THE BALLOON MAN

Circus festival debuts Saturday


 

Water fights are a favorite Old Fashioned Day tradition being incorporated into Saturday’s new Circus Celebration event.
By Ed Zagorski
from   wiscnews.com
July 25, 2012
A time-honored event showcasing Baraboo’s rich history gets a new twist Saturday.
What was once Old Fashioned Day is now a Circus Celebration that capitalizes on the city’s long association with the circus.
“It’s something new that combines the two but adds a fair-like atmosphere to it,” said Karen DeSanto of FunnyBones Productions, a local business that’s organizing the festival for the Downtown Baraboo, Inc. business group.
The event is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on the square in downtown Baraboo.
DeSanto said the event will fill the square with circus-themed performances, historic circus wagons and activities for children of all ages. There will also be a petting zoo, rides and a bounce house, face painting, jugglers and Professor Sigrut’s Emporium of Oddities, which will feature family-friendly curiosities in an old-style sideshow performance.
FunnyBones Productions will present “Imagination Circus,”
an interactive children’s show in which kids perform.
She said the Circus Celebration also offers visitors a chance to purchase items from downtown merchants through sidewalk sales. There will also be an antique and collectible flea market on the Sauk County Courthouse lawn.
“There will be something for everyone — no matter what your age,” DeSanto said.
Downtown Baraboo, Inc. president Todd Wickus said many additions have been made to this traditional summer event.
Wickus said there will be a pie contest sponsored by Bekah Kate’s and a pie throwing contest sponsored by the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center. He said water fights, which are always a crowd favorite, will be held again. DeSanto said teams of four are still needed to register for the event.
For those who enjoy seeing antique to muscle cars, this event is not one to be missed. There will be 75 vintage cars lined up for viewing.
“We’re all excited with the new theme for our summer event,” Wickus said. “It’s another opportunity to have some fun with your family and friends in your downtown.”
For additional information on the event, visit www.downtownbaraboo.com or call FunnyBones Productions at 356-2937 to register a team for the water fights.