CRASH MOREAU'S CIRCUS VISITS
May all your days be circus days!
This was my schedule of
2001 CIRCUS VISITS
Pictured above is Crash Moreau along with
his daughter Tina and grand daughter Kayla
at the L E Barnes Circus in Bangor, ME
Please check back for new material.
Crash
2001 TOUR
ANNA TEMPLE SHRINE CIRCUS
Bangor, ME
My first circus of the year was the Wayne McCary's produced Anna temple Shrine Circus at the Bangor auditorium.
Jim Ladini's
AMERICAN ALL_STAR CIRCUS
(Ron Morris)
Old Town, ME
A couple of weeks later I went up to the Middle school in Old Town, Maine to see the Ron Morris boiler room date of the American All-Star circus managed by Jim Ladini which was sponsored by the local VFW. Stars on the show was Shane Hansen and the Rolling Diamond Act, Johnny Peers who both was with the McCary tour. their was about 100 paid admission for the 2 shows.
UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS
Washington, DC
After flying to West Palm Beech, Florida I drove 1,000 miles over night to catch the Universoul Circus that was playing just north of Washington, DC. the show was doing excellant business. all of Saturdays shows were sold out and they had 3 ticket lines the lenght of the parking lot selling tickets for the Sunday's shows. The one thing you don't see is security guards in uniforms or t-shirts as their security wears suits and tuxedos. What class!
RINGLING BROTHERS CIRCUS (Red)
Hershey, PA
On Sunday I went to the early show of the Bello and Bo Circus at the Hershey Arena. this was the best Ringling Show I have seen in years and the best ever on the Red Unit. The flying act of the Angels of Fire was one of the best (another Russian Act which all started with the Flying Cranes). 
After the show was over I headed to Branchville, New Jersey to see the LE Barnes Circus. But the show had already tourn down as they only had one early show in the afternoon and most of the trucks had already left the lot. Now I was headed home. 
LE BARNES CIRCUS
Branchville, NJ
L.E. BARNES CIRCUS
Bath, ME
On Saturday it was Tent #30's Circus Day at Bath, Maine with the L.E. Barnes Circus. I was there from set up to just after the second show. This was the first day of a 2 day stand and the first day the show did not put up the sideshow as they were trying to cut expenses. 
A luncheon was held at a local resturant with guest Dave and Lois Hoover. They told us about the show and the season and many interesting things about their career in the show business. About 20 members and guest of the tent was present while most would stay and go to the 4:30 performance. 
The turn out was low, I would say less than 200 for 2 shows on opening day.
CLYDE BEATTY COLE BROTHERS
Rye, NH
On Sunday, Karen and I headed to Rye, New Hampshire to see the Clyde Beatty Cole Brothers Circus. When we got to Rye we headed to the beach for awhile as the afternoon show was going on. As we were headed back to the lot a severe thunder shower rolled thru. As we got to the lot the afternoon show was just letting out. Than we heard the night performance was cancelled due to the National Weather Office predictions of high wind warning and more severe storms would hit the area. After driving over 200 miles it was a big let down to go home empty handed.
You can not see the rain as the crew dismantels the show as servier storms were headed their way.
L.E. BARNES CIRCUS
Bangor, ME
The following weekend it was the 3 day stand of the L.E. Barnes show in Bangor. The show started off on a bad foot as the 24 hour man had layed the tent out on the concrete runway but when it was time to put the tent up they could not drive the stakes in so it had to be changed to the ground of soft soil the city really did not want them to use. 
This date was a blank but it was better than Bath. The 3 man advertising crew did a terrible job of bill postering. The only place they put posters up was around the area of the lot. There was nothing a mile away. There was only one small newspaper ad in the Bangor Daily News and nothing on TV. The sponsor lost about $2,000 on the date. This was approx. on the last day of the show. LE has problems and it's in the management and advertising departments. 
The performance was medoca, a liveband which sounded good, the sound and lighting was not the best for this size show. The show lacked CDL drivers as they had to double back for trucks. If these shows of this type is to survive they need to pat their help. People want and need money to live on. The only way most circuses survive is by hiring hispanics for labor for nearly nothing and they think they are getting rich while not even receiving minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. 
What really ereks me is these hispanic workers won't even try to speak English yet they want our money. The personnel on the LE show are being fired all the time. One person went over to see the show in February and hasn't been home yet and this is July. he hasn't been paid except for his gas expenses. 
How deep is the pockets of this show? Will the show be out next year? Come back later to find out!
KELLY MILLER CIRCUS
Oswego, NY July 14
On July 14 I saw for the first time this year the Kelly Miller Circus in Oswego, New York. I saw the posters in town and the day before I was performing at the local race track so I had to stay. I was on the lot the night before and watched as the lot was layed out in the town park along the St Lawrence seaway.The next morning I was there as the trucks came in, in convoy. 
Everyone knew just where they were suppose to go. The show was set up in about 2 hours. To my surprise the show had a person telling the locals about the setup which is a circus tour that is done every morning that there is a set-up. This was quit interesting and more shows should do this. 
Later I talked to the tour guide and come to find out he was an old time stunt show personnel whos name is Harlan. Dave Rawls the GM and owner was out pounding stakes and performing every other choir that needed to be done. He's a hands on manger/owner. he even does the ballying for one of the side shows, sells tickets and does the single elephant act while one of the other Silverlakes does the 3 elephant routine. The only thing I can say is the Silverlakes uses the angus hook so much on the elephants know wonder PETA is after the circuses. Both acts were done by young Billy Morris last year with out the hooking of this year. 
Cindy Harriot was on the show with a mixed animal act.
ROBERTS BROTHERS CIRCUS
Skowhegan, ME
My next circus day was the Roberts Brothers Circus at the fairgrounds in Skowhegan, Maine. The maine CFA Tent #30 had a circus day event schedule. At the luncheon we had our honored guest Teresa and Bobby Earle present. Later after dinner for the crew a cake and soda break was held. this cake and luncheon presentation I think was much better than the one the tent did in Bath earlier in the year for L.E. Barnes. 
This show was the strongest performance that I have seen in years of going to the Robert's Circus. It was sad not to see Turtle aound the elephant. But it was worse to see Silverlake who was taking over with Boo, staying inside his air conditioned trailer while Boo was chained up both front and rear legs all day. 
Turtle would always be outside sitting with his elephant, reading all the while the elephant would be loose. What a diiference it makes, no wonder the animal rights people do what they do. Than during the performance Silverlake kept hooking Boo to get him to move faster. From one extreme to the other on how to handle the same elephant. 
The new tent of a few years looks like the old tent, full of holes. Anyone who saw the show, I hoped it was on a sunny day. Also on the fairgrounds on this day we saw that Larry Carr's Exposition was refurbishing some rides. Dennis Gillie of Maryland was redoing the animals on one of the Carosels. Dennis is well known thru out the industry.
VIDBEL OLD TIME CIRCUS
Mass.
My next circus was the Vidbel Old Time Circus at a spot in Massacusetts where I met a couple of CFAers who just happened to be in Maine that same morning that I left. This show was nice and clean, a real professional show with a couple of new semi-tractors this year. The Vidbel daughters do a great job of performing.
UNIVERSOUL CIRCUS
Columbus, OH
ROYAL HANNEFORD CIRCUS (Shrine)
Trenton, NJ
The following day after driving all night I stopped into the Soverign Arena in Trenton to see the Shrine Circus presented by the Royal Hanneford Circus. This was a 3 ring indoor date. Charlie VanBuskirk was ringmaster and Kay Parker along with Bobby presented the music for the show. A few of the acts that was on this show will be at the Big-E's Super Circus in September. I would say less than 800 people was there for a Sunday afternoon performance on a rainny day. Everyone was saying the turn out was pour because Ringling played the same building less than 3 months earlier. But I still say if you don't advertise you do not get the crowds.
VIDBEL OLD TIME CIRCUS (sidewall)
Hamburg, NY
My next circus production was a few days later at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York with a sidewall production from Scott O'Donnel of the Vidbel Circus. This show was under the direction of John Kennedy Kain (Egg-roll). the clown and ringmaster for this show. He is from the Buffalo area and I first met egg-roll a few weeks earlier at the Gouvinor Fair while emceeing Brett Marshalls BMX Show. Egg-roll remebered me especially after seeing White Tops and the listing of shows I had seen the year before and the secretary's report of the tent that I was for real.
CLYDE BEATTY COLE BROTHERS CIRCUS
Freehold, NJ
I drove 500 miles over night to get to see the Clyde Beatty Cole brothers Circus in Freehold, New Jersey. I mist the show in June while they were playing Rye, New Hampshire as the show was cancelled becausae of severe weather coming in, today would be the day. I followed the arrows over 100 miles right to the lot. This is the best looking 3 ring show on the road today with excellant acts. The quality has really improved. The Russian Air Force- superb, an excellant cat and dove act, a single high wire act while walking the wire standing in a metal pan, McCray doing a great cat act (much better than his boss Rossaire) the fastest Wheel of Destiny I have ever seen and of 
coarse Adam Hill not using the angus on the elephants. The only time I saw Adam use thehook was to put it in a ring on the elephants head gear to use it as a reins to get Tina to move faster on the elephant rides.
CIRCUS SMIRKUS
Montpelier, VT
Another over night jump this time to Montpelier, vermont to see the one and only Circus Smirkus. When I arrived the sign was up Sold Out. I spotted Ozzie and sure enough their was a few extra tickets around. As I have always said, "This is one of the great shows with all the kids of all ages performing in style." 
Of coarse I had my L.E. Barnes t-shirt on and some thought I was from that show. Boy did I spend money on their posters, videos, etc. Now it would be home for a few days. 
BENTLEY BROTHERS CIRCUS
Phillie, PA
After a week home I heade to Caldwell, Ohio via Phillie as I wanted to take in Bob Moyer's Bentley Brothers Circus on a Sunday afternoon. The show looked good from the outside, but with $14 tickets and $2 parking I felt this was way to high. The show lasted one and a half hours with a half hour intermission. The hula hoop girl was only 9 years old was excelland and she knew how to style and work the audience. 
Moyer's ligers sprayed the front section of one section of the crowd during their performance. That seemed kind of funny sitting in the back. Overall this was probally the worst show of the season. There was about 30% capacity for a crowd.
BIG APPLE CIRCUS
Dullis Town Center, VA
Karen and I had started our annual fall vacation this year with a performance of the new Big Apple Circus production at the Dullis Town Center in VA. As always a great show but my only complaint is they never have a program that early in the year and they do not have an outlet where we can get a copy of the new programs when they do come out. I said Hello to Paul Binder who also introduced me to Kenneth Feldt who was in attendence for this show.
BEDAZZLED ON ICE
BIG-E W. Springfield, MA
I went to the Bedazzled Ice Show and I thought, pardoned the expression that it sucked. it was so boring the only thing that woked me up was the Goucho who was the best of the show. Yes there were beautiful girls but they didn't do anything. This had to be the worse show on the Big-E grounds.
BIG -E SUPER CIRCUS
W. Springfield, MA
Next for the day at the Big-E I took in the Super Circus under Tommy Hanneford's biggest tent. This circus is always great and each act is a featured act. The Flying Pages, The Rubies, Sivia Zerbini, David and Diane and for the first time there was no clowns in the show. The best act of the show was the Russian Poodles which the poodles bring in and take out their own props from the ring. This is one well trained act. The poodle that walks on his hind legs while walking a white cat on a leach brings the house down. This was an excellant, superb show.
McConnel's CIRCUS ROYAL (Shrine)
Glen Falls, NY
The next day it was the Circus Royal Circus in Glen Falls, NY for the local Shrine. Johnny peers spotted me on the strret and thought I looked familiar and I told him who I was and where we had met. This was a nice circus but it was the worst ringmaster I have ever seen. It was Senior Ray who never introduced any acts and sat thru out the show in his producers chair. 
The only thing he did was open the show and the second half and closed the first half and the shows ending. I didn't know it at the time but this is how John McConnel wanted to run the show, I feel all acts needs to be recoginized at some point in the show.
ROYAL HANNEFORD CIRCUS
Branchville, NJ (Shrine)
The next day I once again made the Outdoor Tented Shrine Circus under one of the Royal hanneford Tents at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Branchville, New Jersey. This was a nice liitle show with decent acts. Than it was home to drop off Karen.
STAR SPANGLED CIRCUS
Deerfield, NH
On my way to the Bloomsburg Fair to perform and also I ran across Bill Morris and the Elephant Encounter I stopped into the great deerfield Fair to catch the Dewight Damon's Star Spangled Circus under the shade trees as this is an outdoor performance held 2 to 3 times dailey. This year the circus featured the Tino Wallenda's Group.
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL (Drallion)
Phillie, PA
I dropped into downtown Phillie to catch the fantastic circus production of the Quebec performers from Drallion. What a great show with in walking distance of the heart of Phillie set up in a vacant lot. I had started my trip to return the car to West Palm Beach Florida that I had driven up in this spring.
ROYAL HANNEFORD CIRCUS
Perry, GA
Two days later after seeing Drallion I stopped into Georgia's biggest fair in Perry where 2 units of the Reithoffer Shows were set up. I really wanted to see what the Royal Hanneford had for a show after leaving the Big-E a week earlier. This was a much smaller show with no super acts. All the acts were a combination of both shows from the Big-E and Branchville. To my surprise there was only a couple hundred spectators in the audience compared to the strawhouses at the Big-E. A big tent with only a handful. This was a big surprise to me after hearing how goog this fair was.
RINGLING BROTHERS (Blue)
Portland, ME
After jumping on the big bird to fly north for the last circus of the year that was taking place in Portland, Maine at the Cumberland County Civic Center by the Ringling Brothers Show. This was the first time this show had been to Maine in many many years. 
Our CFA Tent was honored at a get to gether by Ringling for everyone that fought the legislation that would have stopped circuses from having elephants in the circus in Maine. So far we have one, but the battle is still on going.
