By Bill Hal
Publication: Amusement Business
Date: Monday, December 29 1997
Producing what the Hadi Temple annually bills as 'America's Largest and Greatest Shrine Circus,' Paul V. Kaye again presented a powerhouse lineup for the Nov. 27-30 staging at Roberts Municipal Stadium Arena in Evansville, Ind
Pre-show for the Hadi extravaganza, a yearly assignment for Kaye -- whose CircUSAmerica works out of Hollywood, Calif. -- offered skits by Hadi Funsters (Shrine Clowns), a calliope concert and 'ballistic balloon barrage.
Hadi's Mounted Guard and Chanters participated in the playing of the National Anthem, followed by a psychedelic light show during the 'Circus Rock' overture by trumpet player/maestro Clement Toca's band. The latter had Toca's wife, Elizabeth, at the keyboard and the couple's son, Emile, as percussionist
The opening spectacle, 'CircUSAmerica on Parade,' presented the entire artist company, Hadi Temple units and a concluding Hippodrome Track 'long mount' by 14 elephants of The Hawthorn Corp. headed by John F. Cuneo
Following was an aerial display of eight women soloists -- Kim, Tina and Tracy, with lyre acts; Alecia and Gladys, cloud swing; and Anava, Beck and Wendy, Roman rings; Kay Rosaire's cage display mixing eight lions and tigers; Peganin Duo, aerial cradle adagio, with atmospheric black lights, bubble and fog machines and ultra-violet streamers; Hadi Clowns; Peers' Muttville Comix, Kohlrieser's Dogs and Kneisley's Komedy K-Nines in three rings of dogdom; Jeffrey Plunkett's Junk-Yard Jalopy, comedy car; Murillo Duo, perch, Diablos, juggling and Wendy Bell, balancing, in a three-ring spread; and Miss Christina, inclined cable slide-for-life
Also, three rings of animal features, Allen/Wilson Sea Lions, Steeple's Gypsy Bears and Stevens' African Baboons; Princess Tavana, loop-walking trapezist framed by a 12-woman aerial ballet; and the Boger Family's Performing Buffaloes in three rings
Program's post-intermission features were The Flying Redpath Trapeze Family, spotlighting 10-year-old April;Hadi Clowns; 14 Hawthorn elephants across all rings, with an entire herd 'T-Mount' finale along the Hippodrome Track; Castro Bros., high wire; and Derrick Rosaire Sr. (father of the aforementioned big cat trainer Kay Rosaire) and Tony the Wonder Horse, comedy
Also, Anastasini Duo (Giovanni and wife Irene), aerial rocket spectacular; Jordan's Family Globe of Death motorcyclists; and 'Salute To The Stars And Stripes,' patriotic finale complemented by fireworks and a giant American flag drop
Sir Tommy Baker was Kaye's ringmaster/announcer for the Hadi format
Celebrating the start of its third decade with a production called '20 Years,' Big Apple Circus is playing its annual hometown stand at New York City's Lincoln Center through Jan. 11, 1998. The one-ring big top format opened there Oct. 23 following its traditional preview engagement at the Reston, Va., Town Center near Washington Sept. 25-Oct. 13
Rather than taking place at Reston, as in prior years, show rehearsals and staging concepts for the 1997-98 tour occurred at Big Apple's new Slifka Family Creative Center in Walden, N.Y
Billed as 'The craziest, funniest and happiest birthday party ever seen in (name your city),' Big Apple features an international cast which includes Switzerland's Nadja Glasser with Patagonian sea lions; Kuznetsov Trio, Russian barre acrobats; U.S.A.-based acts, Woodcock Family Elephants (Anna May, Ned and Amy) and acrobatic comic Bello Nock; and aerial ring artist Elena Serafimovich, from the Republic of Belarus
Also two turns of Mexican origin, the Flying Jimenez, featuring triple somersaulting leaper Raul Jimenez and high-speed juggler Arturo Alegria; Danish-born equestrienne Katja Schumann Binder, the wife of Big Apple Founder/Producer Paul Binder, and the couple's daughter, Katherine; and Swiss tight wire artist David Dimitri
Also American clown Barry (Grandma) Lubin and Big Apple acrobats Melinda Merlier of Hungary; Julian Stachowski of Poland, Carlos Guity of the U.S. and Regina Dobrovitskaya of Russia
'Doc,' who weighed in at 217 pounds when born May 8, is among newcomers at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation, a $5 million, 200-acre breeding facility in Polk County, Fla., between Tampa and Orlando
The son of an Asian cow, Alana, Doc was named for Ringling staff veterinarian Dr. Richard Houck, D.V.M., who helped design the Florida compound, which is not open to the general public.
Imported from Europe, a big cage tiger act presented by Richard Chipperfield, from Great Britain's renowned Chipperfield Circus family, will be among 'first time in America' features with Ringling's new 1998-99 blue unit edition
Richard's brother, Graham Thomas Chipperfield, has worked a cage full of African lions and elephant acts as a Ringling blue headliner over recent years
Five girls and two boys, ranging in age from 12 to 18, presented the first high-wire seven person pyramid in Peru (Ind.) Amateur Circus history during the city's annual Circus City Festival and Parade, July 12-19 (AB, Sept. 1, 1997)
Working 25-feet high were Mike Foster, 18, Brad Smith, Katie Cohee and Carrie Godoy, all 17, on the bottom tier; Jessica Williams, 17, and Maggie Jackson, 12, on the second level; and Starr Miser, 15, as top mounter. Williams, Jackson and Miser wore safety mechanics for the stunt, shown during performances of 'The Greatest Amateur Circus in the World,' which marked its 38th season last summer
A high wire seven-person pyramid is now featured by the Guerrero Troupe with Ringling-Barnum's red unit edition (AB, May 5, 1997
A high wire 'skywalk' by Tino Wallenda Zoppe and big top performances by Circus Flora highlighted a week-long salute to the circus in September by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington
The skywalk cable stretched from the Kennedy Center's roof terrace to the top of Circus Flora's new one-ring tent. Joining the Wallenda Zoppe Family high wire and aerial acts in the Flora program were aerialist Sacha Pavlata, the Arturo Gaona flying trapeze troupe, acrobatic comic Giovanni Zoppe and the St. Louis Arches' young tumbling team
Setting the record straight from our Circus Scene (AB, Nov. 10, 1997), it's the Franzen (not Frenzen) Bros. Circus, while Joseph Domenickus (not Demeninkus) Bauer is emcee/space wheel aerialist in the Tropicana Casino's Atlantic City thriller.
(c) BPI Communications Inc., 1997
Friday, July 17, 2009
....Circus Scene: Kaye Gets Big Lineup For Circus....1997....
Thursday, July 16, 2009
....Baby gibbons snatched from zoo....
July 16th, 2009 •
FREJUS (France) – THIEVES broke into a French zoo and snatched year-old twin baby gibbons after throwing their mother into the moat around their island home, the site’s manager said on Thursday.
Keepers at the Frejus Zoological Park discovered what had happened on Tuesday morning after finding the female ape, 15-year-old Micha, soaking wet and in distress.
‘She was distraught,’ zoo director Guy Mascheffa told AFP after making a formal police complaint. ‘The babies are in danger of dying because any change in their diet can be fatal and provoke serious diarrhoea.’
The missing gibbons weigh 1,800 grams each and have not yet been named. A competition was to have been held next month for local school children to name them.
Gibbons are native to the jungles of southeast Asia and are endangered in the wild. If they survive, the babies could be sold to a wealthy but unscrupulous collector, keepers said. — AFP
FL set to declare open season on pythons
July 15th, 2009
MIAMI, Florida (NBC) — Florida is set to declare open season on pythons.
Biologists have officially declared the south Florida python population of more than 150,000 snakes “out of control” and spreading.
The snakes are squeezing out native predators, and that has many worried.
Florida had considered everything from using volunteers to trap them to training beagles to sniff them out.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Chairman Rodney Barreto wants action.
“We’re developing a plan immediately, that we will roll out, that we will allow people who are trained, supervised by us, to go out and hunt pythons and kill them,” he said.
The plan would open 750,000 acres of state land to python hunters with permits.
They would be paid a small bounty for each snake.
The problem is state land is closely intertwined with federal land throughout The Everglades, and Everglades National Park where the pythons got their start.
Hunting isn’t allowed there, and the borders between state and federal land often aren’t marked.
National Park officials vow to use every non-lethal idea to get rid of pythons instead.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Circus Princess 2009
CircusPrincess is not your average circus. It’s a showcase where the world’s most talented female artists show off their most colorful and innovative skills while competing for the title of CircusPrincess 2009.
The first CircusPrincess competition was created by brothers Robert and Henry Bronett in 1995 as a tribute to all of the gifted women who had been kept in the shadows of the circus world. Their idea was to make it a one-time event, but the audience had other plans.
Thanks to overwhelming public demand, CircusPrincess became a highly anticipated annual competition until 2003. It has been seen on TV by over 70 million viewers worldwide. Princess Christina fru Magnusson has been the event’s official Chair of the Jury and lady-in-waiting. 2009’s lady-in-waiting is yet to be appointed. Throughout the years, winners have hailed from countries including Canada, France, Russia and China. For many, CircusPrincess was only the beginning of a successful international career.
A show like never beforeCircusPrincess 2009 will be different from its predecessors. The popularity of circus schools, together with modern techniques, has paved the way for a talented new generation of artists who dare to experiment and mix genres. And women have stepped to the forefront. All of this adds to our confidence that CircusPrincess 2009 will result a range of acts that blend motion, light and sound into an art form you never thought possible. This year, online registration will make it possible for more artists than ever to join the show. It will also increase our odds of finding the most talented artists in the world, wherever they are.
....Vote online....This year’s audience is invited see CircusPrincess in a whole new light. This time, you can follow the competition online, and watch videos of all the acts. Which performance was your favorite? Show your support and vote to send the People’s Favorite to the final in Stockholm, October 1st – 4th! On the final stage, the People’s Favorite will compete against the jury’s 13 nominees. Live, online and mobile voting will add to the suspense. Web videos will broadcast the performances to new viewers, and the winner will be announced at the competition’s Grand Finale. You, along with an international jury, as well as live and online audiences, will decide who will be crowned CircusPrincess 2009. A jury led by the CircusPrincess lady-in-waiting will include the Artistic Director, Mr. Kaiser, from the world-renowned Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus.
An evening for all the senses.As usual, Robert Bronett will be serving up more than just circus tricks. The performances will be presented in a scene pulled straight from A Thousand and One Nights. The arena, with 2,000 cozy seats, will be specially constructed for the CircusPrincess final and features a polished, black stage floor surrounded by marble and crystal. Here, you and your friends can enjoy a meal, raise a glass of champagne, and relax before the show among the unique circus portraits of photographer, Hans Gedda. Then you’ll take your seat, sit back, and help decide who will be named CircusPrincess 2009.
http://cirkusprinsessan2009.se/om-cirkusprinsessan/
See the acts....Follow the link below to see and vote for the acts.
→ CircusPrincess 2009 on YouTube
Here's how you voteYou have to be logged in as a YouTube user in order to vote. If you don't have a YouTube account, you can register for free here (only takes a few seconds):→ Register your YouTube account
Vote by rating (1-5) our applicants' videos.
You can rate every performer's video once. If you wish to receive continous updates on new videos throughout the summer, select Subscribe on the channel's main page.
Oregon Zoo Releases Endangered Butterflies
July 15th, 2009
by: RNS Newsroom Solutions
In Portland, Oregon the city’s zoo is releasing endangered butterflies.
Zoo officials say over five-thousand Taylor’s Checkerspot butterflies were recently introduced to the wild.
The number is being called a record for the rare insects born in captivity.
The Checkerspot is endangered in Washington State and is eligible for federal protection as well.
Zoo officials say it was a bad summer for the butterflies living in the wild, making the lab-raised insects even more vital to the species’ survival.
Click here to read more about the butterflies on the zoo’s website.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
....Circus Voyage....Spindler Family....
....(German language program translated into English via Google translate)....
.... A whiff of 1001 Nights is spreading around the circus ring, where the camel caravan pulls into the arena and young Trampeltiere their skills in a dressage show freedom; accompanied by llamas and alpacas.... 
....Then enter lady giraffes "Shakira" the circus ring. The five-year network giraffe, in a German safari park was born, with its imposing appearance from the audience and can even be fed.... 
.... Diana Spindler also riding the high school Spanish Andalusians on their "Fego". Horse and rider are merging into a single unit, for a deep friendship between man and animal.... 
....Diana and Alois Spindler presented a trip to the finest horses in the world.Spain is waiting with fiery Andalusian to noble Arabian Stallions spray a touch of their distant homeland and from our neighboring country of Holland greet magnificent Dreamlike beautiful horses in dressage combinations showed a picture that is not only the hearts of horse lovers beat faster.... 
.... Two absolute rarity in the circus are wide circular foot Nashorn "Hulk" and hippopotamus "Jedi."....
....The family Spindler shows the giants of the savanna, African elephants, in a sympathetic dressage, in which the pachyderm "Malou, Mogli, Mausi, Sabi and Chuppek" their skill impressively demonstrate - despite a total weight of over 20 tons!....
Monday, July 13, 2009
....From John Goodall....
Great Circus Parade: Borgnine says 'best parade ever'
By Jackie Loohauis-Bennett and Meg Jones of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
July 12, 2009
After a six-year absence, the Great Circus Parade brought its own rainbow of razzle and dazzle to downtown Milwaukee on Sunday, wowing fans with golden wagons, black horses, and costumes of purples, yellows and reds sparkling on a flawless summer day.
Along the 3.4-mile parade route, crowds ranged from three to 12 deep of folks who watched more than 400 horses of varying sizes clip-clop by, 80 clowns in greasepaint, 30 bands on foot and on top of horse-drawn wagons, and 50 antique circus wagons featuring themes ranging from the Wild West to the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe to the Golden Age of Chivalry.
Many had staked out their spots hours and even days before the first antique cars rolled by signifying the start of the parade. Quite a few passed the time waiting for the parade by playing "poop bingo" - drawing chalk circles on the pavement and waiting to see if they "won" when a circus animal left a deposit.
As the procession drew near, the crowd murmur grew, kids got even more antsy, toddlers were hoisted onto broad shoulders and people who had sat in what seemed like forests of lawn chairs stood and waved, clutching cameras to record their memories.
The crowd clapped for military units, cheered for dignitaries in period garb, "oohed" at the wild animals in caged circus wagons and "eewed" at horse apples left by performers.
Here are some Great Circus Parade sights and sounds.
*** There were plenty of impromptu plans made Sunday to see the parade. All the reserved hotel and park bleachers were sold out, and people hung out of building windows, parking ramps and on top of concrete planters to see the parade.
But one man had the best view. Stiltwalker Gary Soule has been in Great Circus Parades for decades portraying Uncle Sam from a height of about 10 feet. He lumbered down the route to make it back to the assembly point in a record two hours. Was he tired? "Yes, but the show must go on, and it's a great day," he said.
*** Yes, there were clowns everywhere, and they worked the funny bones of parade-goers, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
*** What was parade day like for the men who brought it back?
Great Circus Parade co-chair Bill Fox called it "a historic day for Milwaukee and for Wisconsin. This is as good a parade as we've ever had. If this is the last parade, it's a triumphant one."
And co-chair Jack McKeithan said he had been bombarded with comments from parade fans who want to see the parade return sometime in the future. "We're hearing 'Use your best effort to bring it back,' " he said.
The parade was dedicated to its founders, the late Chappie Fox and Ben Barkin.
Chief parade clown Ernest Borgnine and his wife, Tova, drew a standing ovation all along the route. "This is the best parade ever, because it's in memory of Ben and Chappie," the 92-year-old Borgnine said.
*** What were the biggest crowd-pleasers?
You could judge by the whoops, shouts and applause. The sound of the crowd clapping almost drowned out some of the music, even from such boisterous units as the U.S. Bandwagon, with its 15-piece band pulled by 10 snorting sorrel Belgian horses.
When the Bell Wagon clanged out "Ode to Joy," the parade fans sent out a chorus of cheers to match. The unicyclists were beloved. All the big-band wagons got a hearty hand.
But it would be hard to match the reception given the White Wingers, those magnificent men at the parade's end with the little carts and the brooms.
*** And who were the biggest fans? Again, hard to choose.
Maybe it was the Royce family - all 40 members - who started setting up their grill and their sofa along the route on Friday, just like they have for the previous 16 circus parades.
Or maybe it was Marlene Cone, temporary resident of Camp Barkinville, the mini tent city that popped up at the top of the Lincoln Memorial bridge. She displayed a 5-foot-long "check" she had created. It was made out to "Mr. Ben Barkin" for "bringing out the kid in all of us." The amount: "Billions of Smiles."
*** On Water St. between Wisconsin and Mason a sign spelled out "The Leubners." Chris Leubner and his two brothers have come to every circus parade since 1963, 30 altogether. Since then, they've added family and friends and expected about 80 people to show up.
The Leubner brothers have been here so long that others recognize them, including other parade-goers, parade participants and at least one motorcycle officer who recognized the Leubners from the last parade - six years ago. The three Leubner brothers wore Hawaiian shirts, red foam noses and multicolored beanie hats.
"We used to come as early as 9 a.m. on Wednesday. We kind of pride ourselves that we're always here," Chris Leubner said, pointing out familiar parade-goers sitting nearby. "We know those folks and those people. It's like our old neighborhood, six years removed."
*** On Kilbourn Ave. across from the Wisconsin Historical Society, Kris Yakich of New Berlin had staked out her spot at 6 p.m. Friday, the earliest city officials would allow. The spot featured plastic sheeting and wooden figures painted in the shapes of clowns, elephants and a tiger.
Yakich has come to the circus parade since she was a little girl. Dressed in a handmade tie-dye T-shirt, Yakich came with 32 family members, representing four generations ranging from six months to 65 years old.
"People stop and talk to us. It's so neat," Yakich said of the display. "One man from Chicago said 'You could never have this parade in Chicago, all your chairs would be gone.' "
At the end of the parade, Yakich continued snapping photos even of the street-sweeper brigade that cleaned Kilbourn. Among her list of favorites was the curious giraffe that calmly stared back at the human crowd and the clowns stopping at her spot to pay homage to the wooden clown figures adorning her spot.
"We are so glad this parade is back because all the other parades here in Milwaukee are gone," Yakich said.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
July 12, 2009
Selected photos from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. If yopu want to see all 29 go to - www.jsonline.com/multimedia/photos/50579437.html?c=y&index=1&page=0
Circus World performers greet the crowd from atop the i [#400 GCP] ntroductory wagon.
Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff 
The Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus cage wagon [#23] makes its way down the road while eight Percheron horses pull the Columbia Bandwagon [#62] behind it [Teamster: Sid Post of Marshfield] . Credit: Rick Wood
Eight Percheron horses pull the Columbia Bandwagon as it rounds N. 6th St., with the Wild West section behind it. Credit: Rick Wood 
Three tigers occupied the Sells-Floto cage wagon [#19]. Credit: Rick Wood 
Six sorrel Belgian horses [Teamster: Dana Stitchert of Chili, Wis] pull the Christy Brothers band tableau, with a 10-piece circus band under the direction of Nicholas Contorn. Credit: Rick Wood
..bmp)
Actor Ernest Borgnine, 92, and his wife, Tova, greet adoring fans. He called it "the best parade ever." Credit: Rick Wood 
Borgnine served as the chief parade clown. Credit: David Leshok 
A horse-drawn wagon rolls through the streets. [101 Ranch Covered Wagon pulled by four mules. Teamster: Glenn Rodewald of Manitowoc]. Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff
]
Three Carson & Barnes elephants make their way along N. 6th St. [Riders: Barbara Fox-McNeillor, Nancy Meinerz, and Faye Fox]. Credit: Rick Wood 
#47 Ringling Bros. U.S. Bandwagon trails 10 Sorrel Belgian horses. [Teamster: Walt Schaefer of Winfred, S.D. 15-piece Milwaukee American Legion Band, Richard Schwartz, director] .Credit: Rick Wood
Carson & Barnes elephants parade down N. 6th St. [Riders: Barbara Fox-McNeillor, Nancy Meinerz, and Faye Fox]. Credit: Rick Wood .bmp)
The Baraboo High School Marching Clown Band performs dressed for the day's festivities. Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff .bmp)
A giraffe pokes its head out of a Ringling Bros. wagon. Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff 
A giraffe enjoys an ice cream cone as it rides in the #39 Ringling Bros. Giraffe Wagon. Credit: Rick Wood
....Elaine Courtney....
....2009 Circus Charles Knie..These photos were taken and access granted by Markus J. Hoffmann..Markus has a homepage filled with wonderful circus photos..Check it out, it's at http://www.foto-zirkus.de/index.html
Sunday, July 12, 2009
....Circus Set-Up 1930s....
....Home movies of the setting up of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in the 1930s....
Barnum and Bailey parade (1899). Clip 2
....Another glimpse on the legendary Barnum and Bailey street parade in England. www.raffaelederitis.blogspot.com
www.storiadelcirco.blogspot.com
Barnum and Bailey parade (1899). Clip 1
....A rare newsreel about the Barnum and Bailey street parade in 1899, England, during the European tour of "The Greatest Show on Earth".
You can see the bandwagon, the menagerie vehicles, the carved wagons, the herd of camels and elephants.
www.raffaelederitis.blogspot.com
www.storiadelcirco.blogspot.com
