understand. “There
are many French, Italian, and Spanish too. We have a group of Japanese acrobats, and
a family of Chinese gymnasts and jugglers. They speak English, although I can hardly
understand them. And almost all of the big cat acts are German. It must be very popular
in your country.” Nick smiled as he said it. If it was, Nick had never heard about
it. He had never knownany lion tamers at home, nor acrobats or jugglers. He couldn’t even remotely imagine
what they would be like. But he was about to find out.
Both boys were wide-eyed as they drove through Sarasota. It was a pretty little town,
and Joe pointed out minor landmarks to them. As it turned out, it was a short drive
to the winter headquarters at the fairground, and when they got there, Nick saw a
huge spread of land of many acres that was teeming with activity. There was a gigantic
tent, a big top, where their performances would be while they were there. There were
menageries, tents, practice rings, workshops, railroad yards, and what looked like
a sea of trailers in several vast parking lots. There were hundreds of them. And they
rolled past the gates of an enormous structure that looked like a house, only bigger,
which Joe said was Ca’ d’Zan, and appeared to be a Venetian palace sitting on the
bay.
“The Ringlings live there,” he explained. Nick already knew that they owned the circus,
and that John Ringling North had become president the year before, after his uncle
John Ringling died. It was entirely a family-run business, with six of the actual
Ringling brothers presiding. They had bought the Barnum & Bailey Circus many years
before, in 1907, and the Ringlings were now in full control. They had merged two powerful,
successful circuses and turned them into an astounding whole, with more than thirteen
hundred employees, more than eight hundred animals, a hundred and fifty-two wagons,
and a fifty-nine-car train. And everywhere Nick looked were people in odd costumes,
women and young girls in tutus and ballet clothes, and men and women in gymnastic
clothes. There had been a rehearsal for the clowns that day, and Lucas stared at them
as they walked by. They were talking animatedly with each other, followedby dogs in varying shapes and sizes, in funny outfits, that were part of their act.
“We have more horses than any other animal. But yours are the only Lipizzaners in
the country,” Joe explained to him. Nick looked around when they got out of the car—it
seemed more like ten or twelve circuses banded together in one location. It was more
circus and everything that went with it than any of them could have dreamed.
“Wow! It’s so big!” Toby whistled softly, and his father was thinking the same thing.
It looked as though one could easily get lost there. Lucas was jumping up and down,
wanting to meet the clowns.
“You’ll meet everyone eventually,” Joe reassured both boys. “And there are lots of
kids for you to play with. You’ll all be tutored together once we’re on the road.
When we’re in Sarasota, all the performers’ children go to the local schools. There
are too many of them for just one school. And you two boys will be going to school
too.” It suddenly appeared to be a real community, with families, not just all the
odd characters in the circus.
“We’re actually here for the winter early this year. We had an actors’ strike that
shut us down till almost July. So we came down to our winter quarters earlier than
usual, although we did a few extra shows in the Midwest.” It had turned out to be
a blessing for Nick, since they were already there and not still on tour when they
arrived. “And I think we’re going to leave later this spring, which will give you
plenty of time to rehearse and settle in before we tour. We usually start in February
or March. We’re planning on early April now. We open in New York.”
Joe checked a
are many French, Italian, and Spanish too. We have a group of Japanese acrobats, and
a family of Chinese gymnasts and jugglers. They speak English, although I can hardly
understand them. And almost all of the big cat acts are German. It must be very popular
in your country.” Nick smiled as he said it. If it was, Nick had never heard about
it. He had never knownany lion tamers at home, nor acrobats or jugglers. He couldn’t even remotely imagine
what they would be like. But he was about to find out.
Both boys were wide-eyed as they drove through Sarasota. It was a pretty little town,
and Joe pointed out minor landmarks to them. As it turned out, it was a short drive
to the winter headquarters at the fairground, and when they got there, Nick saw a
huge spread of land of many acres that was teeming with activity. There was a gigantic
tent, a big top, where their performances would be while they were there. There were
menageries, tents, practice rings, workshops, railroad yards, and what looked like
a sea of trailers in several vast parking lots. There were hundreds of them. And they
rolled past the gates of an enormous structure that looked like a house, only bigger,
which Joe said was Ca’ d’Zan, and appeared to be a Venetian palace sitting on the
bay.
“The Ringlings live there,” he explained. Nick already knew that they owned the circus,
and that John Ringling North had become president the year before, after his uncle
John Ringling died. It was entirely a family-run business, with six of the actual
Ringling brothers presiding. They had bought the Barnum & Bailey Circus many years
before, in 1907, and the Ringlings were now in full control. They had merged two powerful,
successful circuses and turned them into an astounding whole, with more than thirteen
hundred employees, more than eight hundred animals, a hundred and fifty-two wagons,
and a fifty-nine-car train. And everywhere Nick looked were people in odd costumes,
women and young girls in tutus and ballet clothes, and men and women in gymnastic
clothes. There had been a rehearsal for the clowns that day, and Lucas stared at them
as they walked by. They were talking animatedly with each other, followedby dogs in varying shapes and sizes, in funny outfits, that were part of their act.
“We have more horses than any other animal. But yours are the only Lipizzaners in
the country,” Joe explained to him. Nick looked around when they got out of the car—it
seemed more like ten or twelve circuses banded together in one location. It was more
circus and everything that went with it than any of them could have dreamed.
“Wow! It’s so big!” Toby whistled softly, and his father was thinking the same thing.
It looked as though one could easily get lost there. Lucas was jumping up and down,
wanting to meet the clowns.
“You’ll meet everyone eventually,” Joe reassured both boys. “And there are lots of
kids for you to play with. You’ll all be tutored together once we’re on the road.
When we’re in Sarasota, all the performers’ children go to the local schools. There
are too many of them for just one school. And you two boys will be going to school
too.” It suddenly appeared to be a real community, with families, not just all the
odd characters in the circus.
“We’re actually here for the winter early this year. We had an actors’ strike that
shut us down till almost July. So we came down to our winter quarters earlier than
usual, although we did a few extra shows in the Midwest.” It had turned out to be
a blessing for Nick, since they were already there and not still on tour when they
arrived. “And I think we’re going to leave later this spring, which will give you
plenty of time to rehearse and settle in before we tour. We usually start in February
or March. We’re planning on early April now. We open in New York.”
Joe checked a
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