Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Great Patterson Shows 1908 (Carnival)


As promised the earliest picture I have of Cheerful Gardner. The elephant is "Gypsy" the same one seen carrying the band later with the J.E. Henry Show (the family of Gary Henry who some of you may know today).

As I dug out this picture I found that I misspoke, there are 12 musicians rather than 10.
Carl, do you realize that today "Gyp" could accomodate the entire Ken & Nicole band, a generator so the musicians could play, a shield to protect the drummer and Tim Holst with a road map?

As I was going to sleep last night I kept mulling over KLSDAD's message, especially the part where the lady with three kids wanted her money back. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
At that precise moment, I wonder if there was a seismic reaction in Wisconsin? If so it was probably Al Ringling spinning in his grave like a lathe.

Posted by Buckles at 4/19/2006 06:24:00 AM

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been asking around, but getting no answer as to how many of the brothers are buried in one place. It would register about 15 on the Richter scale if they all turned over at the same time.

19 April, 2006 08:41
Larry allen Dean said...

were that style howdah common in the U.S.?
I,ve only seen them ,in use,in europe.
when did todays style of elephant ride howdah come into common use?
who's invention? for what elephant ? etc.,etc.?

19 April, 2006 09:41
Buckles said...

Ride howdahs had seating back to back for as long as I can remember and further. Seems like around 1962 D.R. tried to explain to me the howdah Louie McNeece had built where the people straddled the elephant.
I asked what kept them from falling off and he said they held on to a railing.
It made no sense to me at all until I fianlly saw one in action and I was amazed. So much better for the elephant.
In my career around elephants the thing I hated most was loading ride howdahs into the back of a truck. They hung up on everything and were impossible to fit within each other.

19 April, 2006 11:29
Anonymous said...

Thank you Buckles for running the picture! Just printed it out, but will come back later and reprint it with photo paper! This is special!

Caught the 135 Edition of the Brothers show the other night at the Patriot Center [Fairfax,VA]. There is something very special when on those rare [becoming extremely rare] occasions when all rings were used. It is such a spectacle when the mind takes in so much movement at one time that it sends shivers down ones spine. That special euphoria is what Ken & Nicole are loosing and have replaced with nothing! The amazement, the shivers, the tears in ones eyes are lost [well maybe tears for another reason!].

Thank you for the great picture.
Carl

19 April, 2006 12:02
Down the Road by Jim said...

Geeze, if Rick Percy sees this picture, he'll probably try and get more musicians on an elephant than anybody else ever did -- like the clown car, only different

19 April, 2006 18:48
Anonymous said...

I would welcome any historical reference to Mabel Stark being on the carnies Great Patterson circa 1909, C.W. Parker circa 1910-1911,or Con T. Kennedy circa early 1913. Joe McKennon's history did not include this.

20 April, 2006 18:38
SHW said...

I am looking for Charles A. Strahl, a high diver with the Great Patterson Shows in 1908. I'm interested in biographical information: where born, where and when died, etc. Can anyone out there help me.

26 December, 2011 21:43
Dblock said...

I'll keep a lookout, stranger.

28 October, 2020 02:56

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