff@carrollbroadcasting.com


Friday, 08 July 2011


Lake City, Iowa -- Around 350 visitors enjoyed a circus in Lake City on Wednesday night. The Family Fun Circus out of Texas set up a 120 by 140 foot tent in Goins Park in Lake City. The 90-minute show included animals, acrobatics, juggling and balancing acts put on by primarily younger performers. A petting zoo, pony rides, and inflatable moon-bounce were part of the pre and post circus activities available for kids and families. Lake City, City Administrator Kimberly Kelly says the show was a lot of fun and people truly enjoyed the entertainment and kids appeared to be taking it all in. A 16-year-old being shot from cannon highlighted the evening. The circus also made stops in Breda on the 4th of July and was in Lake View Thursday night.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Ringling Brothers And Barnum & Bailey Circus Is In Town
A VISIT TO THE CULPEPPER & MERIWEATHER CIRCUS

KOOSKIA, ID

Photos by Kyle Mills, lmtribune.com

June, 2011

PART 1






















CULPEPPER & MERRIWEATHER, PART 2

Trey Key, owner & cat act



THE RON DYKES FAMILY
(No relation, but good friends of the Balloonman)








CULPEPPER & MERRIWEATHER, PART 3














"all out and over!"


“Just Ask Melanie”

John Hull

This painting shows the same trailer from the painting “Willie the Wimp”. The point of view has changed and in place of Willie a young woman is putting clown shoes on a young boy. Inside the trailer a clown is putting on his makeup. To the far left my dog Forrest is in a characteristic pose, resting.http://www.openmuseum.org/objet/show/1620



Family Circus For 14 Years, Roberts Bros. Has Been Setting Up Its Big Top In Towns Along The East Coast. It's Three Rings, Only Smaller - And Homier



September 12, 1987,



Philadelphia, PA Inquirer



Wearing red sequined tails and top hat, ringmaster Brian LaPalme steps confidently into the spotlight and bellows: "Children of all ages, the Robert G. Earl family takes great pride and pleasure in welcoming you to the all-new 1987 edition of the Roberts Bros. three-ring circus." This small, family-run circus opened Wednesday to a crowd in Birdsboro, Berks County. Tonight, it will perform in Mechanicsburg. For 14 years, the Roberts Bros. Circus has pitched its single big-top tent in small towns from Florida to Maine. It performs in 175 towns from April to mid-October and is one of only 15 big-top circuses traveling the country, according to LaPalme. He LaPalme swells with pride when he talks about his three-ring circus: "This is a real circus; Ringling Brothers. is like a Broadway show."


Magician "James Austin" pulls a dove from a hankerchief during the Big Top Family Circus Wednesday at Christensen Field. (Chris Bristol, Fremont Tribune)Read more: http://fremonttribune.com/image_98bdfef4-1691-5eaf-a502-41f0c914b032.html#ixzz1RSzV4eBE

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Bull delays fireworks at Marion County Fair


Jul. 6, 2011

Written by James Steven

MARION, OH -- What a bunch of bull.No, really.An animal incident stalled the fireworks Monday night.
"Well, I backed up away from it when it started coming at me," said Scott Croskey, the director of fireworks for the 161st Marion County Fair.
He was facing a bull, one that didn't want to jump back into his pen after the rodeo show. There was no damage, just a delay of about 20 minutes to the show.
"Not sure how it got out," Croskey said. "But it got out."


That was just part of the excitement. The fair runs through Saturday at he Marion County Fairgrounds.
There are more than a dozen rides brought in by Bates Amusement Co., including a handful of the kiddie rides. There's a $12 all-you-can-ride wrist band, and rides open at noon, except for today. It's Kid's Day, when rides open at 10 a.m. and ages 12 and younger get in free from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Tripp said the attendance was great for the first day, about 4,000 plus ... plus one.
"I'd run the other way," Tripp said about the bull. "Wouldn't you?"


Bawadi Mall hosts three international circus shows for three weeks this summer from July 5 to 27



Published July 6th, 2011

Bawadi Mall, the biggest mall in Al Ain, will host three international circus shows this summer from July 5 to 27. These ensembles will come from Romania, Hungary and Russia.The circus shows are part of the Bawadi Mall management's plan to provide a variety of entertainment options to mall visitors during summer.Commenting on the summer line-up, Khalid Shraim, Marketing Manager, Bawadi Mall said: “We believe in linking shopping to entertainment. We are hosting three international circus ensembles which are well-known for their unique performances. The entertainment is sure to thrill audiences of all ages.”

“We look beyond the costs in hosting such events, because we want to provide value additions to our visitors and shoppers from the UAE in general and Al Ain city and its suburbs particularly. We have introduced these new concepts because shoppers expect much more than a shopping experience; they look for entertainment as well,” added Shraim.

The summer extravaganza will be launched with the Romanian ensemble performing on July 5. This group is well-known for their dramatic acrobatic moves involving nine female players and one male. This ensemble has won great applause from visitors all around the world.

The Hungarian ensemble, which consists of 5 players, will perform between July 13 and 19 in a unique decor of doors and windows with a trampoline and multi-window wooden wall.

The summer extravaganza will conclude with performances by the Russian ensemble which reflects the conventional circus moves in actual interaction with visitors to increase the enthusiasm. This troupe will perform from July 21 to 27.

“This summer entertainment line-up will add a new to the life element of fun to the mall visitors. We are proud of becoming a destination that supports the tourism sector from all the GCC countries and Oman in particular.

UB hosts UniverSoul Circus



Joyce Kryszak (2011-07-06)

Buffalo, NY-- Cars are being temporarily re-directed away from part of the Park and Ride lot at UB's South campus for the next few days. But there will still be some rather unusual traffic in the parking lot.
If you drive past UB's South Campus over the next couple days, no need for a double take. Yes, those are tigers and elephants in the parking lot along Main Street.
And they have company. The multi-cultural UniverSoul Circus has rolled into town with dozens of trailers, about 100 live performers and crew. And, of course, the Big Top.
Econuel Ingram, the Circus' marketing representative, said they are a well-oiled machine. The 18-year old circus performs about 500 shows over 40 weeks of the year in about 32 cities.
This is their fourth time in Buffalo, but their first at the UB location.
The country's only African American owned and operated circus previously held shows at MLK Park and the Central Park Plaza. But Ingram said they wanted to reach out to a broader audience. He says the "soul" in UniverSoul Circus does not stand for ethnic.
"Soul is the spirit of fun and happiness and it's cool...it's just it's an exciting multi-cultural (show) for families of all ages," said Ingram.
The UniverSoul Circus has presented more than 8,000 performances in the US and South Africa. It is considered one of the most critically acclaimed circuses in the nation.
SHOWTIMES: Thursday and Friday, July 7-8 @ 10:30 A.M. and 7:30 P.M. Saturday, July 9 @ 12 noon, 4:00 P.M. and 7:30 P.M. Sunday, July 10 @ 3:30 P.M. and 6:30 P.M.read more at:http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wbfo/news.newsmain/article/1/0/1824189/WBFO.News/UB.hosts.UniverSoul.Circus


Youth circus, Circus Smirkus, coming to Saratoga Springs
July 6, 2011

From: thrpoststar.com

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Circus Smirkus, the international youth circus featuring circus talent from around the world, returns to Saratoga Springs this summer, July 13 and 14, at the Saratoga Race Course on Union Avenue.
Shows will be at 1 p.m. 7 p.m. Tickets are $19.25 for adults (13+) and $16.25 for children (2 to 12) and are available locally at Crafter's Gallery and The Strike Zone in Saratoga Springs, online at www.smirkus.org, or by calling 1-877-SMIRKUS.
Circus Smirkus is the only American youth circus to put on a full-season tour under its own big top - a 24-meter, 750-seat, one-ring tent in the European style. The show includes aerials, acrobatics, highwire, juggling, trapeze and clowning.
This year's tour continues the tradition of theme-based shows with a nod to our Fourth Estate in a show titled Front Page Follies. During their summer tour, two dozen teen stars perform with the circus. Troupers are selected from hundreds of applicants through an audition process that begins in November. The show is created over the winter months.
During the course of the seven-week summer tour, troupers learn the ropes of traditional circus life - grueling hours of practice, full two-hour shows twice a day, months away from home and the demanding labor of loading the show in and out. Smirkus troupers often go on to successful careers in the circus arts with Ringling Bros., Big Apple, Cirque du Soleil, and circuses across Europe and Asia.
The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs first brought Circus Smirkus to Saratoga Springs in 2007 as a fund-raising and community outreach event.Read more: http://poststar.com/news/local/article_6891b7f2-a812-11e0-afc7-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1RPckGr2Z
Resorts prepares to host Naked Circus under parking lot tent


Work crew at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City putting up a tent in parking lot Wednesday, July 6.

VINCENT JACKSON Staff Writer

pressofAtlanticCity.com

July 6, 2011

ATLANTIC CITY — This year, producer Tuffy Nicholas wanted to bring one of his circuses to a casino here. He ended up doing three different circuses starting next week at Resorts Casino Hotel.
People visiting the surface lot in front of Resorts on the North Carolina Avenue side beginning today will see a 60-foot-high, 120-foot-wide tent — the Event Pavilion — which will hold 1,800 people for the circus. It will feature air conditioning and heating, and be like a theater on the inside with high-backed chairs, Nicholas said.
It will house three circuses that will be running simultaneously, the Great American Circus and Cirque Polynesian during the afternoon and evening, respectively, starting July 14, and Cirque Risque: The Naked Circus at night, beginning July 17.
Tickets for all three shows should go on sale Saturday at the Resorts box office and through Ticketmaster outlets and charge by phone.
“I love the circus. I saw (a recording of) the circus that he did in Maui. I was so amazed,” Resorts owner Dennis Gomes said. “I like to do things different than anybody else.”
Forty-five cast members have been hired, and some of them will appear in two of the three shows, Nicholas said.
Twenty performers will be in each cast. The shows will last 75 minutes each. The Great American Circus show has been touring all over the world, and just returned from Asia. The Polynesian show has been staged in Santa Cruz, Calif., and Maui, Hawaii, Nicholas said.
Designed as a family fun show, children’s tickets for the Great American Circus will start at $9, and thousands of children’s tickets will be given away through the casino. The show features the Wheel of Death, husband-and wife crossbow artists, aerial ballerinas and clowns among other attractions. The Great American Circus was passed along to Nicholas from a friend three years ago, said Nicholas, who has produced thousands of shows for the past 20 years all over the world.
Authentic Polynesian warriors, Tahitian and hula dancers will be blended with Cirque artists for Cirque Polynesian, which has been performed for the past seven years in Hawaii and is still going strong, Nicholas said.
Cirque du Soleil performs the adult-themed Zumanity at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The casinos here have hosted adults-only production and revue shows for the past 14 years off and on, but this is the first time a circus for those age 21 and older has made it to town.
“There will be beautiful people doing amazing feats of agility and acrobatics and incredible dancers,” Nicholas said.
For Nicholas, Cirque Risque is a new concept. He has done adult, risque shows previously, but not a risque circus. The men will be as naked as the law allows, and the women will be in G-strings, pasties, lingerie and body paint.
Every couple of months, new guest artists will be brought into the shows, so they will evolve, Nicholas said.
Because the Event Pavilion offers air conditioning and heating, the intent is to run all three shows through the fall. Shows also can be performed in the winter, if the ticket demand allows for it, Gomes said.
“Something like this will attract people,” said Gomes, who added that 128 outdoor parking spots will be lost because of the circus.
Susan Voyticky, of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been an aerialist for the past 10 years and will perform definitely in Cirque Risque and most likely in Cirque Polynesian. She last performed outdoors with the UniverSoul Circus in 2007 for a tour of the Eastern seaboard, but never in an adults-only circus.
“This will be exciting. ... I hope lots of people come to see the show,” Voyticky said.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Circus with a worldly cast


Feld Entertainment 2010

Daniel Raffo and his tigers perform in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show. The circus will be at Reliant Stadium through July 24.

By LANA BERKOWITZ Houston Chronicle

July 4, 2011,
Circus fans, are you ready for some international big-top entertainment with clowns, elephants, high-flying acts and more clowns?
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Funundrum show opens Thursday for a two-week run at Reliant Stadium with a super-size show honoring the July 5, 1810, birth of showman P.T. Barnum. The two-year, 90-city tour launched in January 2010 with a cast and crew from four continents.
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson of New York and his sidekick, Nano, played by Paulo dos Santos of Brazil, keep the show on track.
Among the international contingent in the Barnum 200 show: trampoline artists from China, dancing stilt walkers from Trinidad and acrobats from Russia and Romania.
Miniature horses perform with a trainer from Hungary. And a cowboy from Kansas City, Mo., hosts the pre-show.
The Torres family of Paraguay speeds around a steel globe on motorcycles. Daniel Raffo of Argentina shows off his tiger-taming skills.
Bionic Brothers from the Ukraine do a hand-balancing act, and there are more body benders from Argentina, Cuba and Mongolia.
If you listen closely to those crazy clowns, you may hear a couple of Texas accents. Oscar Liendo Jr. hails from San Antonio, and Taylor Albin is from Mineral Wells.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/7639285.html#ixzz1REnxr0Tr

Katunga, the circus are coming

By Bill Rogers Highlands Today

Published: July 5, 2011

SEBRING - The standard clowns and contortionists will be joined by Katunga, the giant jungle monster, and other acts when the Piccadilly Circus comes to town next week.
It is the first circus the Highlands County Fair Convention Center in Sebring has booked.
There will be two shows on July 13, with the first at 4:30 p.m. and the second at 7:30.
Based in Sarasota, the circus is celebrating 25 years of entertaining families in North America.
Tenille Drury, marketing and sales director for the convention center, said circus officials found her online and wanted to add cities to their schedule.
Free tickets for children are available at the convention center.
Drury said buy one ticket and get one free online until 10 a.m. the day of the circus at www.TheFunCircus.com.
The convention center, 781 Magnolia Ave., has hosted weddings, banquets and quinceaneras.
Though it caters to larger weddings, Drury said there are "ways to manipulate the space" in the 28,000-square-foot convention building.
Lake Placid High held its prom there and Sebring High held commencement at the building across the street from its campus.
Circus coming to Chester, Ohio Township


Published: Tuesday, July 05, 2011

from: new-herald.com

The Kelly Miller Circus is coming July 30-31 to Chester Township at the West Geauga Middle School grounds.
It is one of the few traveling circuses still in existence and is the same one that has visited the community in the past but with a variety of new performers.
Show times are 2 and 5:30 p.m. July 30 and 2 and 5 p.m. July 31.
Ticket prices are $10 in advance for adults and $6 for children under 12; or $15 at the gate for adults and $7 for children under 12. Advance tickets are available at Discount Drug Mart in Chester and Chagrin Falls and Convenient Food Mart in Chester.
This circus is sponsored by the W. G. Kiwanis as a community event and fundraiser. The proceeds to the Kiwanis are returned to the community through many projects, including Concerts in the Park, support of the Clay Eddy Fields, the Science Fair, Fourth of July Parade, scholarships, the walkway at Chester Park, and many school efforts.

Circus hits Sydney: Lennon Bros lions the mane event


Local News 5 Jul 11




WHILE animal welfare groups oppose the use of exotic animals in circuses, Warren Lennon says the performing lions at Lennon Bros Circus are contented cats.“They have regular veterinarian checks and at the last one the vet said they have no stress problems and are very healthy,” he said.Lennon Bros, Australia’s oldest touring circus, has two female and one male lion - the 12th generation of lions born and bred in captivity.“We’ve done research and lions are the most suitable animals for the circus because they don’t roam like other big cats do - they have their pride territory, which they stay in through their whole lives,” he said.“They also sleep for up to 20 hours a day.” The circus, which also features monkeys, is one of the last in Australia to use exotic animals.“Some councils are banning us but some are allowing us back in,” Mr Lennon said. “The councils that are letting us back in have done more research on what we do and they see it in a different light.”Mr Lennon said a minority was trying to change circuses, and the public still wanted to see wild animal shows - evidenced by the crowds that turned up.He said the lions spent from 6.30am to 10pm in large exercise pens when they were not performing and animals were not mistreated during training, which relied on rewards. “There are no whips used, it’s just positive reinforcement - talking to them, we even pat them,” he said. As for the 2001 lion attack on his trainer brother Geoff, Mr Lennon said any animal could be dangerous.


“The lions will have off days, just like us, when they don’t want anyone around them,” he said. “You have to be able to read the animals’ thinking, and if they’re having an off day, we don’t make them do anything.”However organisations such as RSPCA NSW, which has called for a statewide ban on exotic animals in circuses, argue circus life does not allow wild creatures to exhibit their natural behaviours, and results in stress, boredom and abnormal behaviours such as pacing. “‘Using animals for our entertainment is not fair on them,” RSPCA spokeswoman Marianne Zander said.

Next week: Central reports on a Lennon Bros Circus lion training session.
Lennon Bros Circus is at Cahill Park, Arncliffe, throughout July.
A Rockdale Council spokesman said its circus policy was in line with the legislation administered by the Primary Industries Department, which ensured circus operators regularly had their animals inspected by a veterinarian. ``Council has adopted a policy that allows circuses to be held at Cahill Park subject to operators submitting a veterinary certificate which certifies that the animals are healthy and well treated,’’ he said.
MORE FROM


BILL PRICKETT




Frank Cain and Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros Clown Alley


1994



LAUREL, DE

4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION

(SHERWOOD AMUSMENTS)



photo by Howard Dickerson (DelmarDustpan Blog)
CIRCUS PUBLICITY PHOTOS

From Bill Pricket

Kevin Ryan, C&M, Arizona's Highways magazine cover,.JPG



CASEY McCOY

TIGERS

KELLY-MILLER CIRCUS

KELLY MILLER ELEPHANTS


Kelly Miller CircusThe elephants perform during the Kelly Miller Circus on July 4 in Penacook. Credit: Tony Schinella






The Circus has Come to Penacook

The Kelly Miller Circus is now in Penacook, with shows at 2 and 5 p.m. today.

By Tony Schinella

July 4, 2011


Kelly Miller CircusThere are tigers inside the big top at the Kelly Miller Circus in Penacook on July 4. Credit Tony Schinella

The Kelly Miller Circus of Oklahoma has ventured to New Hampshire for the first time this week, and has set up shop in Penacook, for two shows at 2 and 5 p.m. today, Monday, July 4.
The circus is a “traditional tent circus,” said Ringmaster John Moss, held inside at large tent, just like the old days, “where a circus should be seen … it has the right smell, the right feel …”


Kelly Miller CircusCircus workers wash a horse before the Kelly Miller Circus show in Penacook on July 4. Credit Tony Schinella
It will feature traditional fare and a slew of animals, including camels, tigers, ponies, dogs, and elephants this year.
The circus easily sets up in any location, from a shopping center to a school parking lot, like at Merrimack Valley High School today, and can set up as a “magical circus city for the day.”
The circus season began in February for the Kelly Miller team, Moss said, with tours in Texas, the Midwest, “and as far north and east as we can go.”


Kelly Miller CircusInside the big top at the Kelly Miller Circus in Penacook on July 4. Credit Tony Schinella
The circus traditionally leaves every day and then travels about 50 to 60 miles to get to the next stop. Moss said the circus was in Laconia for three days, its first time appearing in the Granite State.
“It was great fun for us because we woke up in the same town three days in a row,” he said.
Moss said the circus had its last show at 5 p.m. in Laconia and was on the road by 8 p.m. Everyone arrived in Penacook at dusk and set up everything on the morning of July 4. The circus will be in North Andover, Mass., on July 5.


Kelly Miller CircusElephants take a moment to chow down at the Kelly Miller Circus in Penacook on July 4. Credit Tony Schinella
As ringmaster, it takes Moss about 20 minutes or so to get ready for a show, dressing up in the traditionally top hat and tails.
When asked what the craziest thing people would see today, Moss thought for a moment and said, “A dog dressed as a lion … but I don’t want to give too much away.”
Tickets are $15, with a $2 upgrade for ringside seats, literally inches from the action.


Kelly Miller CircusPigs and ducks at the Kelly Miller Circus on July 4 in Penacook. Credit Tony Schinella

(EDITOR'S NOTE)

I wonder who this menagerie belongs too?

Monday, July 4, 2011

Make Mine Freedom - 1948 Cartoon - John Sutherland - Hanna and Barbera
Lee Andrews-circus advance clown
LaneInConn
June 30, 2011

IT'S JUST AROUND THE CORNER


Don't forget to clip on each image to enlarge!










TO VISIT OUR PAST POSTS--SCROLL DOWN THE SIDE BAR. ALSO LINKS ARE FURTHER DOWN