Friday, December 14, 2007

Strates Shows #2


Copy of 100_1377, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 12/14/2007 06:27:00 AM

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who's that in the picture and can't he pull up his pants?

14 December, 2007 07:43
Bob Cline said...

CWM employee Harold "Heavy" Burdick. He was kind enough to take me around the train sheds when I visited in late October.
Bob

14 December, 2007 07:59
Anonymous said...

Is Harold burdick a circus man or just an employee of the circus museum?

-Thanks

-JT

14 December, 2007 15:59
Bob Cline said...

Just an employee. Been there for years. He somehow survived all the cutbacks at CWM and is now the only fulltime maintanence / wagon mover left.
Bob

14 December, 2007 18:26
Anonymous said...

Yes!!!

14 December, 2007 18:54
Anonymous said...

Does the museum still refurbish those old wagons anymore? I imagine it's hard to do that with only one maintanence man on the payroll. Does the museum still do shows and such, or is closed during the winter?

-JT.

14 December, 2007 20:23
Bob Cline said...

The Circus World Museum is open year round. I think the Website carries the actual schedule. I think they are closed on the weekends during the winter months. Over the years, the Museum has taken a financial beating after they lost the Milwaukee Parade every summer, but it is making a comeback due to good management and an active part on behalf of the State Historical Society which for so many years never acknowledged a responsibility to the Museum. With Mr. Ellsworth Brown of the Historical Society leading the way and Mr. Steve Freese as the Director of the Museum, things are looking up again.

YES, there are shows all summer long. The Museum has loaned many of their wagons out for parades and events.

You are correct in assuming that not a tremendous amount of restoration is getting done. First of all the Museum achieved it's greatness in restoring all that they have by all the volunteers that gave untotalled Manhours of hard work, artistry, and dedication. Sadly, that has changed. Very little in the way of Volunteer work is used at all anymore. Secondly, one person cannot restore anything by himself. Only time will tell how the preservation efforts will go.
Bob

14 December, 2007 23:34
Anonymous said...

Does anyone know the reason for the change in the volunteers restoration efforts for the museum? These wagons and train cars seem to crying out for state funding monies. Isn't the museum a national historic site? Catching up on earlier threads on this blog, I seem to recall on other posts that the wagons are owned by outside circus producers (Felt Entertainment?). Does that prohibit the museum from doing more to retore these incredible pieces of history to their original status? I'm sure the museum is accredited and goverment grants could be applied to such projects.

-JT

15 December, 2007 09:52
Anonymous said...

Dear Buckles Blog,
Is the american circus museum in Wisconsin keeping their live shows on during the summer months? Their website has information on Chinese performers and a magic show and Eggplant the clown show. Do they change shows every year? I remember going to the museum years ago when visting the Dells area and seeing a big circus show in a canvas tent. Great elephant acts, high wire, lady with horses, funny clowns and a live circus band. From the website it looks like the operation has been downsized some in recent years. Does the state of Wisconsin operate this museum? Didn't they operate their circus in the Dells also? That area seems to be the tourist magnet for the state.

Thanks for any information.

-Bob Pintavalle

15 December, 2007 11:24
Bob Cline said...

Dear Mr. Pintavalle and also to Anonymous,
The Circus World Museum operates it's live shows during the summer. They have had a Chinese acrobatic show the last couple summers. That will change this coming year.
Yes, the Museum has downsized to some extent from previous years summer presentations. The live performances are now given in the Hippodrome Theater again which is where they used to be for many years. With the costs of canvas tents, rentals, insurance, etc, it's far more economical to hold them in the Hippodrome.
Some wagons are owned by the Feld Organization and are placed at the Circus World Museum for display with the Museum being responsible for maintaining their condition at all times. The Two Hemispheres bandwagon is owned by John Zweifel and is placed on loan to the Museum. Everything else is the Museum's property I belive. I'm sure someone can set me straight if I mis-informed you about this.
As for the use of volunteers working on or restoring the Museum collection of wagons and train cars, well now that's just a really deep subject that is beyond trying to explain on the blog. I've been there several times over the last few years. I've heard the stories, the reasoning, and the changes. Frankly, it makes NO sense to me at all, but WE the people, can't change it either.
Many grants are available. A staff member works at grant writing as well as the Historical Society. The train sheds are currently recieving a few Million Dollars in repairs due to grants. And YES, It is a National Historical Landmark.
The Wisconsin Dells area has always been a strong Tourist area. The Museum relies on this. It also has to compete with the Dells at the same time. There are new fancy waterparks built everywhere now, a casino nearby, attractions everywhere and even a drive-in theater still. Getting people to drive 15 miles to Baraboo is a really hard sell to the Tourists passing through.
I hope this answers your many questions satisfactorily.
Bob

15 December, 2007 16:54

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)