Circus coming to Ridgebury, PA

 

from:  thedailyreview.com
June 14, 2013
Ridgebury Township will play home to a circus for the first time this Independence Day, hosting the Lewis and Clark Circus July 4.
 The circus tent will stop at the lawn across from the Ridgebury Volunteer Fire Company hall on Berwick Turnpike for two shows at 4 and 7 p.m., said fire company president Leland Jelliff. The circus will feature animals, acrobats and other performers, he said.
 Circus officials contacted the department with an open date to fill, and members were immediately interested, Jelliff said. "We decided to give it a try," he said.
 Advance tickets will cost $10 per adult, including two free tickets for children 14 and under with the purchase of an advance adult ticket. Advance tickets are available by contacting Jelliff at (570) 596-2839 or by leaving a message at the fire hall at (570) 596-2141. Tickets are also available through fire department members and at Judy's Country Store and Furman's Barbershop.
 Tickets will be $15 for adults and $5 for children under 14 at the door.

Circus won't be coming to a nearby town
from:  myrecordjournal.com
by Savannah Mul
June 14, 2013
SOUTHINGTON,CT — In March, town officials were working with their counterparts in Meriden to get the Cole Bros. Circus to continue performing in the area.

But the proposed site in Southington “just isn’t feasible for the circus,” said Dawn Miceli, a Southington town councilor.

The circus had been performing summer shows at the Hub site in downtown Meriden, but construction plans made that unfeasible this year. The Southington Drive-In, which is owned by the town, was considered as an alternative location.

“We were going to help Meriden out and do our due diligence to try and make it happen,” Miceli said. “But unfortunately we couldn’t do it.”

The circus would need a 300-by-400 foot space for the tents, vehicles and animal cages.
“There is a football field or a multipurpose field on that property and it’s not able to have anything on it, let alone, tents and elephants walking around,” Miceli said.

Miceli said there probably was room for the tents, but accommodating all the cars would be a problem. A worker from the Cole Bros. Circus came out with Miceli to evaluate the property.

“He came to see the property and said it’s not large enough for the needs of the circus,” she said.

The Cole Bros. Circus brings a lot of equipment into town, said Renee Story, Cole Bros. vice president of administration.

“It’s simply because the property was not large enough,” he said. “The area wouldn’t accommodate parking very well and unfortunately it wasn’t a suitable location.”

Cole Bros. will be performing June 26 and 27 at the showgrounds across from Bristol City Hall, with performances at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.


BOOK REVIEW--

Queen of the Air: The greatest circus story ever told


Crown Publishing
from:  chicagoreader.com
Posted by Aimee Levitt
06.14.13
It would be pretty hard to screw up a biography of Leitzel, the great circus aerialist. But the first time Dean Jensen tried writing Queen of the Air, 30 years ago, he did.

Leitzel, also known as Lillian Leitzel, was the world's biggest circus celebrity back in the 1910s and '20s, when circus performers still were celebrities. (Apologies to fans of Siegfried and Roy.) Her claim to fame was her rope act: she would dangle from a loop attached to a rope high above the audience, and then she would flip her entire body over her head. She did this by dislocating her shoulder; if there wasn't music playing, you could hear a click as it slipped in and out of its socket. At every performance—and the circus had two shows every day—she would do more than 100 flips at one time.

 

courtesy Dean Jensen
Leitzel, hiding her right arm, damaged by her rope trick
Leitzel was tiny—four feet nine inches tall, 95 pounds—and beautiful. Her romantic life was active, to put it diplomatically (she had a predilection for older gentlemen who were generous with gifts), but her great love was her third husband, Alfredo Codona, a dashing trapeze artist. They first met as teenagers in 1909 in Chicago when both were performing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus, she as part of the headlining act with her mother and aunts, he as an extra, but they didn't marry for nearly two more decades, after he became of the few people to master the triple somersault and was nearly as famous and well paid as she was. (The ceremony was in 1928, also in Chicago, and Leitzel kept Alfredo waiting at the altar for three hours.)
READ MORE--
http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2013/06/14/queen-of-the-air-the-greatest-circus-story-ever-told

Weekend High Five: Festivals, Fairs and Concerts

By Carina Corral, KSEE News

June 14, 2013

Clovis, NM--

VIET NAM--

French circus troupe to perform in Vietnam
VietNamNet Bridge – A French contemporary performance by the Chabatz d’Entrar circus troupe will be held at the Ben Thanh Theatre as part of the 2013 Vietnam – France Year on June 20.

 

from: english.vietnamnet.vn
June 15, 2013
Chabatz d’Entrar’s new creation will be an acrobatic and non verbal communication performance, complemented by the use of Kapla wooden boards.
The circus troupe was founded in 1997 and has since settled down in rural areas. They offer workshops and performances to the local population.
In 2004, its members set up a centre dedicated to circus art and street theatre in Saint Junien.
Chabatz d’Entrar made a tour of the Philippines and Indonesia in May 2011. This year, Vietnam will be the next destination after Timor-Leste.
Source: VOV

ZERBINI FAMILY CIRCUS

Family Circus Set To Return To New Canaan

 

Representatives of several sponsoring organizations for the New Canaan Family Circus: David Hoyle, Arnold Karp, Jenny Esposito, Jerry Miller, BJ Flagg, Doug Stewart, Stacey Hafen, and Steve Karl.
Photo Credit: Contributed
from: newcannandailyvoice.com
by Anthony Buzzeo
June 14, 2013
NEW CANAAN, Conn. — The annual New Canaan Family Circus will be returning later this month when the Zerbini Family Circus comes to town.

This is the first year the Zerbini Family Circus will be coming to New Canaan, and its acts include aerialists, jugglers, clowns, and the “Wheel of Destiny,” a release said. Children will also have the opportunity to ride the camels during intermission.

The Zeribini’s are an eighth-generation family circus that has performed all across the country.

"We feel it is important to invest in our communities, and the Circus is a fun, family-oriented way to spend an evening,” Jenny Esposito, store manager of TD Bank in New Canaan, one of the leading sponsors of the event, said in a release.
readmore:
http://newcanaan.dailyvoice.com/events/family-circus-set-return-new-canaan

KELLY-MILLER CIRCUS

At the circus, tigers — and everyone else — are being watched

 

Professional tiger trainer Ryan Holder pets one1-year-old female "Nairobi" before a performance of the Kelly Miller Circus in suburban Washington, D.C.
Photograph by: Allen Abel /For Postmedia News
from: theprovince.com
Postmedia News
June 14, 2013
OLNEY, Maryland — Tora the Tiger, Shonti the Tiger, Sumsara the Tiger, Jai the Tiger, Kali the Tiger, and Nairobi the Baby Tiger don’t have cell phones, even though they spend most of their time in a cell. When I meet them, they are yawning and disarmingly kittenish, indolently draped over each other in a pair of wheeled wire cages on the back lot of the Kelly Miller Circus, an old-fashioned “mud show” that embarks from Oklahoma each February on a 10-month odyssey to pitch its tent in some of the smallest towns in this country.

Lolling nearby are Lisa the Elephant, Becky the Elephant, Tracey the Elephant, four zebras whose names I do not know, various camels, ponies, horses, goats and puppies, plus two llamas who will parade around the ring during the second act of tonight’s show, costumed (to their seeming embarrassment) as Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty. Then the entire menagerie will be trucked to the next hamlet, and the next one, day after day after day, until Thanksgiving.

As the little circus peregrinates along the byways, various agents and agencies of the U.S. government will drop in randomly and unpredictably, just as they hover, we now know, over all of us down here, taking notes every time we place a phone call, send an email, watch a video, upload a photo, enter a building, go to the mall, or get on a bus.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/technology/circus+tigers+everyone+else+being+watched/8526293/story.html#ixzz2WFoxGino

Flames, bears and more entertain crowds at Christensen Field


Tony Gray, Fremont Tribune
Alejandro Mesa blows fire during the James Cristy Cole Circus Monday evening at Christensen Field.
from: fremonttribune.com
by Tribune Staff
June 11, 2013
Fremont,NE--Who could blame Andrew Stafford for clowning around a bit?
After all, the paint on his face did resemble that of a clown.
Andrew was among the many who took in one of two performances of the James Cristy Cole Circus on Monday at Christensen Field in Fremont.
Those who attended the three-ring circus got to be thrilled by fire breather Alejandro Mesa, “Aerial Diva” Wendy Bell, a bear act and Star Cristy’s Alaskan Malamutes.

 

An Alaskan Malamute performs a trick during the James Cristy Cole Circus Monday evening at Christensen Field.
The circus also offered an opportunity for kids of all ages to get an up-close look at the animals and take a camel ride.
Other acts included trampoline and aerial artists, jugglers, Uncle Willie the circus clown, a mixed animal revue featuring big and little horses, and Cleo the camel.
James Cristy Cole Circus is produced by James Plunkett, a fourth-generation circus performer. His great-grandfather started out in repertoire shows and vaudeville. The Plunketts eventually added animals to their show and it became a circus.
Plunkett mastered the trampoline and also appeared at the Monte Carlo Circus Festival with his “Christopher James – King of the Silver Strand” wire act. His wife, Cristine Herriott, represents four generations of an American circus family.
read more:
http://fremonttribune.com/news/local/flames-bears-and-more-entertain-crowds-at-christensen-field/article_7dba15db-dca4-57b6-8344-aaf60a7f0bd3.html

TOM DUFFYS CIRCUS

(Ireland)

 

Mickyshowman

Published on May 1, 2013

IRELAND'S PREMIER CIRCUS ON THE MOVE.

Adorable new lion cubs introduced at Germany's famous Circus Krone
from: newyorkdailynews.com
May 24, 2013


Fredrik von Erichsen/EPA
05/24/2013
 British animal taimer Martin Lacey holds two white lion cubs during a photo session at Circus Krone in Darmstadt, Germany, 24 May 2013. Circus Krone has introduced six baby lions, four white and two brown. They were born two weeks ago.

Fredrik von Erichsen/EPA

A white lion cub bites the red velvet decorations in its basket during a photo session at Circus Krone in Darmstadt, Germany, 24 May 2013. Circus Krone has introduced six baby lions, four white and two brown. They were born two weeks ago.

 

Fredrik von Erichsen/EPA
05/24/2013 
 A white lion cub is seen during a photo session at Circus Krone in Darmstadt, Germany, 24 May 2013. Circus Krone has introduced six baby lions, four white and two brown. They were born two weeks ago.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/circus-krone-germany-introduces-adorable-new-lion-cubs-gallery-1.1353731?pmSlide=3#ixzz2WFzTOJB6

The day the circus came to (through) Oak Park

 

The greatest train on Earth rumbled through Oak Park last Wednesday morning. Courtesy Marty Berg
from:  oakpark.com
by Ken Trainer, staff writer
June 4th, 2013
Oak Park, IL--Last Wednesday around 8:30 a.m., Oak Park commuter Marty Berg spotted a circus train rumbling through Oak Park on the Union Pacific West Line tracks. Actually, you couldn't miss it.

"The whole train was huge — 40/50 cars? — and had rail cars loaded with pickup trucks, tractors, passenger cars, and many passenger rail cars," Berg reported. "I guess the circus was in town!"

CLARK COUNTY FAIR

Clark County Fair's weeklong run gets under way today

 

from: centralkynews.com
By Kyle Woosley
June 14, 2013
The Clark County Fair will have a couple new activities for attendees this year, including the return of a crowd favorite.
 The fair gets under way at 4 p.m. today at the Clark County Fairgrounds with the Open Pleasure and Fun Horse Show, followed by the Open Beef Show at 5 p.m.
 One of those new additions is The Martin Family Circus, which is a family of six performing songs by classic artists such as The Beach Boys and Johnny Cash.  The group includes Paul Martin, a Winchester native and former bass player for the Oak Ridge Boys, and his wife, Jamie, with their four children, March, Kell, Texas and Challant.
Melissa Clark, president of the Clark County Fair Board, said this will be the first time the group has performed at the fair, but they have previously performed at the Pioneer Festival.
 The Martin Family Circus will be performing at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19.
 However, Clark said she urges people to come out for the Old-Fashioned Fair Day, which is being resurrected.
 “We had it several years ago and we’re trying to have it back again this year,” Clark said.
read more:
http://www.centralkynews.com/winchestersun/news/ws-clark-county-fairs-weeklong-run-gets-under-way-today-20130614,0,3268978.story

~~~BACK IN THE DAY~~~

 

venice arena

 

 

ekephant ambassadors--

America's Elephant Ambassadors

 

We are Rosie, Dixie, Tai, Becky and Kitty - America's elephant ambassadors. We provide joy and laughter to children of all ages while increasing awareness that the Asian elephant is endangered and how you can help save our species.
We live at Have Trunk Will Travel Ranch in Perris, California and travel all over to appear at events, in movies and TV commercials and fundraisers for the International Elephant Foundation. For more information about scheduling an appearance, please contact kari@havetrunkwilltravel.com

POV Crane Climb in Southampton, UK with James Kingston - GoPro HD Hero 3 Adventures

jamesmedias

Published on Jun 2, 2013

When asked why he went up there to die, he replied:

"I didn't go up there to die. I went up there to live."

Animal circus ban for Shrewsbury Quarry to be relaxed
A ban on circuses using performing animals at Shrewsbury’s Quarry has been relaxed after councillors voted for a change in rules.

 

The Dingle in Shrewsbury Quarry
from: shropshirestar.com (UK)
June 13, 2013
Circuses featuring animals in their shows had been banned from staging in events in the town park by the former Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council.
But Shrewsbury Town Council’s recreation and leisure committee decided last night to amend the rules.
The change now means that circuses whose animals are considered domestic, such as horses and dogs, will be allowed to perform in the Quarry, subject to satisfactory health and welfare reports and checks with the RSPCA.
A review was debated after Baileys Circus approached the town council to put on an event in the Quarry in May 2014 and asked the authority whether the policy could be reconsidered in light of it using horses as part of its show.
A report to councillors put three options to them – to continue the ban, remove it completely or allow show which used domestic animals.
In a vote, none of the councillors opted to remove the ban completely, with four voting in favour of the domestic animals option and two for the continuation of the veto.
Councillor Kath Owen, who voted for the continuation of the ban, said she was concerned relaxing the ban may set a precedent.
“I think if you start allowing domestic animals, it might leave the door open a bit for other people to say ‘Can we have some other animal?’,” she said.
But Councillor Beverley Baker said other organisations are allowed to use dogs and horses in The Quarry already.
“The problem is if we are doing it for other groups, how can you say we aren’t doing it for circuses?” she said.
Among the events planned for the Quarry in the next few months is a dog show on August 17 and a horse carriage parade on September 15.
Showjumping is also a regular feature of the annual Shrewsbury Flower Show, which is taking place on August 9 and 10 this year.
 

City students get taste of upcoming Kelly Miller Circus


Jack Foley|Herald News
The Rev. Robert Lawrence is an honorary ringmaster for the upcoming Kelly Miller Circus.
from: heraldnews.com
Jun 13, 2013
Students at Espirito Santo Parochial School got a sneak peek at the Kelly Miller Circus that will be rolling into Fall River on June 26 with a visit from JP the Clown on Tuesday. The circus will be hosted by the Rotary Club of Fall River..

 

 

 

 

Read more: http://www.heraldnews.com/photos/x1002423696/City-students-get-taste-of-upcoming-Kelly-Miller-Circus#ixzz2WAJPp9kY

circus pages

 

CIRCUS ROYAL 2013

Circus to put on spectacular show

 

Circus Royal 2013 is going to put on a spectacular show in Katherine on June 25 and 26.
from: katherinetimes.com.au
by
June 14, 2013
While his high school classmates were prepping to start their college careers at places like Murdoch University, Curtin or UWA, Damian Syred was busy planning his circus.
The young man from Western Australia dreamed of becoming a classic circus owner. It’s a goal he achieved in 2007 and one he’ll continue to realize when the Big Top comes to Katherine for three shows only on June 25 and 26.
“It’s like going to work and playing for two-and-a-half hours,” Mr Syred, 31, said.
Although he’s a first-generation circus owner, Mr Syred grew up a dreamer.
As a toddler, he loved watching circus shows on television, and frequently play-acted being a circus star. His parents and grandparents and several other Syred-family members all lived near Perth. Dad, Murray played football in the Perth league.
After selling hot dogs and show bags during school holiday stints at circus shows visiting Perth, young Damian set about teaching himself some serious money management skills via a short career at Bank West.
Investments in the share market and paid work experience in touring shows in New Zealand led to him buying the established Circus  Royale in 2007.
“I made a pretty good chunk of change as a student selling show bags,” Mr Syred said. "So I knew there was serious money in owning a large  circus. My grandparents Natalie and Peter Syred are farmers and I was always playing circus with their animals as a kid.”
Mr Syred said he loved everything circus from his first smell of the sawdust and grease paint.
“I love the travel,” he said. “We travel by road – there are 40-plus people that travel in my circus plus horses, baby camels, llamas, and dogs. It’s just great the stuff that you get to see out your truck window as you travel Australia.”
What Katherine locals will get to see when Circus Royale pulls into Katherine Showgrounds on June 25h and 26 is what Mr Syred says is “the best circus yet.”
The show includes all new acts for 2013.
A world class high-wire motor bike act featuring John Fossett from the famous UK circus family.
There are some fabulous acrobatics from the Miller Duo who make high speed spinning and staying upright on fast moving roller skates  look ridiculously easy - the colourful Mexican Family Reyes give traditional slapstick a modern make-over and have great fun with the audience.
From the genteel display of ponies, llamas and dogs to the thrilling fast juggling - this show will have your kids sitting open-mouthed in wonder.
And at its very heart will stand the former dreamer, now, the new custodian of Circus  Royale, ringmaster Damian Syred.
“Growing up, I did all the things kids do. I tried to have a cool haircut and wear cool clothes,” he said. “As ringmaster I get to seriously dress up, I love that. No less than 20 costume changes per show.”
see more:
http://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/1572776/circus-to-put-on-spectacular-show/?cs=1207

The circus must be in town

 

Dan Rudy/MDN
from: Minot Daily News.com
By DAN RUDY - Staff Writer
June 14, 2013
The hum of activity hung over Surrey Thursday afternoon, less from the resurfacing work on Highway 2 than hands hurriedly setting up the big top for the Carson & Barnes Circus, a family-owned troupe hailing from Oklahoma that started in 1937. Thirty thousand performances later, Carson & Barnes is currently on a monthlong tour of North Dakota and Minnesota, stopping into Surrey yesterday and today in between shows in Bismarck and Devils Lake.

"We've been fortunate with the weather," said Kristin Parra, one of the owners' daughters, happening to miss a few scattered storms already. Though the circus is no stranger to the state, this is its first time setting up in Surrey.

"They've never had one," said Surrey Police Department Chief Pete Schneider of his community, noting the air of excitement the circus' arrival has brought with it. Well before the tents and amusements were set up, local residents and children watched animals being led to tented enclosures and workmen clambering about with electrical wiring.
"I'm not really concerned about safety," Schneider mentioned as he kept an eye on things. "I'm more concerned about the parking." Originally to be sited on the Surrey High School playing field, marshy conditions meant the circus had to pitch its tents across the street in the school's gravel lot. Spectators can park around the school itself and along the roadside.

At 3 o'clock, trainer Chip Arthur led out the stars of the show, a pair of Asian elephants named "Viola" and "Kelly," after some of the owners' family members. A pair of volunteer firefighters from the Surrey Fire Department brought around a pump truck to give the pachyderms an outdoor shower, as well as providing a bit of a free show for onlookers.

"It's something different," joked Ray Bolk, secretary treasurer and sitting board member of Surrey's volunteer fire department. In his 40 years with the department, this is the first time he has had to hose down any elephants.

Parra explained that the duo were captured in the wild by her grandfather 41 years ago, just before a 1972 law was passed banning their importation. She did not recall which Asian country the pair came from.

In addition to its shows beneath the big top, the circus will feature a number of other animals, including a camel, donkey, pair of llama, cluster of goats, trained dogs and "Cupid" the zonkey - a kind of zebroid, or cross between a zebra and donkey with distinctive stripes yet asinine features. There will also be games, some rides and other amusements. Tickets are $16 per adult and $10 per child, though a number of free admission coupons were distributed in the Surrey area beforehand. The two-hour shows will run again tonight at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.
read more:
http://www.minotdailynews.com/page/content.detail/id/576287/The-circus-must-be-in-town.html?nav=5010

CIRCUS MODEL BUILDERS
~~WORLDWIDE~~

 

Today on Circusmodellbau.de : Pictures of the amazing Head Bros. Circus model of the late Herb Head (1" scale). http://circusmodellbau.blogspot.de/2013/06/head-bros-circus-112.html
 

RBBB-GOLD UNIT

Circus bringing three-ring fun to Cajundome



As circus ringmaster, David Shipman keeps the audience engaged and involved. / Submitted photo
from:  theadvertiser.com
by Megan Wyatt
Jun. 13, 2013
Lafayette,LA--David Shipman and Catherine Carden were fascinated by circus acts at very young ages — Shipman from the audience, Carden from inside the ring.
Now, they are the stars in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Fully Charged, Gold Edition, which hits the Cajundome June 27-30.
“My favorite part of the circus is being able to be in a position to where I can see the reaction of children. I remember what mine was like, and it’s like reliving mine every single time,” said Shipman, the show’s ringmaster.
Seeing the circus at the age of 2 ignited Shipman’s interest in the performing arts. Following college, Shipman got a 9-to-5 job but felt unfulfilled. It took a self-described “quarter-life crisis” to return to his love of performing.
Shipman learned he had missed auditions for the circus. He didn’t let that stop him, however, and called up Ringling Bros. directly to see if he could try out anyway. An hour later, he had a meeting set up with the producers.

 

Cathy Carden is the animal trainer and presenter for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Gold Unit. / Submitted photos
“They made me sing, dance and at the end of my dance number, they told me to freestyle,” Shipman said. “I’m pretty sure I did a ‘whoop, whoop!’ somewhere and did the MC Hammer (dance). I think that solidified their interest in me because I wasn’t afraid to show my personality.”
One week later, Shipman signed a contract. His first show? Christmas Day.
“I keep the audience involved and engaged. I keep everybody excited,” Shipman said. “I also get to introduce what I consider now to be my family. I keep the show moving, and it’s like keeping a party going.”
read more:
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20130614/LIFESTYLE/306140008/Circus-bringing-three-ring-fun-Cajundome?nclick_check=1

~~~BACK IN THE DAY~~~

from retronaut.com

 

1905:
Circus Lions

c. 1890s:
Tom Toch the Funny Man

Late 1800s:
Juggling rifles

early 1900's

High Diving Horse