Dear Folks,  There have been several comments and questions about
what band organs might appear at the Great Circus Parade in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, in July 2009.  Let me reminisce a little and maybe partly
answer the question.

For seven years in the 1990s, my wife, Cheri, and I participated in
the Great Circus Parade activities and the experience was something
I will never forget.  For those not familiar with the format, the
circus parade, itself, was held on Sunday and followed a route some
three miles long around the streets of Milwaukee.  The parade began and
ended at the park on the waterfront and, during the 1990s, it was so
long that the front end units were arriving back at the park before the
back end units had started out on the parade route.

With many, many units the parade included marching bands, bands riding
on wagons, over 700 horses plus many exotic marching animals (ever see
a camel hitch pulling a circus wagon?) along with clowns, wild animals
and much more.  In the parade, most of the music was "live" and included
a hand played steam calliope, the huge bell wagon and one lone Wurlitzer
band organ (a Style 125, I seem to remember) and possibly a Tangley air
calliope.  There were no other band organs in the parade.

However, in the park by the lake was set up a complete circus midway.
This was over a quarter mile long and included many circus displays,
exotic animals, a horse show with examples of a lot of the "work"
horses like Clydesdales, Shires, Belgians, Percherons and numerous
others.  The Royal Hanneford Circus set up a big top and had circus
performances several times a day.  There were also free circus acts
that took place daily on the midway grounds.

Along with all of this were the support functions that could be viewed
at no cost by the public.  This included wardrobe and costume wagons,
a blacksmith shop, a veterinary tent for tending to ill animals,
power generators, water supply wagons and of course all the fancy display
wagons.

This activity went on from Wednesday through Saturday and during all
this time the circus volunteers would constantly move wagons around,
play the steam calliope and generally put on a show.

Band organs.  These were by invitation and were set up along the length
of the midway with one big one at each end to greet visitors as they
entered the showgrounds.  I will probably forget someone and if so,
please forgive me but I remember seeing the following at many years of
the parade:

Robbie and the late Cliff Gray with their Wurlitzer 150 trumpet organ.
Ron and Mary Jo Bopp with their 52-keyless Gebrüder Bruder.  Terry and
Joan Haughawout with their 49-keyless Wilhelm Bruder Söhne.  Elise
Roenigk and her 79-key Richter.  Jim and Sherrie Krughoff and their
98-key Van Steenput.  Me and my wife Cheri with our 81-key Wilhelm
Bruder Söhne.  Marion and the late Ken Smith with their 89-key Gavioli
replica.  In the later years, the Circus World Museum Royal American
Shows 89-key Gavioli was in attendance.  I know I am forgetting someone
but I can't remember right now.

Regarding this year's parade and midway, I was talking with Ron Bopp
the other day (he is now a neighbor down the street) and he told me
that this year he would be in attendance with his new 41-key Verbeeck,
a Dutch street organ style instrument, and a fellow whom I can't
remember (I'm doing a lot of that these days) will be bringing a
Stinson from Wisconsin.  Also Larry Kern is expected to be there with
"The Ambassador", a large and impressive Stinson organ.  I would also
expect that the Royal American Shows Gavioli will be there as well.
Generally 6 or 7 organs are spread along the midway so there will most
likely be 2 or 3 more.

One last change affecting the organ participants will be the lack of the
commissary tent.  In past years, we were given passes to the commissary
and would eat cafeteria style at long tables set on straw strewn ground
and share stories and backgrounds with circus performers, clowns,
roustabouts, and animal wranglers from all over the country.  Even in
the rain with mud up to our ankles, this was an experience to treasure.

Regretfully, the commissary will not be there but the participants
will still find an opportunity to mingle and socialize.  Any MMDers
attending are encouraged to make themselves known to the organ people
as many are readers of this list and I'm sure will be happy to show you
the details of their band organ.

Go if you can, remembering that the midway is open during the week but
closed during the parade on Sunday.

Many regards and happy memories,
Bob Conant,
Bradenton, Florida