2010 Big Apple Circus #1

IMG_0749, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Big Apple Circus, New York 2010. Sent to me by my brother Pat, He and Marites are concessions managers there. Tim Davison Gwinnett picks up Ringling Bros. show By Howard Pousner The Atlanta Journal-Constitution In the new year, for the first time, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will perform in Atlanta at Philips Arena (Feb. 17-21) and then move immediately up I-85 to appear at the Gwinnett Arena (Feb. 24-27). In prior years, Ringling pulled into Philips every February -- at roughly the same time that the Big Apple and UniverSoul circuses were setting up shop under big tops in the metro area -- and Ringling would bring a smaller tour to Gwinnett every other fall. But Big Apple Circus has had financial difficulties, could not secure a local sponsor for 2011 and decided not to make its annual visit to Stone Mountain Park. It hopes to return in 2012. Ringling Bros.’ new show, “Barnum’s FUNundrum!” features 130 performers from six continents led by Johnathan Lee Iverson, Ringling’s first African-American ringmaster. The Gwinnett Arena, which hosted a one-ring tour, can accommodate this full production, a circus spokeswoman said. “While many of our arena dates remain generally the same year to year, opportunities to change the scheduling do present themselves,” said Crystal I. Drake of Feld Entertainment. “And that’s what happened.” “Barnum’s FUNundrum!” celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of circus founder P.T. Barnum, and it includes performances by trapeze artists the Flying Caceres; Mighty Meetal billed as “the strongest man in the world”; the Barnum Bouncers, a Chinese trampoline troupe; and 100,000 pounds of pachyderms. Tickets, $14-$35, are available via www.ringling.com ($35 tickets, Philips only), with limited VIP seats at higher prices. Meanwhile, tickets for UniverSoul Circus’ Feb. 16-March 6 run at Turner Field go on sale Dec. 13 via www.ticketmaster.com or 1-800-745-3000. From Don Covington