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Valentyn
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"Ain't That A Shame..."

  • May 27, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by flyingscot4 from Madison, Wisconsin
"Ain't That A Shame..."

First, a little editorializing and a walk down memory lane...

Sunday, May 24, 2009 was a glorious day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the temperature was just perfect (70 degrees), and there was a mild breeze. It was a day that was meant to jog my memory and transport me to a much earlier time. But later, after thinking about the day, it was also very sobering, almost sad.

My father loved three activities above all else. He was a nut about parades, circuses, and baseball. His father was a 33rd Degree Mason (York Right) and if there was a parade within 15 miles, he was watching it or marching in it. I watched grandpa quite a few times with my dad. I can remember seeing my grandfather with his black outfit and plumed hat, with his sword and medals and ramrod straight back. He was over 70 years old at the time, but the years dropped off when he put on his uniform. My dad had grown up watching his dad in parades, and my dad was really proud of his dad. It's a wonderful memory and I am still proud of both of them. I still like parades.

The next thing that caused my dad to go bonkers was the circus. My dad loved circuses, most especially "The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus" otherwise known as The Greatest Show on Earth.

We were not only fans of the circus, we were involved with the circus. Dad would take a week of his vacation and the first day we would stand along railroad tracks in some field watching the circus train rolling toward Boston, Jackson, St Louis, or Milwaukee. As I recall (I may not have the order of events exactly right), the next day was the parade. We were there early. Dad took movies with me sitting on his shoulders. The next day was when the excitement began. We watched the horses and elephants doing the heavy work of setting up the big top. It was a magic time.

Once the tents were set up, they had to do a lot of work setting up the rings and sideshows and all the concession tents, so we skipped a couple days. We always went to the first show and the last show (in some cases over a week apart) and then spent one day just wandering around the whole tent city. We looked at the animals - lions, tigers, panthers, elephants, and Gargantua (the world's largest gorilla) for hours. We ate ten cent hot dogs until we were sick, went to the side shows, then ate popcorn, cotton candy and drank many lime phosphates. It took weeks for me to come down from my sugar high. It was wonderful!

By the time I was about 11 it all changed. First, there were the Tuberculosis and Polio epidemics of the late 1940's and 50's when people were warned against congregating in large crowds. Also, there had been a terrible fire in 1944 in Hartford, CT in which almost 200 people died. Besides the medical situation, during the next decade the fire insurance costs skyrocketed and the Big Top's days were numbered. (The Cole Bros. Circus is still under a tent, but their seating capacity is fewer than 3,000 where The Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey tent capacity was over 7,000.) The Big Top was relegated to city auditoriums and arenas. There were still some circus parades, but it wasn't the same for dad and me. We went to the circus in the Milwaukee Auditorium a couple of times, but... Anyway, that was over 50 years ago...

Last Sunday, for the first time, I went to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI. I hadn't thought much about the circus since I went to one when I was in my early 20's and stationed in Germany. Almost 50 years later the memories came flooding back. They no longer use the Big Top at the museum, but they have a small, one-ring show that is very nicely done. It was truly a wonderful day and I enjoyed every minute of it, but as we wandered around I realized what was missing. It was people, fans of the circus. There were perhaps 500 people in the park, while eight miles away in Wisconsin Dells, thousands of people jammed thrill rides and water parks and that, to me, was sad. Before I condemned the generation of thrill seekers and and video game players, I had to reach back into my memory bank and remember that I never once took my daughter to the circus. I resolved then and there that my grandchildren would have some circus memories. I'll try to talk my daughter into joining us.

In any case, it was later that evening that I started thinking about the huge advantages that I had as a child and that today's kids don't have. First, we didn't get our first television set until I was 10 years old. By that time our play habits were formed and rainy days were terrible. We had no video games, but we did have cap guns and gun belts. We were cowboys and Indians and we played baseball all spring, summer and fall. Rainy days meant board games like Monopoly and Pachisi or card games like "Go Fish" and "War." Mothers did not understand the need to turn the couch over so it could be used as a fort, and they really didn't understand the need for vocal volume when the fort was being attacked by four year old siblings. Rainy days sucked for both adults and children!

When I was a youngster we knew how to amuse ourselves. Whether we were playing or reading, we did not need to rely on parents to entertain us.

I fully understand that times have changed and there are ever fewer "stay-at-home-moms." I understand that children were much safer when I was young. At age 10 my buddies and I could hop a city bus and go to a Red Sox or Braves game and sit in the bleachers for a dime. A quarter got us the bus ride, a ticket, and a soda. My allowance was exactly one quarter per week which allowed me to go to the ball game once each week unless I could con my dad into taking me to a game. That was the best deal of all because baseball was his third love (he had been a semi-pro pitcher), and it meant more hot dogs, peanuts and popcorn, and lime phosphates. Even my mom loved baseball and baseball loved my mom and other moms like her. Ladies Day at the ball park was a day out with her friends and each others kids. Moms were harder to con into buying hot dogs and stuff. "You'll spoil your dinner." I never did understand how she could keep a scorecard, knit, and watch the game at the same time. Our moms were multi-talented. Talk about multi-tasking. Life was pretty good, back then.

The Ringling Brothers Circus is still around and still wonderful, and I know that the era and the old days are gone, but I also understand what has been lost to today's families, and it is indeed a shame. At least we sill have this wonderful museum in the town where "The Greatest Show On Earth" was born.

So ends my soapbox rant...

The Circus World Museum

Words do not adequately describe this wonderful museum. What makes the museum special is the fact that besides being a museum that relates the color and glory of the old days of the circus, it is also a "hands-on" museum with animals, a one ring performance, and wagons from the old days.

From journal Where I live...

Circus World Museum

  • May 5, 2001
  • Rated 3 of 5 by MarkR37 from Madison, Wisconsin
Circus World Museum is the world's largest historical attraction pertaining to the circus. The 50-acre complex is located at the Ringling Bros. Circus original winter quarters - a national historic landmark. Each year nearly 200,000 visitors tour the unique museum.

There is a wonderful short film on the history of the circus in the United States. Also, the picture gallery and cart museum are great to check out. During the summer months they have a small circus on site that you can attend. Lots of fun for the whole family. http://www.circusworldmuseum.com/

From journal Secrets Of Baraboo

Circus World Museum

  • December 30, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by OPHarbour from Lombard, Illinois
Prior to the Ringling Brothers Circus merging with Barnum and Bailey's, the Ringling Brothers Circus used to winter at the location of the museum. Most of the museum is housed in buildings used by the Ringling Brothers.

Every year around the 4th of July, the Circus World Museum also loads up their circus wagons onto a train to Milwaukee.

I recommend taking a picnic lunch. The food served their is pretty lousy and not very reasonably priced. There are picnic tables surrounding the grounds, or bring a blanket or portable table and have your lunch besides the Baraboo river.

From journal Baraboo, Wisconsin

Circus World Museum

  • August 11, 2000
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Valentyn from Fort Worth, Texas
We spent an entire day here. The static displays are incredible, including massive efforts to find and restore circus wagons and carousel horses over 100 years old. There was no shortage of live entertainment, either -- jugglers, magicians, a parade, high wire acts, basically, a small circus in itself. Very conveniently located in Baraboo, so hotels are available.

From journal : Midwestern Roadtrip - Baraboo, WI

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