Wednesday, January 23, 2008

More Circus Canvas #7


Scan000010752, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

I will never for get this day July 16, 1956.
We had our elephant act in Rochester, Minnesota showing at a shopping center and on the front page of the local newspaper was "Ringling Circus folds it's tents for the last time!"
I was quite shaken. When I showed it to my dad he simply said, "I'm surprised it lasted this long." He then wrote a letter to D.R. Miller asking, "How does it feel to own the biggest circus in the world?"

Posted by Buckles at 1/23/2008 06:52:00 AM

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great series. Since the whole era of "white tops" pre-dated most color photos, I can only imagine what the shows really looked like sitting pretty on thee lot. Was your father's comment an echo of North's end of the tented circus sentiments, or a criticism of how RBBB was managed?

23 January, 2008 09:47
Anonymous said...

Hopefully there was no threat of rain. That top is certainly not guyed out very tight - there are a lot of places for water pockets!
:-)
Cindy Potter

24 January, 2008 16:05
Anonymous said...

Not being a cable tent it would have to be guyed out right after set up and then again between shows and if it got wet before teaR DOWN IT WAS A SOB TO UNTIE THE HALF HITCHES FROM THE STAKES. cABLE MEANT NO GUYING OUT AFTER SET UP.iF THEY PUT IT UP WET IT WOULD BE TIGHT AND WHEN THE SUN CAME OUT AND DRIED THE GUY ROPES IT WOULD HANG LIKE A RAG UNTIL IT WAS GUYED OUT. lOTSW OF WORK FOR THE BIG TOP CREW.

24 January, 2008 17:50
Anonymous said...

sHAKE IT/// bREAK IT//// dOWN STAKE IT/// wALK ON///.

24 January, 2008 17:54
24-HOUR-MAN said...

I spent 6 years trying to convince the Krone Tent guys the value of a storm hitch,(rolling hitch). I would see them out there with a sledge hammer & crow bar trying to get a guy line off a stake.

24 January, 2008 21:28
Mike Naughton said...

Bill and Johnny:

At AnimatedKnots.com they show a rolling hitch, is this the same that your refer to?

The frame by frame procedure is very informative.

25 January, 2008 01:38

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