From Henry Penndorf #2

P. T, Barnum Statue.7 - 2010, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. As per Chic Silber's request.... Old P.T. Barnum is standing proudly in front of the Bethel Public Library, welcoming one and all to his hometown of Bethel Connecticut. The unveiling ceremony actually took place on Sunday, September 26, and not today, Friday, October 1 as I had previously read. According to the Danbury News-Times, close to one thousand people attended the unveiling of Bethel's statue of P. T. Barnum. I am sure P. T. himself, would have been pleased by all the pomp and ceremony, and of ! course, the honor, but he might have described it a bit differently, s aying that there were tens of thousands in attendance. Ringling Brothers sent P.T. Barnum impersonator, Todd Ziimmerman, and three clowns to aid sculptor David Gesualdi in unveiling the six foot three bronze sculpture in front of the Bethel Library. Several foundry workers from the Polich Tallix Foundry in Newburgh, New York, where the bronze sculpture was cast also attended the unveiling. The turnout for the unveiling at the library was dwarfed by the crowd of spectators that lined Greenwood Avenue for P. T. Barnum's birthday parade. An estimated crowd of several thousand spectators viewed the parade, which paid homage to the prodigious promoter, and founder of "The Greatest Show on Earth". There were a contingent of clowns scattered among marching! bands, civic organizations, horse-drawn carriages, and horseless carriages. Circus performers were prominent participants,