Taking a little side trip while in Lake George, NY, last week I visited HANNEFORD ROAD for the first time. This was the homestead of THE RIDING HANNEFORDS where Poodles and George Sr. had their homes. The site is in the Town of Queensbury, but its proximity to Kaatskill Bay (seen frozen in background on left) and Lake George makes this among the most expensive real estate in this popular vacation area. Tommy produced the circus at Storytown USA (now Six Flags Great Escape) and Poodles, Grace and Gracie were mainstays at Frontier Town, western themed, park, in North Hudson, New York for many years. About 25 years ago Gracie told me that they bought the property when the family was playing in New York City. Would anyone know if this occurred while Poodles was in JUMBO with Jimmy Durante? |
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
From Mike Naughton #2
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7 comments:
I contacted the Town Historian and a State Assembly member about getting one of those cast iron historical marker placed nearby. I will keep you informed.
Regarding real estate: there was a very small cottage, old, with 2 bedrooms and one bath on a teeny piece of land that was sold on HANNEFORD ROAD for $585,000.
Prices like that makes you want to twist your coat around your head.
I did see a wooden building that I believe was the original "barn" for the Hanneford horses -- I will ask one of the circus friends/neighbors for confirmation.
Mike, great stuff! Thanks. There are so many sites in NY of interest, somebody could almost put together a driving trail starting on Coney Island and meandering through Upstate north and west and finally ending in Jamestown, or maybe Girard, PA. So many shows, and show people, and such a long storied history.
Sig Sautelle of Sig Sautelle's One Ring Circus was born in Luzerne, New York -- a few towns away from Queensbury (Lake George) decades before Hannefords arrived in the USA.
Fans/Friends tell me that Poodles Hanneford and Joe Jackson, Jr. were good buddies as Joe lived in Hadley, New York, also nearby.
While golfing with my father-in-law, 20+ years ago, we came across a golf cart with a picture of Joe Jackson, Jr on the front. I asked the manager and he told me that Joe lived nearby and would be on the course later that morning.
That's how I met Joe, Jr and we corresponded from time to time.
When we lived in Greene County, New York I would refer to the area as "Sarasota North" because the Catskill Game Farm was chock-full of circus acts as was Dave Osborn's Carson City theme park. In Windham, eleven miles from me was the Vidbel complex and next door was Mike and Sharon (Vidbel) Sandloafer and their "Circus With a Purpose". Greene County was home to 3 circus companies at the time, including my own humble but mighty Yankee Doodle Circus.
Buckles, Al Vidbel use to mention two sisters that were on Ringling under canvas that lived in or near Catskill, New York -- do you recall that?
---I am a helpless victim to a slipped disc, trying to avoid a second surgery I am a prisoner to the house --- thanks for the blog to pass the time and help me stay in touch with the outside world ---
Sig Sautelle's house in Cortland, NY -- where he had a WQ for a while was on the market several years ago. I think it's been a diner and an antique shop at various times. It was built to resemble a circus tent, in the round. Think there may have been a ringstock barn still standing across the creek on another property.
One might mention too that the Hanneford family plots are in a cemetery in South Glens Falls, NY right on route 254.
just 6-7 miles from Gracie's house.
We had stopped by years ago to see Gracie and asked about the cemetery. Dear Gracie said she had a few minutes and took us over there herself. As some folks know we were taken aback on that very first visit when Diane checked out a shinny metal plack on the back of the base of the unique monument (Poodles doing his famous step off) and saw inscribed, "Harry G Gutheil custom monuments" no idea if we're related.
Question: does anybody know what happened to all the Hanneford and non Hanneford Circus treasures, including many photos that Gracie kept in her house??
ROYAL HANNEFORD HAS ITS ANNUAL RUN IN WHITE PLAINS, NY (CIVIC CENTER)
THIS COMING SATURDAY THRU MONDAY. THE "OFFICIAL" START OF THE CIRCUS SEASON IN THE NORTHEAST. FOLLOWING IS RBBB RED IN NEWARK AND RUTHERFORD, NJ, LONG ISLAND, NY AND MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.
Pau Gutheil
Yes, Paul, the Pine View Cemetery, here's the link:
http://www.queensbury.net/Cemetery/PineView.htm
I noticed a great many photos went to an auctioneer and it ended up on eBay.
A long-time circus fan and I met at a show a while back and she held up her hand with fingers pointing skyway and her fingers TOWARD me. It was a big hunk of a gold ring with red rubies -- a "wow" or a real piece of "bling", as they say.
"It belonged to Poodles, I got it at the auction", she sighed, almost sad. It seems the bank was in charge of the estate and it just disposed of items in a brisk manner.
Said fan, and longtime family friend, contacted the bank and offered her wealth of knowledge regarding legacy and current market value. The bank wanted no help.
Hanneford items were consigned to different auctions.
I think Pat Cashin told me that a box of Poodles costumes eventually ended up at a clown museum.
My wife's family is from the Lake George area, before they migrated to New York City -- her Uncle Bill Woods owned the World Series batting cages near Gaslight Village and the A&W Root Beer Stand just outside the village, down the road from the infamous TIKI MOTEL.
Mike i worked in the catskill game farm when Vidbel was there and there were 2 sisters pushing age by then and one told me the story of her sister falling in mothers day in the Garden with her mother spotting them . her name was Sarah she worked in a park concession stand when i would stop by she would tell me some amazing storys about doing shows with there mother in the Ringling show and other shows . she rember Pat Valdo and Dolly Jacobs and other people . she had many pictures and some rigging . CleanRaul
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