BABY VAL

Baby elephant to perform at Cole Brothers circus in P-burg

 

from:  blogs.mcall.com
Posted by Kathy Lauer-Williams
May 14, 2013
Baby Val, the little Asian elephant, will be one of the many animals featured at Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars Monday and Tuesday at Phillipsburg Mall,1200 Highway 22 East.
 Val will join a troupe of performing Asian elephants in the center ring of the circus set up under its distinctive red and yellow striped big top.

Laugh at the crazy antics of the clowns, be amazed at the Fassion family from South America who do balancing feats on a thin pole and watch as the human cannonball Jose Bermudez is shot out of the world’s largest cannon.
Other highlights include a trio of aerialists who perform on a ring, by hair and with fabric strips; Vincenta Pages and her white Bengal tigers; a thrilling daredevil motorcycle act and the Tabares family who perform a high wire act in which they form a human tower
Shows are at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Tickets are $16 to $23.

MOSCOW STATE CIRCUS UK

Woman with clown phobia....is married to one

 

from:  thisisnottingham.co.uk
By Rebecca Smith-Dawkins
May 16, 2013
IF you are scared of clowns, the last thing you would want to see is your husband of 21 years dressing up as one for his circus job.
Moscow-born Natalia Gonchorova, 41, works as a mannequin in her husband's clown act – but her phobia means she cannot stand the sight of him once he is all dressed up. In fact, the only way she can look at him is behind sunglasses.
The couple will be performing together at the Moscow State Circus in Nottingham this week – the fifth time the circus has come to the city since it arrived in the UK in 1995.

Natalia knew that her husband, Pavel Ivanov, 43, worked at the circus, but it was only when they were married three months later that she found out he dressed up as her worst nightmare for a living.
Read more: http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Woman-clown-phobia-married/story-19001954-detail/story.html#ixzz2TY40Ts9t
 

CIRCUS IN INDIA

After a generation, circus returns to Valley

 

New Apollo Circus is all set to tour Kashmir for nearly three months beginning May-end. HT photo
from:  hindustantimes.com
Arjun Sharma, Hindustan Times
Ludhiana, May 15, 2013
After a 30-year interval, the circus will return to the Valley. A Ludhiana-based circus troupe, New Apollo Circus, is all set to tour Kashmir for nearly three months beginning end-May. The Jammu and Kashmir government has granted it permission and also assured adequate security arrangements. The district police too have given a go-ahead to the troupe.

"Till the mid-1980s, before armed insurgency began, circuses were common in Kashmir," says the managing director of New Apollo Circus, Bipan Jindal.
In Srinagar, the circus will be staged on the grounds of the Bemina Boys Hostel, 3km from Lal Chowk, the site of many terror attacks. The group will also perform at Chadoora village in Budgam district, which used to be a hotbed of terror activities.

Jindal, who last staged a circus in Srinagar in 1985, is hopeful that coming at the time of peak tourist season, his circus with all its rides and magic shows will pull decent crowds.

But it's not just tourists.

As Naheed Burza a BA student from Lal Bazaar, Srinagar, points out, "One entire generation of Kashmiris is strangers to the circus. This is great news for us."

HAMID-MORTON BIG CIRCUS POSTER

 

Circus Terrificus presented in Bellows Falls on May 25
from:  reformer.com
Thursday May 16, 2013
BELLOWS FALLS,VT -- The "Circus Terrificus" will be presented at the Bellows Falls Opera House on Saturday, May 25, sponsored by the Women’s Community Club of Grafton.

A matinee at 2 p.m. for children and adults, and an adults-only performance at 7:30 p.m., will feature circus acts that have performed around the world. A trapeze duo that starred with Cirque du Soleil, a clown from Ringling Bros., an award-winning gymnastic duo, a gold medalist in aerial hoop and four jugglers headline the show.

The entertainment is organized by the professional company, Troy Wunderle’s Big Top Adventures of Rockingham. Tickets for the 2 p.m. matinee are $15 for children under 12 (children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult), $25 for adults $25 in advance, $30 at the door. The adults-only 7:30 p.m. evening performance is $25 in advance, $30 at the door. VIP tickets with preferred seating are $50. VIPs will have a cocktail party before the evening performance and meet the artists after the show.

Advance tickets are available from www.brattleborotix.com, wcctickets@aol.com, 802-843-1180, or can be purchased at Misty Valley Books in Chester, Village Square Books in Bellows Falls, Ruggles & Hunt in Walpole and Gallery North Star in Grafton.

For more information about the circus, visit Circus Terrificus on Facebook or www.graftonvermont.org.

Columbia to end use of animals in traveling circuses
from:  nst.com.my
BOGOTA: The Colombian Senate’s Fifth Committee has approved a draft bill to end the use of animals in traveling circuses.

The 8 to 1 committee vote (4 absent) sends the Bill to the plenary session and was welcomed by Animal Defenders International (ADI), following a six-year campaign after their undercover investigators exposed cruelty and suffering in Colombia’s circuses.

Bill 244, 2012, introduced by Senator Juan de Jesús Córdoba and supported by Senator Camilo Sanchez, Rep. Hugo Velasquez, and president of the House of Representatives Augusto Posada, prohibits the use of animals in circuses.

The Committee heard evidence from Eduardo Peña, ADI South America campaign coordinator and representatives of the animal circus industry.

Cordoba urged the Fifth Committee members to support the Bill, saying, "The passage of this bill would prevent the public health and safety problems triggered by animal circuses."

The Bill has widespread public support as well as a number of Colombian public authorities, celebrities and organizations.

Peña said, “We urge approval of this important initiative. It is not opposed to circuses, we want to see more humane shows for the benefit of the animals, the people who work in the circus and the public. Audiences can enjoy talented human performances, and cut out the suffering."

”ADI’s investigation horrified the public and exposed: abuse of elephants, tigers, ponies, llamas and shockingly, an elderly female chimpanzee screaming as she is repeatedly punched in the face and beaten with a chain. Dogs, tigers and a horse displayed abnormal, stereotypic behaviour, indicating suffering due to deprivation."

ADI president Jan Creamer said, “People are shocked because every time we have sent our investigators to work undercover in the circus industry, they have found abuse.

We now believe that the whole culture of the circus industry, worldwide, gives rise to the ill treatment of animals and poor environmental conditions are common. The animals exist to perform, with no regard for their welfare and intrinsic value.” -- BERNAMA
Read more: Columbia to end use of animals in traveling circuses - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/columbia-to-end-use-of-animals-in-traveling-circuses-1.275130#ixzz2TSLBBKeo
09 May 2013

RBBB-COLOMBUS

For circus performers, tours offer little time to clown around

 

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Alexander Lacey working with the big cats during a show
from:  dispatch.com
By  Ken Gordon
The Columbus Dispatch
May 9, 2013
There is only one reason to put up with a job that involves traveling 30,000 miles and working 50 weeks a year.

“I love it — I absolutely love doing what I do,” said Alexander Lacey, a big-cat trainer and presenter for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. “I’m getting paid to do my hobby.”
The circus came to Columbus yesterday for the first of eight shows that will run through Sunday in Value City Arena.

Lacey is part of the “Dragons” tour — one of three Ringling Bros. tours crisscrossing the country simultaneously. He spoke by phone last week from Albany, N.Y.

The 300 performers and behind-the-scenes workers in the tour travel in a private train. Many are accompanied by their spouses and children — which can make the schedule more tolerable. The circus provides teachers, who conduct school for the kids while traveling.

Still, it’s a grind. “There are no hours; it’s 24/7,”said Alex Petrov, who helps take care of the animals and performs a high-wire motorcycle act.
Here is a closer look at three performers:
read more:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/life_and_entertainment/2013/05/09/for-performers-tours-offer-little-time-to-clown-around.html

Man versus Elephant: Eating Contest

from: dispatch.com

Circus performers fear education revamp will endanger jobs
from:  thestage.co.uk
By: Matthew Hemley
May 9, 2013
Hundreds of circus performers could be forced to give up their jobs if planned education reforms are introduced.

Equity is warning that a proposal to remove a section of the Education Act, which allows travelling performers to educate their children on the road, would “have a huge knock-on effect not just for child performers but also for experienced professional performers with families who could be forced to give up their careers”.

The union’s concerns are shared by circus impresario Gerry Cottle, who has called on the government to recognise that “there are certain professions or ways of life where the rules have got to be more elastic”.

Currently, the Education Act of 1996 makes it an offence for a parent to fail to ensure their child’s regular attendance at a school where the child is registered.

However, section 444(6) of the act gives parents a defence in which they cannot be found guilty of a school attendance offence, provided that their child is of no fixed abode and that they, as parents, are engaged in a “trade or business of such a nature as to require them to travel from place to place”.

This means that children of traveller parents can be registered at one UK school and keep that place even while on the road, using 444(6) as a protection from prosecution.

Now, the government is proposing to repeal the exemption in a bid to boost attendances at schools.
read more:
http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2013/05/circus-performers-fear-education-revamp-will-endanger-jobs/

CIRCUS PAGES FREE KIDS PASS

 

LEWIS BROS CIRCUS POSTER

 

MARILYN MONROE

1950s:
Marilyn Monroe in a fun house mirror
From: retronaut.com

 

RBBB-HERSHEY

Circus to arrive next week in Hershey

 

rom:  cumberlink.com
By Naomi Creason, The Sentinel
May 16, 2013
April Vollm has been a comedienne for 12 years, but she was surprised at how she arrived at her latest gig — a clown with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
“The Greatest Show on Earth” is scheduled to arrive at the Giant Center in Hershey next week, and Vollm has been preparing since last year to be a part of the world-famous clown alley.
“It was kind of by accident,” the West Coast resident said. “I saw they were holding auditions in New York, so I went and it turned out great. They offered me a spot. Everybody deserves a chance to run away with the circus once in their lives.”
Last February’s audition with the Ringling Bros. Clown College meant Vollm would get a chance to be part of the performance and will appear at next week’s “Built to Amaze” show. It’s so far proven to be a unique experience for her.
“Being a clown for the Ringling Bros., you’re always on,” she said. “There’s a certain style of clowning. There’s slapstick — it’s a lot of work.”
Vollm is used to entertaining diverse audiences. She went on an international tour as a member of Tops and Blues, an Air Force entertainment contingent. Touring with the military, however, was a little different than touring with the circus.
“I can expand my boundaries and collect all kinds of skills and abilities here,” she said. “You can learn anything at Ringling Bros., look at all the talent! I’m so excited to be here and to live on the circus train too!”
Vollm said she personally enjoys some of the magic performances — having married a magician — as well as some of the mainstays of the circus, including the animals.
What she says is special about this show is the intended audience. While children will always be an attraction for the circus, Ringling Bros. is looking to make this a tradition with young adults as well.
“Ringling Bros. is catering to a new audience,” Vollm said. “(Built to Amaze) is the most modern of any Ringling circus shows. There will always be kids, but it’s also a way to keep the tradition alive in many families. We have an older population who comes in every year, but we’re looking for a new wave of audiences.”
The overall show features
more than 110 performers and 95 exotic and domestic animals. Visitors can see what it takes to build the circus as performers bring forth the circus machinery and build up the circus during the show, which will be at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Built to Amaze will opens an hour before showtime with the All-Access Preshow, which is available and free to all ticket holders.
Even as a performer, Vollm said she’s looking forward to seeing the awe in children’s faces and seeing what her fellow performers can do. “Everything is just so phenomenal,” she said.
read more:
http://cumberlink.com/entertainment/local-scene/circus-to-arrive-next-week-in-hershey/article_90339be4-bdd3-11e2-9361-0019bb2963f4.html

SAD NEWS FROM PA--

I just heard yesterday that a great friend of ours passed away Sunday---

David J. Rimsky

David J. Rimsky, of Jim Thorpe, passed away Sunday, May 12, 2013, at his home. He was the husband of the late Maryann (Walker) Rimsky, who passed away in 2003.

He was the owner/operator of Rimsky's Carnival supplies and Jim Thorpe amusements.

Born Feb. 22, 1945, in Palmerton, he was a son to the late Andrew and Bertha (Andrews) Rimsky.

He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.

He was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jim Thorpe.

He is survived by his companion Bonnie Livengood of Jim Thorpe; two sons, Mark of Jim Thorpe, and Matthew, and his wife, Robin, of Drums, Luzerne County; and granddaughters Ashlyn and Dani.

He was predeceased by his sons David and Dan; and a brother Andrew.

Services: will be held on Wednesday May 15, 2013, at 11 a.m. in the David J. Stianche Funeral Home, 123 Center St., Jim Thorpe, with the Rev. James Bechtel officiating. Viewing will begin at 10 a.m. until the time of the service. Interment will be in St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery, Jim Thorpe.

Memorial contributions can be made in his name to Carbon County Friends of Animals, 900 Walnut Ave., Jim Thorpe, PA 18229; or Arcadia Hospice, 7248 Tilghman St., Allentown, PA 18106. Online condolences at www.stianchefh.com.

My Sincere Sympathy to His Family and friends.

Dick

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARD

 

 

THANKS DONNA & ROB!

Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars in Vineland highlights events At The Shore Today


from: pressofatlanticcity.com

May 14, 2013
Step right up - the circus is back
What Is It: The Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars is in Vineland this evening. The circus plays two shows at the U-Sell Flea Market on Delsea Drive.
What To Expect: Cole Bros. likes to call itself the "world's largest circus under the big top." And it features the complete, classic circus shtick - goofy clowns, flying trapezes, magical tricks, trained animals and more.
Event Info: Showtimes are 5 and 8 p.m. on the grounds of the U-Sell Flea Market, 2896 South Delsea Dr., Vineland. Tickets are $16 to $23 for adults, or free for kids ages 12 and younger.
Cole Bros. Circus


FROM: thedailyjournal.com
All photos by Craig Matthews
May 13, 2013
VINELAND, NJ--

Petya Milanova did Extraordinary Aerial Artistry.

Emily Buckson,2, of Millville watching the clowns.

Staff photo/Craig Matthews
Clowns doing the fire house gag

Staff photo/Craig Matthews
Tim Crisco and Little Miss Crisco

Staff photo/Craig Matthews

Staff photo/Craig Matthews

Staff photo/Craig Matthews

Chris Conner, Ringmaster-Announcer

 

And , of course, a seat butcher!

Al Kaly Shriners Circus coming to town

 

By CHARLOTTE BURROUS from:cañnoncitydailyrecordcord.com
05/13/2013
Cannon City, CO--While the daring young man or woman perform high above the ground, audiences may catch their breath while watching the artists hanging upside down on a trapeze or a high wire.

This week, the Al Kaly Shriners will bring the circus to the arena at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Cañon City Rodeo Grounds at 1595 S. Ninth St.
Prior to and during the intermission, children will have the opportunity to take elephant and pony rides, as well. Brought to the community by Jordan Productions, Inc., it is a premier traveling circus, offering a three-ring American style layout with circus animals and performers.
"We're going to have the elephants, tigers (and) we have great clowns from South America," said Esteban Fassio of Jordan Productions Inc.
In addition, the circus will feature aerialists, the wheel of death and much more.
Fassio said the Shriners are in charge of the show. During the intermission, the Shriners will talk about their organization and its legacy in the area.
The proceeds from the regional circuses help keep the office running in Pueblo, but the Shriners also host fundraisers for the Shriners Children's Hospitals, which consists of 22 nonprofit hospitals across North America, headquartered in Tampa, Fla.
According to a website, the hospitals have become known as the "World's Greatest Philanthropy" with the local Shriners focusing mainly on sending children to the hospital in Salt Lake City.

Circus tickets are $12 for children and $16 for adults. The Shriners also provided tickets for children, which may be picked up in businesses around the area.
"We've had rave reviews since we started (this season's) show," Fassio said. "We have something for everybody."

BIG APPLE COMMING TO QUEENS

Big Apple Circus Returns To Queens

 

The Acrobuffos make their Big Apple Circus debut at Cunningham Park this month.
from: queenstribune.com
By Barbara Arnstein
May 10, 2013
Something wonderful happens whenever the Acrobuffos perform. When the daffy clowns interact with adults in the audience, the grown-ups relax and play like children, dueling with pool noodles. When they used their clowning skills for special performances in Afghanistan, they successfully communicated lifesaving messages to children about the dangers of land mines and malaria.
Husband and wife team Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone have performed together in 20 countries and are performing for the first time with the Big Apple Circus, returning in May to Cunningham Park, and also for the first time in the United States as the Acrobuffos. Their Big Apple shows include classic slapstick and costumes featuring masks covering half their faces, which they wear to portray the characters “Madame” and “Monsieur.”
“Acrobuffos” is an abbreviation of acrobatic buffoons. They exhibit all the agility of expert acrobats, as well as dancing and juggling talent. Bloom attended the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and Gelsone went to the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theater, but both learned a lot about grabbing the attention of audiences while performing for passing pedestrians.

“We developed the humor skills to stop people on the way to lunch, and make them forget about eating,” said Gelsone.
Offstage, they enjoy traveling together in their circus trailer as much as they love performing. When they married in China six years ago, the bride wore a dress made of white balloons. They have brought laughter to small towns and cities, parks and parades, festivals and fairs, and at a stadium in China, they entertained an audience of three thousand.
read more:
http://www.queenstribune.com/2013Weekly/Tribune%20Web%20050913/Leisure_050913_BigAppleCircusReturnsToQueens.html