THE BALLOON MAN

STEP RIGHT UP! Circus and games exhibits now open at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown

from: buckslocalnews.com

March 01, 2014

DOYLESTOWN - In an era spanning the early twentieth century, through depression ridden times and a dust bowl, one form of revelry thrived – the circus. Visitors to the Mercer Museum will see another side of this grand American theatrical tradition in the new exhibit, Step Right Up! Behind the Scenes of the Circus Big Top, 1890-1965, on view at the museum through March 16. Step Right Up! will feature an array of costumes, colorful posters, backstage stories, photographs and more. Step Right Up! is toured by ExhibitsUSA, a national program of Mid-America Arts Alliance and is sponsored by: Bucks County Foundation, Philadelphia School of Circus Arts and Eric Geoffrey.

The Mercer Museum also opened the hands-on exhibit, Playing Together: Games, on exhibit through May 11. The exhibit invites visitors off all ages to play a multitude of games that span generations and cultures. The centerpiece of the exhibit is an oversize chess board with large game pieces. The museum will supplement the exhibit with a display of original board games from the 1800s to the 1900s from the Judy and Bud Newman Collection. Playing Together: Games was created by the Children’s Museum of Memphis and is sponsored by: Judy and Bud Newman and Susan E. Kane.

The Mercer Museum offers visitors a unique window into pre-Industrial America as seen through the implements used in everyday life. The Museum’s collection includes more than 40,000 objects exhibiting the tools of more than 60 different crafts and trades, providing one of the world’s most comprehensive portraits of material culture in America. The Mercer Museum is located at Green Street & Scout Way in Doylestown and is open for self-guided exploration seven days a week. For more information, call 215-345-0210, 

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