Recent comments on the blog about the effect of wind on tents and poles reminded me of some pictures I took of Beatty Cole in Philadelphia on Thursday, May 20, 1976. During set up the gusts of wind lifted the big top off the ground and moved the short quarter poles into an almost vertical position.
The sequence starts with the big top on the ground with everything calm and then moves into the heavy wind.
DR Miller used to say that you go to a circus to be entertained and to a carnival to entertain yourself. Having had feet in both communities, I was surprised at the number of carnival folk who are circus fans.
13 comments:
Many thanks to Jerry
for sending this series
Perhaps he will provide
captions & notes
Great Photos !!! Thank you Jerry!
Recent comments on the blog about the effect of wind on tents and poles reminded me of some pictures I took of Beatty Cole in Philadelphia on Thursday, May 20, 1976. During set up the gusts of wind lifted the big top off the ground and moved the short quarter poles into an almost vertical position.
The sequence starts with the big top on the ground with everything calm and then moves into the heavy wind.
I have to notice the American flag is missing from the King Pole.
In those days of the "Leaf" built
160 foot round top with 3 middles
the "short" quarter poles were
know as outside quarter poles at
a length of 23 feet & the inside
quarter poles were 34 feet
I have Lief Osmundsen's drawings
of that top in my Sarasota office
The bottoms of outside quarters
were painted red & the inside
quarters had blue bottoms
"King" pole is the European
term for center pole or truss
"We" call them center poles
For many years the Philly date
was 2nd longest after Commack
In my early years they played
on Lighthouse Field with the
James Strates Carnival
The next "lot" was at
Liberty Bell Racetrack
It was all downhill after
that with some gruesome
mudholes & dustbowls
For many years the "Lulu"
Temple of the Shrine was
the sponser for Mondays
through Saturdays but not
for the Sunday shows
The King Pole is the first pole raised. Doesn't anyone pay attention to Enoch Brafford?
Strates was out front of us in '64. I discovered the circus folk and the carnies didn't mix.
Thanks Roger as I had
forgotten that use of
the term from early times
Wasn't the "Queen" pole
centered in the "Alley"
Although they retired
all of their coaches
Strates remains as the
only railroad show in
the US of A
DR Miller used to say that you go to a circus to be entertained and to a carnival to entertain yourself. Having had feet in both communities, I was surprised at the number of carnival folk who are circus fans.
I also had a short term with Reithoffer
That's where I learned to drive a semi
& how to run & synch generators both of
which lessons have served me very well
For a number of years I also belonged
to the Gibsonton Showman's Club where
there were many cross polinated folks
that also belonged to our ShowFolks
Club in Sarasota
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