From Erik Jaeger #1

1983 Tent Crew, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles, You made my day with yesterday's posting! I have attached a photo I took of my crew in 1983, a rowdy, but extremely loyal group of hardworking men. As far as I know, none of them ended up on "America's Most Wanted"! I hired an additional 15 casuals for each up and down. The second is a long side shot of the big top. These photos were taken in Pico Rivera, CA. Erik Jaeger Eric, Thanks for sending the Circus Vargas pics that Buckles posted on his blog. Boy, did they bring back memories. I remember seeing the show in El Cajon each year as they started the season. One of the best things about that was the show was fresh and everyone was excited about the new season. They would often carry a good sized band to play the show through LA. (After that, they would record the music and let the musicians go). The photos certainly elicited lots of comments. I've heard the same gripes from others who worked on the show. Vargas instituted many of the cost cutting practices that are common today. He knew how to sqeeze a penny and was not particularly interested in taking care of his people. The fans loved the show because of the size; they didn't realize what was going on in the back yard to allow it to survive. All the best, Don Covington