Wednesday, April 06, 2016

Cindy Potter


Posted by Buckles at 4/06/2016 03:54:00 AM

3 comments:

Roger Smith said...

She found her heartbeat with sawdust in her veins.

06 April, 2016 15:39
Chic Silber said...


How long were you at the

CW park Cindy with Buckles

How long on the Beatty Show

06 April, 2016 19:25
Cindy Potter said...

...true, Rog! I DID find my heartbeat, with sawdust in my veins!

HOWEVER.. this is not me... I'm wracking my brain to remember her name, tho! (If I do, I'll let you know!)

Chic, I was at CW for about 5 months late summer/fall of 1974. I still remember every bit of it! My family was at CW on an outing and I had just returned home from touring with the Southeast National Touring Company of HAIR. I was unemployed and asked "the guy" (Buckles) in the elephant barn if they were hiring. He said they didn't hire girls in that department. I replied that I could swing a shovel as good as any of "those" guys! I guess that got his attention, because he said "we get started around here at 7:00 A.M." I said GREAT! The next morning I was there at 6:45...! As "word" got around "the lot," Chappy Fox came down to the barn and said I would probably be "happier" working in the concession stand. I would have NOTHING to do with it! I told him I could sell burgers at McDonalds.

Little did I know at the time WHOM I was working with, or the opportunities that "could have been!" (But I made up for it on the Beatty Show, years later!) I just recall a lot of "heads" shaking that day! (Gary Jacobson told me at one of the CW reunions that they all kept a close eye on Buckles for a while 'cos they thought he'd really LOST it, by hiring a GIRL!!) I knew I was under a microscope so I just worked harder!

My responsibilities included taking care of "Turk," Bennie's horse and "Nirvana," Barbara's leopard. After those chores in the morning I pulled "shovel" duty for 19 elephants, and lead Manja for the 10:00 AM elephant ride and Scott Riddle made sure that I ALWAYS had something to do!

Buckles once told me that I was the "first" female elephant handler in Ringling's history. I'm VERY PROUD of that! I visited CW a year or so after, and Barbara took me to meet the girl who was taking care of an expanded menagerie. Barbara told her that I was the one who made it possible for her to have her job! I visited the Ringling CEC last year, after the CW Reunion and noticed that 6 of the 10 interns were girls!

I joined the Beatty Show in 1978 as Marketing Director. Tim Stinson tried to run me off and I finished the season with Nordmark's International All-Star Circus and then his Ice Show. BUT... I went back to the Beatty Show under the auspices of John Pugh. The next season Tim was GONE and I ended up staying 12 seasons!

1978 - Marketing
1979 - Bill Posting
1980 - Bill Posting (married Ned Potter-Hoover's head cage man, in Oct. 1980)
1981 - Cat Act
1982 - Cat Act & Ladders
1983 - 1987 Ticket Office Secretary/Ticket Agent
...then, had to get off the road due to hubby's health (Diabetes)but I went back in
1996 - Marketing Director
1997 - Marketing Director

I worked with Roger Smith on the cat department in 1981

I MISS IT EVERY DAY.

:-)

Cindy






07 April, 2016 19:24

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)