SARASOTA, Fla. — World Circus Day is on April 20 and the Ringling Museum in Sarasota is celebrating the day with free entry to the circus museum.
The museum also honors the day by celebrating the 50th anniversary of the flagship show "The Greatest Show On Earth" by circus production giants Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey with a new gallery. The gallery gives us a glimpse into this riveting and high-wire magical world of the circus.
"I find it interesting especially the acrobats and how agile they were," Dorothy Rawlinson, who was visiting from Oklahoma, said.
"I remember the shows with the trapeze, and that was I believe my most favorite, and the fact that you could take your little book that you got at the circus, and the clowns would come over and sign it," Sonnya Apodaca of Apollo Beach said.
The Greatest Show On Earth gallery showcases 50 years of production under the umbrella of The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. The circus was acquired in 1968 by the Feld family, who have guided its continued success under their stewardship well into a third generation of circus entertainment producers.
"They have outlasted any other family that owned the title and they really innovated the circus to bring it up to the 21st century," Jennifer Lemmer-Posey, the Ringling Circus Museum curator, said.
The Feld family is among the many families that followed in the path of circus pioneer John Ringling who in 1927 turned Sarasota into a circus winter quarter.
"Since that time, many circus families have called this area home so it's an important part of the work we do. If you look around, you may have neighbors who are part of the circus community," Lemmer-Posey explained.
"It's wonderful to see how they had to feed all of the behind-the-scenes people. It's not just the shows and you know the people coming and seeing things, you had to feed the animals and feed all the people. It's like nonstop energy," Apodaca said.
Trains and the railway system play a key role in that journey from north to south and in showcasing some artistic elements and mechanical innovations.
"Just imagine what the people felt like when those trains came through and just the fact that they kept people working and they kept food on the table for people," Apodaca said.
While Sarasota no longer relies heavily on the circus industry, it remains a pivotal location when it comes to the history and global impact on circus culture and heritage.
"The circus arts are still really an active part of American culture, particularly of our region in southwest Florida. There's a lot of fantastic circus happening here, including 'The Greatest Show On Earth' still being produced," Lemmer-Posey said.
"It is an art form that has grown up with America and it's always reflecting kind of our own cultural interest," she said.
"It's bigger than I expected and there's so much detail and I just love all the history," Rawlison added.
"We just love this museum and this new area that they have brought into this. I've been coming here for several years and I feel like this is going to really be a big part for especially the young ones to pass it on," Apodaca said.