Re: Great Circus Parade
By Bob Conant
In a message dated 96-07-12 10:54:44 EDT, Don Linder writes:
> From: linder@cgc9.eda.mke.ab.com (Don Linder)
> To: automatic-music@foxtail.com
> Cc: linder@cgc9.eda.mke.ab.com
>
> Subject: An Intro
>
> I spent my lunch hour yesterday visiting the Lake Front here in
> Milwaukee where the Circus World Museum (Baraboo, WI) has all their
> wagons displayed before the Circus Parade which is scheduled to wind
> through the steets of Downtown on Sunday.
>
> There where a few folks also proudly displaying their Band Organs.
Don,
You didn't say how you liked the band organs at the Great Circus Parade but they must have been OK if you came back and looked for more info on the net. Just to let you know, my wife and I were there from Endicott, NY, with our 81 key Wilhelm Bruder Sohne fair organ and were located by the south entrance to the midway. On the opposite side from us also at the south entrance was Elise Roenigk from East Hampton, CT, with her 79 key Richter fair organ. At the north midway entrance were Terry and Joan Haughawout of Bloomdale, OH, with their 48 keyless Wilhelm Bruder Sohne Fair organ, Cliff and Robbie Gray from Jefferson, TX, with a Wurlitzer 150 trumpet organ and just outside the north entrance were Hank and Judy Stewart from Ohio manning Jasper Sanfillipo's Wurlitzer 165. In addition, Herby Head was on hand to give several concerts each day on the Circus World Museum's steam calliope (pronounced cal'-ee-yope in circus parlance). Tens of thousands of people are brought in contact with automatic musical instruments for the first time each year at the Great Circus Parade. We are proud to have been part of it.
Don knows about it but for the rest of the folks on the digest, this is a fabulous event. They load the approximately 75 circus wagons on flatcars in Baraboo, WI, and bring them by rail to Milwaukee where they are unloaded by teams of horses and towed by tractor to the circus grounds. For 4 days, Wednesday through Saturday, the midway is open to the public. With over 750 horses, 75 circus wagons, several free shows, elephants, camels and other exotic animals plus band organs and a relatively inexpensive genuine circus performance, there is lots to see and do for young and old alike. On Sunday, the Great Circus parade fields a 2 hour parade through the streets of Milwaukee featuring all the parade wagons, horses, bands, clowns, wild animals in cages and much more. All is presented as authentic to a period of around the turn of the century. All parade personnel are in period costumes and are not permitted to display cameras, sunglasses and the like. People start camping out on the streets on Thursday and Friday to hold their spots for viewing the parade. If you ever get a chance to go, do it. You won't be sorry.
Bob Conant Endicott, NY
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(Message sent Thu 18 Jul 1996, 03:08:35 GMT, from time zone GMT-0400.) |
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