Circus History enthralls Father, son.

_05-13-08_D1_MEA4NIM, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Fred Pfening Jr. chuckled when asked whether he would be at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus this week. "Oh, I should think so," said the 83-year-old editor and publisher of Bandwagon: The Journal of the Circus Historical Society. He doesn't miss many circuses. Since 1961, Pfening has held both positions for the bimonthly magazine, which he produces from his basement in Upper Arlington. That would be the same place that holds letters written by P.T. Barnum and business records of the Ringling Bros. circus from about 1890 to 1917. To say that Pfening is a circus enthusiast doesn't begin to describe his interest. Pfening and his 58-year-old son, Fred III, form a sort of impromptu act themselves, with one reminiscing and the other offering historical context. So Fred Jr. begins by talking about his adventures working as an usher for the Ringling Bros. circus as a teenager in 1942: "It was extremely physically exerting. You had to carry six chairs at a time, but it was a wonderful experience in a lot of ways, particularly because of the food in the cookhouse. Particularly the breakfasts were just unbelievable -- everything you could think of, from pork chops to grapefruit." And then Fred III adds: "Those old-time circuses would have very heavy, carbohydrate-laden food because there was so much physical work that they wanted to get a lot of calories in the people. Some joined the circus just for the food." They could go on like that for hours. The elder Pfening actually owned a circus. In 1955, he and two partners formed the Great Fred J. Mack Circus (an amalgamation of their names). They rented an elephant; lined up a 50-year-old trapeze artist; and played Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia before the operation folded after three months. Both Pfenings laugh when asked whether the venture made money. Fortunately, they already had a means of support: the Fred D. Pfening Co., 1075 W. 5th Ave. Founded by Fred Jr.'s father in 1919, the business sells bakery equipment. "I've always been glad his circus failed because, otherwise, I'd be driving semis and trying to get wagons out of the mud," Fred III said. "The bakery business is much better than the circus business." His office walls are decorated with circus posters and circus photographs -- and artwork done by an elephant. It was a gift from Sara Gruen, whose 2006 circus novel, Water for Elephants, is on the New York Times best-seller list. She had Fred III proofread the book for historical accuracy. Pfening's magazine, which has about 800 subscribers, covers circuses in detail. Elephant births, tent upgrades and truck mishaps are among the events noted in the annual year-in-review issue. Both Pfenings have written extensively about circus history, drawing from resources such as their collection of every Barnum & Bailey program ever published. "For both of us," Fred III said, "this was a hobby that got out of hand."