LIVE from Cole Bros. Circus
from---WGNO
October 19, 2012

 

The circus comes to town Monday, Tuesday

 

Cole Bros. Circus clown Tom E. Boy clowns around with kids Monday at the ABC Learning Center in Houma.
Abby Tabor/Staff
www.houmatoday.com

 

ROUTE
October 20 and 21 Dickson, TN
 National Guard Armory Grounds
Monday, October 22 Parsons, TN
Decatur County Fairgrounds
Tuesday, October 23 Whiteville, TN
City ParK
Wednesday, October 24 Ashland, MS
Benton County Agri-Center
October 25 and 26 Booneville, MS
Prentiss County Agri-Center
Saturday, October 27  Houston, MS
Chickasaw County Coliseum Grounds
Sunday, October 28 Eupora, MS
Across from Los Encinos Restaurant
October 29 and 30 Philadelphia, MS
Neshoba Co. Coliseum Grounds
October 31 and November 1 Starkville, MS
American Legion Grounds
November 2 and 3  Amory, MS
National Guard Armory Grounds
November 4 Guin, AL
Guin City Park
November 5 and 6 Jasper, AL
Jaycees Fairgrounds
 
 

 

SNN: October 19th, 2012 is Nik Wallenda Day!

Published on Oct 19, 2012 by SNNLocalNews6

Sarasota Aerialist Nik Wallenda is back in Sarasota bolstering his dare devil adventures as well as what's ahead, or should we say below. Wecome back home Nik!

Big Tex Fire: The Latest (6pm-10/19)

from: dfw.cbslocal.com

FROM: RJ REYNOLDS

Just got back from a trip to Cooperstown, NY where we viewed the original Barnum's Cardiff Giant.

It is housed at the Farmers' Museum.

RJ Reynolds

 

Backstage with Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion"

 

Published on Oct 17, 2012 by recordnet

Cirque du Soleil is bringing a production to Stockton for the first time. "Dralion" kicks off Oct. 17 at Stockton Arena. Cast and crew members spoke earlier that day about what goes into the show.

'My job is to fly'
Performers ready to walk on air as Cirque du Soleil's 'Dralion' opens in Stockton

 

MICHAEL McCOLLUM/The Record
Lorant Markocsany and Amanda Orozco in an arial pas de deux.
from---recordnet.com
By Jo Ann Kirby, Record Staff Writer
October 18, 2012
Backstage on opening night, the performers of Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion" are stretching, flipping, jumping, bouncing, skidding and flying through the air.
It's enough to make a mom cringe.
What if he doesn't catch her? What if that guy misses the trampoline? Oh, my goodness, he's going to hurtle himself through that sharp metal hoop? Literally, those guys are bouncing off that wall! Excuse me, the trampo-wall.
Don't look.
Cover your eyes.
OK. Maybe just a peek.
Not surprisingly, one of the stars of the show says performing in "Dralion" doesn't just take muscles, flexibility and talent.
It also takes a huge measure of trust.
"We have to support each other physically," Amanda Orozco, 23, said of her onstage relationship with her muscular partner, Lorant Markocsany, with whom she performs an aerial pas de deux. "My job is to fly. It doesn't get much better than that."
Wednesday afternoon, hours before the curtain would go up on their seven-show run at Stockton Arena, the talented duo who portray the production's love story went through their paces with two long, blue silk ribbons suspended from the ceiling.
read more---
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121018/A_NEWS/210180318

Chief funny man leads 'Barnum Bash' coming to the Assembly Hall

 

Photo by: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clown DJ Dean (aka Dean Kelley) takes a spin in his clown car as part of the 'Barnum Bash' show..
by  Paul Wood
from---Champaign-Urbana news-gazette.com
Thu, 10/18/2012
If you want to be a clown, it doesn't hurt to know how to dance.
Dean Kelley, 32, has reached the pinnacle of clown success as the emcee and chief clown for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' "Barnum Bash," in which he plays dancing DJ Dean.
 A huge cowlick stands straight up from his bright orange wig — but don't call him a Bozo.
 "Every clown is unique," he said. "I'm the clown and pre-show emcee for this show. The dance is a new part of 'Barnum Bash.'"
It is a dream come true for a former 4-year-old boy.
"I've wanted to become a clown since I was 4 and first went to the Ringling Bros. circus. After that, I was there every year; I don't think I ever missed one," he said.

 

The Ringling Ringlettes.
Photographer: Ringling Bros.
After attending every Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performance in his hometown of Kansas City, he spent time with professional clowns on a one-on-one basis, learning some of the act and makeup.
He says DJ Dean is a "magnification of myself at a younger age."
Kelley took theater classes at Kansas City Community College, then became a sort of freelance clown, playing for business demonstrations and sporting events.
"I went to Anaheim (Calif.) 10 years ago," he said. "It was the first open audition for a Ringling Bros. spot in over 30 years.
"They hired me the same day."
And Kelley still can't believe his luck

 

"It's awesome. It's harder to get in Ringling Bros. as a clown than to be a football player in NFL," he said.
The Ringling Bros. bio of Kelley says he is "often referred to by his peers as the Swiss Army Knife of clowns because of his multifaceted circus skills, which include juggling, stilt walking, unicycle riding, balancing and spinning objects and making sound effects."

"Clowns need to be able to do just about everything," he said.

That includes singing karaoke, playing the trumpet and bungee jumping.

The new show, led by Kelley, is based on "fresh" new dance moves, taught by DJ Dean.

At a pre-party show, visitors can learn balancing and juggling skills, meet and take photos with circus stars, and step behind the curtain for a backstage experience.
read more---
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/miscellaneous/2012-10-18/ch

Portland-based juggler returns to Oregon with Cirque du Soleil's 'Quidam'

 

Oregon-based juggler Patrick McGuire plays the papa in Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam," which plays six performances in Eugene beginning next week.
By Grant Butler, The Oregonian
from---oregonlive.com
October 18, 2012
Cirque du Soleil has been bringing so many shows to Oregon in recent years that it's starting to feel like this is a second home for the French-Canadian circus company. Next week, Cirque returns yet again with "Quidam," one of its older productions that's never been shown here.

"Quidam," which begins a six-performance run at Eugene's Matthew Knight Arena on Thursday, was originally created in 1996 as one of Cirque's first touring shows, and is considered by many to be one of its masterpieces. Over the years, it's toured the globe and has been performed on five continents. In 2010, the show was adapted into an arena show, which allows it to play shorter runs without the massive caravans of trucks that are needed to present the tent shows.
read more---
http://www.oregonlive.com/performance/index.ssf/2012/10/portland-based_juggler_returns.html

The Illusionists

By Robin Leach (contact)

from---lasvegassun.com

Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012

 

One of the most successful magic shows ever has been garnering rave reviews and big box office success on an amazing world tour, yet so far it hasn’t been seen in Las Vegas. That’s about to change, and the stars of “The Illusionists” couldn’t be happier because most of them live here.

Jeff McBride and Kevin James are just two of the mind-blowing magicians who headline in “The Illusionists” for producer Simon Painter. In Australia and South America, the princes of prestidigitation arrived as unknowns and left as stars.

read more---

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/oct/18/strip-scribbles-illusionists-jeff-mcbride-kevin-ja/

Review: Big tops and bigger dreams in "Circus Dreams"

 

Girl clown Joy Powers meets her audience.

(Photo courtesy of Vigne Taylor)
By John Seven,
From---North Adams Transcript  thetranscript.com
10/19/2012
WILLIAMSTOWN -- In the new documentary film, "Circus Dreams," the old idea of running away with the circus is updated and revealed as not only a legitimate career move for kids, but an enriching one.

"Circus Dreams" will screen at the Williamstown Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m., with an appearance by performers and Circus Smirkus alumni Greylin Nielsen and Anna Partridge. Director Sig ne Taylor says that the film is not just for adults and invites middle schoolers and older teens to check it out.

Circus Smirkus is a youth circus program that offers intensive training camps and touring for kids who are seriously in terested in circus performance. The organization, based in Ver mont, has existed since 1987, and offers big top shows with a cast ranging from ages 10 to 18.

Taylor first encountered the group at a performance in Boston in 2003. She was producing guest spots for the television show "Zoom" at the time and thought Circus Smir kus would make a great three-minute piece. That segment never happened, but the idea stayed with her and, when she found herself relocated to Vermont in 2006 and having the desire to finally pursue her dream of creating independent documentary films, Circus Smir kus was the first thing she thought of.

"I approached them in early 2006 and that was the point that I learned that they had actually suspended operations the previous year," she said. "I hadn't realized that. At first,
 was like, ‘Oh, no, this is bad,' and then all of a sudden I was like, ‘Oh, no, this actually a pretty good dramatic hook, as long as it works.' "
It wasn't the sort of project that she could just pop in and pop out with her camera and expect to maintain a level of in timacy with her subjects, so Tay lor brought her family and camera person to live with the circus.

"We cashed in my teacher retirement fund -- I taught high school for 10 years -- and we bought an RV and I went on tour," Taylor said. "My husband went with me, at the beginning, and my two kids. We also had an au pair with us and my camera woman was driving our old Saab with a pop-up behind."

"In the beginning, there was a little bit of distrust, a little bit of discomfort. Anytime you bring a camera into a room, it's going to create anxiety, but then because -- for the kids in that 2006 troupe -- I just became part of their summer, like the cook or the counselor, like the tent crew, then there's the film crew."
As Taylor filmed their lives unfolding over the several months of Smirkus Camp and Big Top Tour, she found not only a fascinating story to be told, but also a kinship with her subjects that extends to many in the film's audience.
read more---
http://www.thetranscript.com/entertainment/ci_21807144/big-tops-and-bigger-dreams

Cirque Mechanics wows audience
Former Cirque du Soleil member founded Mechanics group to have creative input

foto from--cirque mechanics.com

from---bgdailynews.com
By LAUREL WILSON The Daily News
Friday, October 19, 2012

When Chris Lashua of Las Vegas was a member of Cirque du Soleil in the 1990s, he had ideas for his own circus entertainment show, but as one of hundreds of members of the company, he had no creative control.
“As an artist, it’s harder to be involved in the process,” Lashua said.
So he started his own group, called Cirque Mechanics, in 2004. On Thursday night, Cirque Mechanics brought its show “Birdhouse Factory” to the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center.
Lashua enjoys creating mechanical contraptions for circus performers and he thought placing them in a factory setting was the perfect way to incorporate the machines into a show.
In “Birdhouse Factory,” the performers play workers in a 1930s industrial plant, using a conveyer belt, wheels, hanging light fixtures and other contraptions to show their skills in acrobatics, juggling, contortion and clowning.
Lashua, a former BMX biker, was drawn to fantasy-based circus entertainment when he saw a Cirque du Soleil’s mix of stagecraft with story and drama.
“I was blown away,” he said. “I had never seen a show like this.”
At Cirque Mechanics, Lashua enjoys being involved in the entire process of shows, from creating story concepts to performing to driving the truck with the set pieces from city to city, he said.
“We’re small. We wear a lot of hats,” he said. There are nine performers in “Birdhouse Factory” and four crew members.
Being involved in the creative aspects of a show is really satisfying for the artists, Lashua said.
“That’s something the audience feels,” he said.
Pam Houchens Gifford of Dallas attended Thursday’s show while visiting Bowling Green, her hometown, for a reunion. She was impressed with both the show and the SKyPAC facility.
“I think it’s great,” Gifford said of the venue. “I love all the colors and Kentucky history.”
She enjoyed seeing Cirque Mechanics because it’s a great family show, she said.
“It was adorable,” Gifford said.
Mike Adams of Bowling Green found “Birdhouse Factory” really fun and interesting, he said.
“They make it look easy, but it’s not easy,” he said.
Angela Shoulders of Bowling Green has seen some cirque shows before and thought Cirque Mechanics was great, she said.
“I’m not going to pass up the opportunity to see anything with arts,” she said.

Batman show descends on Rio Rancho

Stage play highlights comic book characters

from: krqe.com

Friday, 19 Oct 2012

Batman show descends on Rio Rancho

BILL PRICKETT VISITS:

    TARZAN ZERBINI CIRCUS SPECTACULAR            
 Peoria, Il, area was indeed fortunate that this fine circus showed here on 10-16 and 10-17.
They came from Chattanoga, Tn, showed two days in Peoria, and left for Terre Haute, Ind. where they opened 10-19 under their beautiful tent. In Peoria, they showed in a pole building at the fairgrounds, and they could not present the full, colorful show that they do in their tent.

 Belliago, Elvis, and Erika Zerbini
The attendance was light due to the fact that another well know show had just appeared at the Civic Center the previous weekend. Then Wed, the rain and cold arrived.
Those in attendance witnessed many innovative new acts and great wardrobe/costumes.Richard Curtis is Performance Director-Ringmaster and did a fantastic job moving the fast paced show along. His daughter, Harley (14) assisted in the dog act. Larry Solheim (the other Larry) is General Manager-Technical Director.  Here is list of performing acts these dates provided by Katia:
 Freestyle Motor Show/ 8 Liberty horses/ 2 elephants/ Double Lyra/ Teeterboard/ Piolita,clown and his young children/, Huyla Hoops/ Aerial Net/ and Comedy Musical Bells.
 

MARIE, SHELLY, and Erika Zerbini

 
.Richard Curtis, RM 

Katia- aerial net  

. Larry Solheim, GM and Richard Curtis, RM 

#6 and 7.  Freestyle MotorShow-Katia, Mauro, Celio  

 

Florin, Erika Zerbini, and Bellagio

. Florin, Elvis, and Erika Zerbini 

  Lisi Zerbini, Bill Prickett, Linda Frisco  

Teeterboard act - Nexus troupe

 

Joe Frisco,
Sr., Charlie Bellatti, Dave Williams, Larry Solheim
  Several members of the Byrd Family-Bellatti Tent, #164, CFA, drove 2.5 hours (each way) to see thisfine show. I hope to return to see this fine show under tent in the very near future.
  Photos: Bill Prickett

Duffy's Circus (Clontarf 2012' )

Published on Jul 16, 2012 by MrJmcc777

Chinese Dragon Dance

Tom Duffy's circus in santry at omni shopping centre 2012

Published on Oct 7, 2012 by ceziczek12

Tom Duffy's circus in santry at omni shopping centre 2012

Ja Marek i Krzys :) 05-10-2012

Salvador: Circus arts, African culture inspire youth

Capoeira, music and circus schools encourage underprivileged children and adolescents to dream big in the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia.

Founded in 1993 by musician Neguinho do Samba, Didá is one of Salvador’s most prestigious blocos afro alongside Ilê Ayê and Olodum. (Courtesy of Didá Music and Dance School)
By Ricardo Sangiovanni 
from---Infosurhoy.com
18/10/2012
SALVADOR, Brazil – Hundreds of independent socio-educational programs use art education to shape underprivileged children and adolescents in Salvador, the capital city of Bahia, a state in northeast Brazil.

Three of the programs – Picolino School of Circus Arts, Angola Slave Ship Capoeira Association and Didá Music and Dance School – have been running for two decades.

The three groups, which are among the city’s most successful initiatives, were the subject of the documentary “Rhythmic Uprising” (2008), co-produced by Brazil and the United States and directed by American Benjamin Watkins.

The documentary, which has been shown at special screenings and independent film festivals in various U.S. cities, has been screened in theaters as far as Thailand.

Yet, the initiatives that inspired the film face difficulties in trying to continue transforming destinies in Salvador.

The city is famous for being the capital with Brazil’s largest black community – 743,700, or 27.8% of the demographic’s population, according to the 2010 Census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

But it is precisely the group that accounts for the largest number of inhabitants that has the lowest income per capita in the city. An African-Brazilian in Salvador earns on average 3.2 times less than a white person, making this the greatest disparity among all 26 Brazilian capitals.

Founded in 1985 by educator Anselmo Serrat, Picolino School was created for young people from the city’s upper-class educational institutions. Gradually, however, Serrat realized the lessons on juggling, balancing and acrobatics had very healthy “side effects,” as the children became calmer, focused and social within a few months.

“I felt that it had huge potential for individual transformation,” he says. “There had to be a way to expand access to the circus to underprivileged children.”

 

 

Edi Carlos Santos de Souza, known as Binho, graduated from Picolino School of Circus Arts in Salvador, Brazil: “When I arrived, we had just lost our home in a landslide. Now, thanks to the circus, I was able to buy my own house.” (Tássia Novaes for Infosurhoy.com)

Starting in 1991, through a partnership with Projeto Axé – an NGO that takes children off the streets and guides them to educational projects – the first regular students from low-income families started to arrive.

The pioneer group was made up of 10 children who, before going to the circus, spent most of their time on the streets, washing windshields, begging for money and committing petty crimes.

Prejudice did not take long to emerge.
read more---
http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/features/saii/features/society/2012/10/18/feature-01

PETA 'Elephant' Trails Obama To Protest Treatment Of Circus Elephants

 

 

The protesting "elephant" made his case on Oct. 8 in San Francisco.

Credit: PETA
The Huffington Post   
By Daniel Lippman
Posted: 10/18/2012
Urging more action to protect circus elephants from abuse, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sent an "enraged elephant" to trail President Obama at public campaign events, including at a campaign stop in New Hampshire on Thursday.

PETA is pressing Obama to order the U.S. Department of Agriculture to confiscate elephants used in circuses that are "trained, disciplined and punished with bullhooks (heavy weapons resembling fireplace pokers with a sharp steel hook at the end) in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA)," the group said in a statement on Thursday.

The PETA activist, dressed in an elephant costume and carrying a sign reading "Mr. President: Tell The USDA to Confiscate Beaten Circus Elephants," has attended Obama events in cities including Miami, Denver, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Madison, Wis. and Hempstead, N.Y, the site of the presidential debate on Tuesday night. A spokesman for the Obama campaign in New Hampshire did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
read more---
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/18/peta-elephant-obama-protest-circus_n_1981619.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

An eight-month-old elephant has been rescued by conservationists from a well in Kenya.

FROM---AOL.COM

 

Carlee And Charlie

from:ardmoreite.com

Oct. 18, 2012

 

 

Ardmore, OK--Kelly Miller Circus Advance Clowns Carlee and Charlie perform Friday, October 12 at Jefferson Elementary School. The circus will be at Veterans Blvd. and Commerce October 25.

read more---

http://www.ardmoreite.com/

CHARLIE BERTINI

 

from: thebeachsideresident.com
October 18, 2012
Charlie Bertini first began trumpet lessons at the age of nine in Cortland, NY and soon thereafter became active in marching band, concert band, orchestra, chorus, and conducting classes.

Eager to work professionally, he started his own dance band in the ninth grade, and at 19 joined the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus with whom he toured for six years as first trumpeter and later as musical director. The Circus relocated him to Florida where he began to play a variety of gigs — stage shows with nightclub performers like Al Martino, Mel Tormé, and Patti Page; Broadway shows; Dixieland show clubs; and freelance engagements at Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and Church Street Station in Orlando.

Orlando exerted such a strong pull on Bertini that he played for four years at Circus World Theme Park as first trumpeter and assistant conductor, a gig that prepared him for a year’s tour as musical director for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In demand as a first-call trumpeter, he has backed up artists such as Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mathis, and Ray Charles. He has also played on network TV specials for Walt Disney, the Ringling Bros. Circus, and PBS. His “AppleJazz” cable show from his 1995 AppleJazz concert was nominated for a CableAce Award for “Best Music Program for 1995.”

As a recording artist, Bertini has six solo albums under his belt, as well as two Christmas albums on Arbors Records that have become holiday jazz classics. He has also recorded 13 albums with Bill Allred’s Classic Jazz Band and has produced over 85 albums for other artists, with more in the works. If that weren’t enough, he is also a teacher, lecturer, a popular clinician, and the current executive director of the annual AppleJazz Festival held in upstate New York. Still based in Orlando, Bertini enjoys a variety of musical settings and challenges and continues to be one of the most versatile and respected trumpeters and producers in the industry.

Charlie Bertini performs on Friday, October 26 at Heidi’s Jazz Club with Terry Myers and the Ron Teixeira Trio from 8:30 p.m. to 12 a.m. Drop by Heidi’s at 7 N. Orlando Ave. in downtown Cocoa Beach for tickets, or call 783-4559.

 

NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIR

Troxler: Everybody having fun at the State Fair North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler talks with WRAL News about "Senior Day" at the NC State Fair. Pumpkin carver shows off skills at State Fair

Tim Trudgeon, of Mocksville in Davie County, is a pumpkin carver who demonstrates his amazing craft at the North Carolina State Fair. The animated faces he creates with a knife in less than an hour are detailed and extraordinary.

Crowds gather at fairgrounds Wednesday

Cloudy skies won't stop thousands of people from flocking to the State Fair

FROM---ABCLOCAL.COM

FROM HARRY IN TEXAS---
Hi Dick,
A real big thank you for keeping us fans on all what is going on in the press with circuses.
You were right on it with the Carson and Barnes elephants on Cole Bros in that wreck in mississippi.
A fan called me that he heard from some one on the show he knows but he did not have all the correct info.
You had it all and the only coverage on the wreck on the webs.
A job well done and please do not retire any time soon.
Harry Kingston in Texas

Thanks Harry!

 

 

FROM DAYS GONE BY

 

Kent Family Circus--- Learning to ride double on a unicycle

Published on Oct 17, 2012 by victor kent

Princess' Olivia and Amelia are coached by their brother Jim in riding double on a single unicycle.

 

FROM DAYS GONE BY---

 

The Taylor family is a real family circus in Arizona

from---abc15.com

Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/lifestyle/sonoran_living/The-Taylor-family-is-a-real-family-circus-in-Arizona#ixzz29ebkhpUo

Local reporters owe a lot of stories to the late Frank Curry, circus promoter, ex-rodeo clown and man of mystery

Death of a Hat Trickster

 

FRANK CURRY

by J.R. Lind
From: nashvillescene.com
Back in 2009, a few months after I started working for SouthComm, my phone rang with a blocked number. The caller never identified himself. But he hinted he had documents I might like to see.

At the time, the Predators' ownership group was going through a PR nightmare that made the lockout boondoggle look like a Zamboni ride. Attendance was slumping. Lead owner David Freeman's federal income-tax liens were in the spotlight. Now the Sports Authority was asking whether the team had abrogated its lease. I was in the tall grass on the story, mostly because I never intended to be a sports business reporter.

But this mystery caller said he had some things that might help me out.

"Sure, just drop what you've got at my office," I said.
"Oh, no, no, no," crackled the voice on the other end. "Let me find somewhere else to leave them."

About an hour later, my phone rang again.

"There's an envelope for you with Maria, a pretty señorita at Las Cazuelas," the mystery man said. "She's expecting you."

So I drove to the restaurant, an out-of-the-way Mexican joint on Nolensville Road. Not to get all Guy Noir on you, but yes, I found Maria. Sure enough, she had a manila envelope with my name on it.
So I drove to the restaurant, an out-of-the-way Mexican joint on Nolensville Road. Not to get all Guy Noir on you, but yes, I found Maria. Sure enough, she had a manila envelope with my name on it.

By the time I got back to the office, I already had a voicemail from my mystery man, thanking me for my quick handling of the whole thing.

Had he been watching me? Was Maria an informant?

There were days this mystery man would call me a dozen times. And then there would be months of silence. He'd praise me when he liked my work, and he'd berate me when he didn't. He always had a tip — big or small — and it was clear he was a voracious consumer of news. He had reporters in town he loved and columnists he abhorred.

It took me about six months, but I finally figured out who this man was. There aren't that many people who attend Sports Authority meetings religiously.

My mystery caller was a man named Frank Curry.
Frank — he'd hate it if I called him by his last name, and even though he'd know it's journalistic custom to add an honorific to the name of the dead, he'd probably slug me if I called him "Mr. Curry" — was a professional circus promoter. A four-day, seven-performance stretch of Ronald McDonald Circuses he put on at the arena once sold more than 86,000 tickets.

Frank was physically impressive, even into his 70s. He was tall, broad-shouldered and strong, with a map-of-the-world face topped by a white Stetson big as a Texas oilman's. He once worked as a reporter for the New York Post, and somewhere in there he was also a rodeo clown. And for a man who so despised government toadies, it's shocking to learn his granddad led Tammany Hall.

He was, by most accounts, self-made, learning the circus and rodeo businesses the hard way. And maybe that's why he demonized the handouts — the "incentives" — the Sports Authority and Metro government give to professional sports teams in town.
read more---
http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/local-reporters-owe-a-lot-of-stories-to-the-late-frank-curry-circus-promoter-ex-rodeo-clown-and-man-of-mystery/Content?oid=3049874


Animals a problem at the fair?
Health officials: Petting zoos potential E. coli source

 

The fairgrounds operated hand-washing stations near the animal areas, but health officials have said there are reports of inconsistent hand-washing during the fair.
By Staff reports
from---shelbystar.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Health officials pointed this week toward animal petting zoos as a highly possible source of an E. coli outbreak that now includes 61 cases in an eight-county region around Cleveland County.

As of Wednesday afternoon, that case number included 33 cases of Cleveland County residents and one death, 2-year-old Gage Lefevers.

Officials investigating the outbreak said test results of E. coli cases point toward a strain of the infection that usually comes from cattle, sheep and goats, all of which were present earlier this month at the Cleveland County Fair.
read more---

http://www.shelbystar.com/news/local/animals-a-problem-at-the-fair-1.31864

Circus performers take to the ‘Octobike’

 

Members of the Wookey Hole Circus school and the eight seater Octobike at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

By David Sharman
from---blackpoolgazette.co.uk
18 October 2012
HAVING to get the bus or tram to work in the morning can sometimes be a stretch.
But that’s nothing compared to the preferred method of transport for these innovative circus performers.

The eight-seater ‘octobike’, which measures in at a staggering 30ft long, is being used by members of Gerry Cottle’s circus as part of their act.

The performers from the show, which is currently in residence at the Pleasure Beach’s Globe Theatre, also hope to use it as a novel way to commute between the attraction and the town centre – where they will be on the streets promoting the circus.

Mike Comber, whose performances in the show include a trampoline act, volunteered to steer the bike and he admits it’s a high pressure job.

 

Mike, 20, from Somerset, added: “I thought I’d give it a go but it’s really hard on your arms. It’s great fun though.”

Circus compere Jeff Jay said: “Their first attempt on it all went very awry but they can actually ride it now.

“They pretty much had it in an afternoon but it’s a monster of a thing to try to control.”

Bemused visitors to the Pleasure Beach gave their reaction to the unusual vehicle yesterday.

Laura Thomson, 33, from Glasgow, said: “I don’t know what to say, it’s quite amazing.
“It’s really cool and it’s obviously quite an attraction.”

Barry Wilson, 36, also from Glasgow, said: “It’s a little bit ridiculous and turning might be a problem.”

His 10-year-old daughter Aimee added: “It’s cool and interesting but it’ll be hard to turn and go sometimes.”

Eileen Gilfillan, 45, from Falkirk, in Scotland, said: “I’ve never seen a bike like that before and it must be difficult to ride.

“I had a look at it earlier and thought ‘that’s a big bike.’”

BIG APPLE CIRCUS IN TIMES SQUARE
from---abc news
Oct 15, 2012

 

 

Ring Master John Kennedy Kane shows off the skills of the Dalian Acrobatic Troupe of China.

from THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE---
Goings On About Town:

 Above and Beyond
Circus Time

The Big Apple Circus, Manhattan’s homegrown one-ring wonder, has returned for its thirty-fifth year, with a dozen acts from here and abroad, including Elayne Kramer, a sixth-generation Argentinean contortionist; the animal trainer Jenny Vidbel, who has worked with ponies, dogs, llamas, pigs, an African porcupine, and the world’s largest rodent, the capybara; and the Acrobuffos, the Harlem-based couple Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone, who hold degrees from three clown colleges (as well as from Princeton), and who deliver a modern take on commedia dell’arte. This year’s show, “Legendarium: A Journey Into Circus Past,” is hosted by John Kennedy Kane, who is making his Big Apple début as a ringmaster. (Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center. 888-541-3750. Through Jan. 13.) For those who wish to journey even farther into the past, the Bard Graduate Center’s exhibition “Circus and the City” surveys two hundred and seventeen years of circus history in New York, starting with the first equestrian circus, on Greenwich Street, in 1793. The show includes musical instruments, photographs, posters, and memorabilia, and features a section on Jumbo, the six-ton elephant whose name entered the American lexicon after his 1882 arrival in the city. (Bard Graduate Center Gallery, 18 W. 86th St. Through Feb. 3. For more information, visit bgc.bard.edu.)

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/above/circus-time-various-locations-no-phone-etc#ixzz29cu6D1nb

Acrobatics to accentuate Cirque Mechanics’ ‘Birdhouse Factory’ performance in Columbus

 

Courtesy of Darin Basile
Cirque Mechanics’ ‘Birdhouse Factory’ is scheduled to be performed Oct. 20 at Ohio Theatre.
By Ben Keith
from---thelantern.com
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
The circus is slated to leave the big tent and come to Columbus this weekend as part of Cirque Mechanics’ “Birdhouse Factory.”

“At the heart of what we do is the circus stuff, in a smaller, more intimate setting,” said Chris Lashua, director of the performance.

“Birdhouse Factory” tells the story of a struggling gadget-making factory and is scheduled to be performed 3 p.m. Saturday at the Ohio Theatre.

“The workers are inspired by an accident that happens when a bird flies through the factory, and they re-imagine the factory, take control of it and make it into a factory that makes birdhouses,” Lashua said. “It’s really the story of how the factory changes from a stark, ‘Modern Times’ Charlie Chaplin-esque factory to a more whimsical, Rube-Goldberg-like factory.”

The transition and playfulness are reflected in the show’s staging and music, but especially in one singular prop: a wheeled contraption that Lashua calls “the trolley.”

“That contraption became the heart of ‘Birdhouse Factory,’” Lashua said.

The trolley is a pair of rings about 6 feet in diameter held apart by pipe segments, mounted on two unicycles and two smaller wheels.

Performers ride the trolley across the stage, using it in a number of acts.

“We started exploring other circus acts, how we could get that in there,” Lashua said.

At one point in the show, a contortionist balances atop the trolley while two performers pedal it across the stage.
read more---
http://www.thelantern.com/a-e/acrobatics-to-accentuate-cirque-mechanics-birdhouse-factory-performance-in-columbus-1.2930278

 

The circus comes to town

 

The circus comes to town
The crimson and gold “Big Top” tent has long been the traditional architecture for housing the American Circus. Show is the Cole Bros. Circus Big Top at the circus’ winterquarters in DeLand, Fla. The tent was a brand new addition to the circus last year and its five-story high appeal will be seen at the Northshore Harbor Center in Slidell today. (Photos Courtesy of Cole Bros. Circus)
from:  thetammanynews.com
By David Freese St. Tammany News
October 17, 2012

The circus, with its traditional migrating crimson, gold striped ‘Big Top’ architecture, savory illusions, conglomerate of acrobatic and aerial performances, combustion of exotic-animal tricks, soaring human cannonballs, array of coordinated clowns and colorful family ties, is a more than 150 year old American phenomenon.

Florida-based Cole Brothers Circus of the Stars will host their 128th edition of the circus today and tomorrow at the Northshore Harbor Center, 100 Harbor Blvd., in Slidell. Shows will begin both days at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

The world’s largest big top circus will present “an incredible two-hour program featuring elephants, tigers, clowns, amazing physical feats, and spectacular daredevil stunts,” Cole Bros. said. The circus performance will consist of more than 80 tons of rigging, props, lighting and sound equipment, all huddled under a giant five-story high red, yellow tent.

The circus comes to town
Kellan Bermudez with Cole Brothers Circus performs the wheel of destiny.
According to history, Cole Bros. Circus remains the only circus organization to have survived through a century, 100 years of ‘Big Top’ tradition. Since that time, three generations of Americans have “thrilled to the sights, smells, sounds and feats of skill that typify the Cole Bros. Circus.

William Washington Cole began the Cole story in the 1880s. W.W. Cole stated the following in 1884, “Presented in a reputable manner by reputable people.”

Cole received numerous accolades for his support of the circus and when he died in 1915, he left an estate of $5 million, quite a sum of money during the early 1900s.

Within the turn of the century the circus changed its name from “W.W. Cole’s New Colossal Shows” to Cole Bros. Circus, which remains today. The circus would be purchased by Canadian showman Martin Downs and his son James. During the 1920s Cole Bros. Circus was owned and operated by two brothers, Floyd and Howard King, who brought the circus to the western frontier where performances were held at military bases, mining camps and remote boomtowns.
read more at---
http://www.thesttammanynews.com/news/article_93f8c9f4-17dc-11e2-b941-001a4bcf887a.html

 

 

Ag Days brings in the clowns

by Lisa Voyles/Chickasaw Journal Chickasaw360.Com
from--- chickasaw36.com

Oct 17, 2012

HOUSTON, MS - The annual Ag Days event will feature all the usual events like exhibits and children's activities, but organizers are bringing in a new feature event to provide entertainment for children of all ages.

The Lewis and Clark Circus will put up the big top behind the Chickasaw County Coliseum this year and the public is invited to come out and watch the circus.

"The closest this circus has ever come to us has been Oxford," said organizer Kathy Funderburk. "We're really proud to get them."

The circus will feature animal acts, high wire and trapeze artists and, of course, clowns.

Tickets are on sale now and those who buy in advance will receive a discount.

Pre-sold tickets are $10 for adults and come with two free children's tickets. Tickets bought at the door are $17 each and children's tickets will be $5 each.

"It's definitely the way to go to buy in advance," said Angie Abrams of the Chickasaw County Extension office.

The circus is just one more addition to Ag Days to make it an event for all ages.

"It has really grown," Funderburk said.

Ag Days will be held Oct. 25-27 with the circus bringing in the finale for two shows on Saturday.

Read more: chickasaw360.com - Ag Days brings in the clowns