Venice, Florida - Circus Memories

      

Sunset Report: Sun setting through the palm trees in a 77 degree cloudless sky was beautiful

Cyndi and I have been mostly spending alternate nights at the hospital with Mom, which believe it or not, is disorienting  after a couple weeks. Mom took her first painful steps yesterday, and is learning to overcome her fear of falling again. Because she's been so sick for so long, her muscle tone is poor and she'll be going to rehab for a while with a goal of being home for Christmas! Her spirits are much improved, and it's easy to see her progress the past couple days.

Our Uncle Soapy (AKA Duane Thorpe)

The longer I'm here the more I remember about the old days of coming to Venice for Winter Quarters during Christmastime, and watching the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey show rehearsals before they launched the new show edition for the year. We all stayed at the 40 Winks Motel and celebrated Christmas with our circus family. Very special people. I haven't "Googled" any of the names below, but I will later. My memories are personal ones, and I don't need Google or Wiki to remind me of their talent and kindness.

 Dick Barstow and Bill Bradley choreographed the dancing and production details for the spec and web numbers while Merle Evans and singing ringmaster, Harold Ronk, coordinated the music. It would not be an exaggeration to say that I grew up on the laps of my Uncle Soapy,  Lou Jacobs, Otto Greibling, and Prince Paul. Eric Braun, Joe, Mike and the other younger guys on clown alley welcomed our family behind the scenes to see how the circus show is put together. Frankie Saluto didn't care much for kids, and he was usually chewing on a cigar, pretty sauced, and scary under any circumstance.We weren't passed to him, and glad for that.

The particular "patina" of the circus is mainly a combination of elephant poop, saw dust and tiger pee; it is permanently ingrained in me. I'm taking Cyndi to the Cole Bros. Circus in Sarasota tomorrow evening, and I'm excited about that! Mom expects that I'll see several people I know, which I kind of doubt but still hope for. When I traveled with the show it was very much a family affair and because Uncle Soapy was such a popular guy, and had traveled with the circus so long, I felt like I had 425 brothers and sisters looking out for me. Many I'd known much of my life.

Every day that I drive to the hospital, I pass the old winter quarters building as I drive over The Circus Bridge. Very nostalgic. There's a trapeze school set up outside the building now, and there's talk of razing the building... so sad. I discovered during a waiting room conversation with a lady over my Duppy that she went to school with Tito Gaona, and that the trapeze school belongs to him. He was a firey, handsome flier from the days I traveled with the show and made me want to fly. Unfortunately for me I grew eleven inches in one year, and trapeze artists aren't allowed to be nearly six feet tall. I was allowed to fly on the low trapeze during practice, which only served to make me believe I could handle going high... I also always wanted to be shot out of what is now Elvin's cannon. (Not it has anything to do with the show, but driving 200 mph was also on my bucket list - the best I was able to do was 161 mph in Germany)

Handling Gunther's cubs to help socialize them, and seeing how he controlled sixteen elephants using only his voice - the same with his horses - and having him explain to me "They follow my commands because they WANT to please me," was a revelation in training animals that I understood more from the depth in his eyes than the words he used. He recently passed from brain cancer, and I went to his monument with my family last summer. RIP, Gunther.

Since Uncle Soapy's induction to the Clown Hall of Fame, I haven't seen any of the old gang. It was great to see Peggy Williams, who has made a career fostering interest in the American circus through education. Chuck Sidlow is one of a few contacts still maintained from the old clown alley; he has been wonderful about keeping us up on news and regularly calls Mom. Chuck's last bit of news was that Frosty Little has passed on last week. He was 44 when he graduated from the first class of the Clown College - quickly because clown boss, and had a twenty-four year career trouping with RBB&B. It was nice that such a great guy was such a success in transitioning his life. I know about running away to the circus, too, and we understood each other.