Many have a grossly romanticized idea of what circus life must have been like around the turn of the century, traversing the country by train, living amongst an oddball assortment of performers, freaks and roustabouts. The truth is, operations such as the Ringling Bros. made fortunes by running a tight ship, creating a highly hierarchical [...]
This Friday kicks off the Circus Model Show at Baraboo, Wisconsin’s Circus World Museum. Throughout the weekend, over 30 displays from across the country will be presented on these historic grounds for all to see. If you’ve never had the chance to see such an exhibit, allow me to warn you of your likely immediate [...]
The book came out in May of 2006 and four years later, Director Francis Lawrence began shooting the movie adaptation with Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. I’m talking, of course, about Sara Gruen’s award-winning novel Water for Elephants. While the film won’t hit the theaters until April 15, 2011, the official trailer has [...]
While Wisconsin may not sound like a destination hot spot in mid-January, you may want to consider bundling up for Baraboo’s annual circus winter mixer. On Saturday, January 15th, circus enthusiasts will gather at the The Farm Kitchen Restaurant for the following afternoon of festivities: 12:00 Noon – Room opens for anyone that wishes to [...]
Once the veterinarian for Baraboo’s Circus World Museum, William Losch died of congestive heart failure last Wednesday at the age of 74. According to his obituary in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “He grew up a farm boy in Pittsfield, Ill., earning his degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There, he [...]
Circus wagons have always been numbered. This helped to maintain order on cluttered lots. Workers, however, developed nicknames for various wagons or train cars. For example, the cars that housed single women were commonly referred to as “virgin’s cars” and the dining car was called the “pie car.”
Water for Elephants, the movie based on Sara Gruen’s novel, is in mid-production and utilizing Baraboo’s Circus World Museum for help with the set. The movie directors are using 15 of the museum’s restored wagons to create an authentic set. The production teams also recreated old black and white photographs dating back to the 1920s [...]
Today is the seasonal grand opening of Baraboo, Wisconsin’s Circus World Museum. The museum will be open from 9 am to 6 pm, with arena performances at 5 pm Saturday and 3 pm Sunday. Opening weekend will feature Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, complete with an Annie Oakley impersonator. Also of note in the circus [...]
Harry Atwell (1879-1957) was a photographer who began working with the Ringling Bros. Circus in 1908. During his 4 decades of work, Atwell gained notoriety as the circus photographer. The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI has amassed 5,000 of his negatives. He was a master of capturing circus culture behind the scenes and outside of [...]