Annie Oakley: -noun [an-ee ohk-lee]: a complimentary ticket to a circus Annie Oakley (1860 – 1926) was a famous sharpshooter who rose to fame with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. She is credited as being the first American female superstar and she, in addition to being a remarkable gun slinger, was a bit of an activist. [...]
On January 16th, the “King of the Sideshow” Ward Hall was inducted into Sarasota’s Circus Ring of Fame. The Circus Ring of Fame, located on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Florida, is a landmark commemorating those who have made a significant contribution to the circus. The famed shopping district known as St. Armands was originally [...]
It is a serious understatement to say that Ned Kronberg has been been bitten by the circus bug. After a lifetime surrounding himself with circus culture, this enthusiast boasts the following achievements: Volunteer at Circus World Museum for over 40 years, where he’s helped restore a few wagons and been highly involved with the Great [...]
I have stumbled onto a new obsession that I wanted to share with HeyRubeCircus readers, as I’m sure you will soon find yourself wanting to indulge in this delightful find if you haven’t already; GOOD FOR WHAT AILS YOU Music of the Medicine Shows 1926 – 1937 is a CD compilation of 48 classic medicine [...]
James ( aka Jimmy) apRoberts is a California-based graphic designer who created the circus-themed art for folk guitarist Stevie Coyle‘s recently released concept album, Ten-In-One. The name of the record refers to the old sideshow days, when rubes could witness 10 dazzling acts under a tent for one price. The album features an eclectic assortment [...]
On January 11th, 2011, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission declared the 1917 Child’s Restaurant Building, located on Surf Avenue and West 12th Street, a New York City Landmark. This building is owned and operated by Coney Island USA, the non-profit arts center founded in 1980. Other recently landmarked properties include the Coney Island Theater Building [...]
Public performance is nearly always accompanied by the fear of a tough crowd. Will they catch the jokes? Will they cheer at the appropriate times? Will they cheer at all? After all of the training and planning that’s poured into a show, one can only hope for an understanding, and better yet inspired, audience. Such [...]
Harriet Albina Say’s father, Clyde Raymond Beatty, joined the circus as a cage cleaner in his youth and eventually worked his way up to lion taming and ownership. His operation later merged with the Cole Bros. Circus to form the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus. It may come as no surprise then that young Harriet joined [...]
Pixie Furious is a New York-based artist and musician with an honest-to-goodness fascination with sideshow culture. This obsession has manifested itself into the self-published comic series, Conies. This comic follows the adventures of fictitious Coney Island sideshow performers, all of whom are loosely based on the characters who have influenced Furious over the years. For [...]
This June, Asheville, NC will host the 5th annual Americana Burlesque & Sideshow Festival. This three day event will be filled with performances and workshops, conducted by artists from across the world. The Vaudeville-inspired weekend will not only host a bevy of beauties tantalizing crowds with pasties and g-strings, but also contortionists, aerialists, fire manipulators [...]