THE BALLOON MAN

Circus big top exhibit takes center stage at Enid museum

from: Enid News & Eagle

June 11, 2013

ENID, Okla. — In an era spanning the early 20th century, through depression-ridden times and a Dust Bowl, one form of revelry thrived — the circus.

Traveling from coast to coast, rail cars packed with canvas, exotic animal menageries, strongmen, fat ladies and roustabouts brought entertainment to millions of Americans. Visitors to Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center will experience the circus through a new temporary exhibit, “Step Right Up! Behind the Scenes of the Circus Big Top, 1890-1965,” on display Saturday through Aug. 11. The exhibit will explore another side of the thrilling spectacle of the circus and a history fraught with intrigue and majesty.

The exhibit takes viewers behind the scenes of the circus, exploring the pageantry, colorful past and living presence of this grand American theatrical tradition. As one of America’s oldest theatrical traditions, the circus started as a European transplant in the late 1700s and was perfected in the United States by the likes of John Bill Ricketts and P.T. Barnum, who first introduced us to sideshow oddities like the Feejee Mermaid and Tom Thumb. By 1900, there were more than 100 circuses crisscrossing the country, and they were adept at using all of the advancements of America’s industrial revolution — the railroad, color lithography and mass marketing strategies.

Visitors to the Heritage Center will receive a $1 discount off admission by showing their tickets or ticket stubs for Cirque Musica, coming June 27.

“Step Right Up!” is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance. ExhibitsUSA sends more than 25 exhibitions on tour to more than 100 small- and mid-sized communities every year. Mid-America is the oldest nonprofit regional arts organization in the United States.

Cherokee Strip Regional Heritage Center is located at 507 S. 4th. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students. Active-duty military and veterans get in free free. For information about CSRHC events, go to the website at www.csrhc.org.