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CIRCUS FUN
In the mid 1880s circus owners started to travel utilizing tents so that they could set up a circus fun stuff show almost anywhere. The small circus traveled from town to town via the use of wagons. The larger shows utilized the railroads which had proliferated during the mid 1800s. As we move into the 20th century we find the small circus using trucks to travel from town to town. Sometime in the 50s the large circus abandoned the tents for the large arenas found in cities.
Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey is the most famous circus in the United States. It came about in 1907 when the Ringling Brothers show bought the Barnum & Bailey show. Today the show travels by large train from city to city, making use of 2 seperate trains that travel different routes, which alternate every two years.
I grew up in small town America and remember fondly the cry among youth.....The circus is in town! We would all rush down to stand at the edge of the field and watch the roustabouts pound the giant pegs that would hold up the big top into the ground. I remember to this day the cadence of the big hammers. We would all wait in impatient anticipation for the big parade with the marching band and the elephants, and the calliope, and the clowns. That afternoon we would all attend the performance consuming heaps of cotton candy and candy apples. In our minds we all wanted to grow up to be jugglers or clowns, or animal trainers.
Come join us for a journey into the arts of the circus. We will take you to places where you can learn clown makeup and the art of juggling and more....
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