Discoveries bring Montana circus history to life
by Robin O'Day - KPAX News
Feb 15, 2013
PHILIPSBURG - It's not the obvious romanticism of a dozen roses or a box of chocolates, but one woman stumbled across a sort of childhood memory that she'd been pining over her whole life. She may be the brains behind successful businesses like Philipsburg's Sweet Palace and Sapphire Gallery, but Shirley Beck can now add the Circus Gym to her list after finding rare 1923 Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Posters after a building renovation. Shirley dusted off the decades and introduces us to the greatest show on earth - Montana style. "The deeper I went the older it was. And the very last thing that I took out was a roll of paper. It was in the very bottom corner," she recalled. Shirley knew there could be some surprises in store for her after she bought the historic building on Main Street, but she had no idea an iconic symbol from her childhood would be waiting for her to discover, buried deep down in the corner of the building. "I unrolled it just a little bit. It only took me two inches in and I knew exactly what I had," Shirley told us. Baraboo, Wisconsin was Shirley's home in the 1950's and as it turns out, it was also the summer home for one of the most celebrated performing groups in American history. "Immediately, the hair on my arms stands up because they are Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus posters," said Shirley. She was instantly flooded with flashbacks from her childhood. As a young girl, she'd sneak out and watch the circus, every chance she got. So it only seems fitting *she would discover seven posters promoting the circus coming to Missoula on August 17th. The year was 1923. "That means they were waiting under there for 24 years before I was born, waiting, and I often say they were waiting for me, waiting all these year, waiting through everything, waiting for me to find them," Shirley explained. The story doesn't end on the streets of Philipsburg. A young man working in Missoula was cutting lawns to make some extra cash, came across some photos of the very same circus parading down the streets of downtown Missoula. read more at: http://www.kaj18.com/news/discoveries-bring-montana-circus-history-to-life/#!prettyPhoto[gallery]/0/
by Robin O'Day - KPAX News
Feb 15, 2013
PHILIPSBURG - It's not the obvious romanticism of a dozen roses or a box of chocolates, but one woman stumbled across a sort of childhood memory that she'd been pining over her whole life. She may be the brains behind successful businesses like Philipsburg's Sweet Palace and Sapphire Gallery, but Shirley Beck can now add the Circus Gym to her list after finding rare 1923 Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Posters after a building renovation. Shirley dusted off the decades and introduces us to the greatest show on earth - Montana style. "The deeper I went the older it was. And the very last thing that I took out was a roll of paper. It was in the very bottom corner," she recalled. Shirley knew there could be some surprises in store for her after she bought the historic building on Main Street, but she had no idea an iconic symbol from her childhood would be waiting for her to discover, buried deep down in the corner of the building. "I unrolled it just a little bit. It only took me two inches in and I knew exactly what I had," Shirley told us. Baraboo, Wisconsin was Shirley's home in the 1950's and as it turns out, it was also the summer home for one of the most celebrated performing groups in American history. "Immediately, the hair on my arms stands up because they are Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus posters," said Shirley. She was instantly flooded with flashbacks from her childhood. As a young girl, she'd sneak out and watch the circus, every chance she got. So it only seems fitting *she would discover seven posters promoting the circus coming to Missoula on August 17th. The year was 1923. "That means they were waiting under there for 24 years before I was born, waiting, and I often say they were waiting for me, waiting all these year, waiting through everything, waiting for me to find them," Shirley explained. The story doesn't end on the streets of Philipsburg. A young man working in Missoula was cutting lawns to make some extra cash, came across some photos of the very same circus parading down the streets of downtown Missoula. read more at: http://www.kaj18.com/news/discoveries-bring-montana-circus-history-to-life/#!prettyPhoto[gallery]/0/
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