After a leisurely afternoon of admiring ligers, petting goats and snuggling with emus at Sarasota’s Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, my sisters and I were treated to a demonstration by the Rosaire Family and a few of their feline friends. This ninth-generation circus family has been training and rescuing exotic animals for several [...]
Here’s a freaky, feel-good story to warm the heart this holiday season: In a reversal of fortunes, a once-unwanted cat has come to the rescue of an animal shelter in need of a new home. However, this orange-and-white tabby named Daniel is no typical cat. He has a near-record 26 toes, a phenomenon that is [...]
Okay, okay; so this post may have been much more useful a few weeks ago, but if you’re in need of some very last minute gift ideas, here’s some food for thought: Membership to the Circus Historical Society This membership includes a subscription to Bandwagon, the Journal of the Circus Historical Society. Annual fees begin [...]
HeyRube regulars may remember circus performer Kyle Petersen from his run in with the NYC police last year after they harassed him for riding his unicycle home in the middle of the night. (If you could use a refresher, click here.) Since then, Petersen has continued to pursue various circus arts and he recently unveiled [...]
While I love me some fire, I’ve been naively unaware that “fire festivals” had become a category in the landscape of contemporary entertainment, despite the fact that I’ve worked, played and performed at some. Learn something new every day! A recent Rough Guides article elucidates the subject and covers a few of the larger ones: Guy Fawkes [...]
And the animal issue rears it’s head in the circus industry once again. According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, The owner of the Ringling Bros. circus has agreed to pay a $270,000 fine to settle allegations that it violated federal animal-welfare laws in its handling of elephants, tigers, zebras and other exotic animals. The U.S. [...]
Ben Vereen is an American actor, dancer and singer whose accomplishments include numerous Emmy’s, Golden Globes and Broadway theatre shows, to name a few. Despite his successful career, Vereen was the subject of much controversy in 1981 when he performed in blackface at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. The following article highlights some of [...]
Hurry, Hurry, Step right up and check out this original 1940s footage from the Coney Island Freak Show. You’ll see the talker make his pitch, the banner line, actual pinheads and more:
The fairground in Dillon Montana has a tombstone for a show elephant that was struck down by lightning in 1943. The pachyderm, Pitt, was reportedly 102 years old. By all accounts I could find online, elephants live between 60-80 years in captivity. Pitt had been traveling with the Cole Bros. Circus at the time of [...]
The 999 Eyes Freakshow & Surreal Sideshow is hitting the road again, visiting many stops throughout the South and Midwest, with a show created by one of the few performing human anomalies in contemporary sideshow, The Black Scorpion, who now holds the esteemed title of the 999 Eyes Creative Director. True to the variety show style [...]