THE BALLOON MAN

Circus could move from Meriden Hub to Southington Drive-in
from:  myrecordjournal.com
by Lauren Sievert
March 1, 2013

(foto from balloonmans files)

SOUTHINGTON — Southington officials are working with Meriden to bring the circus to the drive-in movie lot.

Town Councilor Dawn Miceli said Meriden officials contacted her about hosting the Cole Bros. Circus this year due to conflicts with construction at the Meriden Hub, the site used for the past three years when the circus came to the area. Miceli said Meriden reached out to Southington due to its proximity and not wanting to lose the town’s place on the circus roster. Meriden Mayor Michael S. Rohde said the plans for the Hub are “up in the air,” awaiting for a decision from the State Bond Commission. Rohde said the site will most likely be under construction at circus time.

“It has been a great run. Tens of thousands of people attend,” Rohde said, “We haven’t had any negative experiences.”

Rohde said that if the circus has to be moved to Southington, it’s a change that can be made fairly quickly.

“They didn’t want the residents to miss out (on the circus),” Miceli said at the Town Council meeting. “It will have to be researched, but I think we should do our due diligence to see if it is feasible.”

The circus would include a three-ring big top, but not the carnival, Miceli said. There would be no rides or games. The Cole Bros. “Circus of the Stars” was established in 1884 and has gone through changes, and has been modernized and kept alive by current president and CEO John Pugh.
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http://www.myrecordjournal.com/local/article_c8a506fc-82f0-11e2-88d1-0019bb2963f4.html