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Page 14THE NEWS, Sarasota, Floridaaonday, October 7, 1957Relics PreservedCircus Hall Of Fame Hails Big TopAs the Circus Capitol of the \ bridle ornaments which belonged nival ride* whir! into action, world, It Is only fitting that Sara- to Buffalo Bill Cody, sota should have a shrine to cir- j Other Article*Guide* conduct thetour*light in the quadrangle of the Hallcus great? of long agoAnother case holds doll-size unOut on U. S. 41, across from the dergarments worn by Tom Thumb airport, sprawls Sarasota’s tribute and his wife..Fred Bradna, equesThe Cirtrian director for Ringling Brothers for 49 years, is represented byto those ol immortalitycus Hal! of Fame.Thousands of visitors push into | a gold headed cane, the two-year old museum annually “Now here* a to gawk at outdated costumes. ; thing.t *circus wagons, old posters and pictures and to learn the fascinating history of mountainous tents and sawdust rings.In the lobby of the Hall of Fame, its most treasured possession Stands in silent glory. It is the renowned Two Hemispheres Band Wagon, giant gold-gilted relic of a bygone circus era.Donated By Col. PalmerIt was built for James A Baileyfascinating Sullivan said, pointing toa miniature carriage. That’sTom Thumb s coach, built in 1845 in England.*9The tiny little coach — it standsonly 20 inches high and is only 11 inches wide — is valued at $10,000.“I sure get a kick out of this thing,** the publicity man said, “You know, he had children for coachmen and drivers ”Chuckling about the minuteIn 189« for 140,000 and given to the coach, Sullivan moved on and Hall of Fame by Col. B. J. Palmer pointed out large wood-carved an--That • pricelesa,*' explained imala from the Denxel worka in John L. Sullivan, publicity direc- Germany, a glaaa caae full of cir-tor, “just priceless.cus passes and pictures of all the“Look at the big wheels and eireu* disasters.the hand carving.” he continued, •'and all that goldwork. This was built for the band to ride in during the parades, and that’s all it was ever used for.”He lapsed into memory and fondly patted the aid* of the hulking wagon.• Look over here,*' Sullivan said excitedly, “Here’s a replica of the wagon drawn by 40 horses. Big Jake Posey handled those borses.” Sullivan was pointing to a tiny glass-encased miniature of the 10-Suddenly Sullivan stopped before a display as magnificent asan exclusive window on Fifth Avenue in New York.A life sized model, donned in ermine, sits proudly In an ornate snow cutter. It is the one used by Jenny Lind, the Swedish Nightingale, for her New York engagements.“That setting/’ explained Sullivan, “wa* done by a Hollywood set designer, and represents the stagedoor at the Castle Garden inton wagon.horses !1350's.• 9Forty tiny _prance four abreast in front of Clown Alleythe wagon statue. j Next Sullivan led the wayAbout 1918, the wagon was put through clown alley and past mints dry dock when circus street itures of the old circusparades were discontinued.A Sad Bay *Tt was a sad day for the cirtrains and modem circus trains.“If you ever want to know anything about the circus.” the99Sullivan said, shaking his : publicity man said, “call us We white head and starting on through ! have more than 200 old circusthe museum.scrapbooks, and if we don't knowHe moved quickly Into a room the answer, we can find out.9 9lined with old posters. Glass cases In the room display costumes used by famous circus acts.There’s the tiny shoe worn by Lillian Leitzel when she plunged to her death In 1931 during a performance in Copenhagen. And the trousers Hans Jahn wore when he fell to his death in 1929 during hisperch pole act.A pink satin costume and a pair of blue velvet gloves were worn by Marie Rasputin, daughter of the Mad Monk of Russia. Jack Earl, 8 foot 7 inch giant, is immortalized by his size 18 shoes.Petite Nio N ait to, wire walker, Is represented by an ancientChinese headdress she brought with her to America for her act.La Toaca CanestreUl. Queen of the Circus, is remembered by a Jewel-studded crown.The old wild west shows are kept alive by a pair of leather gloves and a stub shotgun — property of the fabulous Annie Oakley *- and the spurs, saddlebags andHe moved on past the scrapbooks and into a large auditorium where a puppet show was going on.“We show 15-minute circus films every hour and present a puppet show every hour, Sullivan explained.The walls of the auditorium are lined with old old puppets, some more than 300 years old.Dr. Chester Hoyt, retired Methodist minister, pulls the strings for the puppet show. He carries Ml the dialogue, sing* and whistles for his little characters. «VBeyond the aduiiorium aremodels of Admiral Dewey i Santiago Harbor flagships, as featured in the Raraum and Bailey Circus more than 50 years ago.throughout the Hall of Fame and explain the stories behind the displays. .Sullivan emerged into the sun-Two hours had flown since he stood beside the big wagon in thelobby.t would take hour* and hour*44and weeks and years to really g* through the place,” he said walk inf briskly toward his office. - •» We’va got hundreds of years packed in here. Hundreds of yeanin circus memories.”CLOWNS GALORE1 *Tve never seen so many,” says Richard Coyle to Harry and Ricky Coyle of North Charleston, S.C. The pictures staring at them are at the Circus HaH of Fame on US. 4LCivitan la YoungestSix Civic Clubs Serve SarasotaNow. this really gets me, said Sullivan as we walked into another room, “This la a replica «f the old Coney Uarf.M the flip of a switch, the litUe ferns wheels, loop-the-loop, merry-go rounds and docena of other car-Saraaota’* service clubs are pari of a nationwide network of organ fmtinna that combine the comarad erle of membership with the hare work that goes with helping othersThere are six civic clubs serv tng Sarasota. Some have been doing so for more than 90 years Others are relatively young.All are alike In one reapedthev he Id othersOrange Blossom Hotel.The l«-year-old Lions Club specialises in a sight conservation program. Last year, 4,082 childrenwere given eye examinations through Lion* Club effort*.Lion* furni*hed glasses to 125 children whose families couldn’tafford to do so. Cost to the Lions: more than $1,500. Eye specialists work closely with the club, doand donates funds to other youtht*. ~ rpresident is Raymond Skinner Sr. Meeting time is each Wednesday noon at the Lions Den.One of YoungestOne of Sarasota’s youngest clubs is the ftertoma Club, which got its name from its motto: “Service To Man.*9
Newspaper Details
Sarasota News
Sarasota, Florida, US
Mon, Oct 07, 1957
Page 74
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 20 Nov 2018
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