THE BALLOON MAN

Wopat to lead Baraboo circus parade

Lodi native Tom Wopat, a famed actor and singer, will perform in concert this summer at the Al. Ringling Theatre and will serve as grand marshal of the Big Top Parade.

from: wiscnews.com

Ben Bromley News Republic

March 3, 2014

Tom Wopat will star on a different Broadway this summer as he leads the Big Top Parade through downtown Baraboo.

The Lodi native, who gained television fame on “The Dukes of Hazzard” and earned a Tony Award nomination for his work in the musical “Annie Get Your Gun,” will serve as the parade’s grand marshal July 26. He’ll be playing the Broadway that serves as downtown Baraboo’s main north-south artery, rather than the Great White Way in Manhattan.

“It’s always nice to come home,” Wopat said. “I like to think I’m pretty well grounded. I milked cows for eight years and if that doesn’t ground you, I don’t know what will,” he joked in a news release announcing his selection as grand marshal.

This year’s parade, the second organized by local business leaders and Circus World Museum, will celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Ringling brothers founding their show in their hometown of Baraboo. More than 75 units, including antique wood-carved circus wagons from Circus World’s collection, will circle the downtown streets.

“The sights, the smells, the sounds, the feel of the circus will all be here in Baraboo that day,” said parade coordinator Debra Bauer, executive director of the Baraboo Area Chamber of Commerce.

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