Thursday, June 01, 2006

Hello to the Big Show!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Venice winter quarters for GSOE. The circus arena used for rehersals and the opening of the new show in the foreground.
Buckles, can you identify the buildings on the left and right?

Buckles said...

This picture was taken in 1965 when the show was still owned by John North and was the home for only one show.
That's the elephant barn at right and the barn at left was for storage then and now.
You can imagine the pandemonium twelve years later when we came marching into this place now housing two 40 car railroad shows and people waiting to start rehearsals.

GaryHill said...

What a great picture! The training cage where Jewell started his act. The covered round barn, Horse and elephant barn on the right! Home Sweet Home!

GaryHill said...

It did get crowded that year both Blue and Red units and the CW elephants all were in Winter Quarters. Gunther and the Red came in and everything in the barns all of a sudden was in tents.

Bob Cline said...

Buckles,
Do you remember how many elephants could be housed in the barn at one time? Did you have to mix the herds for housing or did you keep each group seperated?
Bob

Buckles said...

No co-mingling of the herds.
Under normal circumstances the herd in rehearsal got the barn and the other used it's road tent.
The winter of 77-78 however, Gunther asked me as a personal favor if he could have the barn since he and his family were planning on a return to Germany for a week or so. So Axel and I both used our tents.
We had about 60 elephants squeezed into the place.

Anonymous said...

I don't remember the year but my wife and I drove from the east coast of Florida to visit winter quarters. Mc Cormick Steele was in charge and we spent the better part of the afternoon watching rehersals under the direction of Richard Barstow.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone seen the item #1355 on the Circus History Society page? All you lion trainers need to check your where abouts.

Bob Cline said...

Buckles,
Where were all the lead stock housed? Three rings of liberty acts had to take up some room somewhere.
Bob

GaryHill said...

Bob the lead stock and elephant barn were the same with hay kept in the middle of the barn. There were paddocks behind the barn where alot of camels and horses were turned out.

Bob Cline said...

Thanks, Gary!