Grand Finale

Chicago, Illinois, Spring 1962. Fortunately, there's not a clown in sight.

Trapeze Reunion

Chicago, Illinois, Spring 1962. Here's one of the things I like least about circuses.

A Proverb, Illustrated

Poland, November 1966. "Not my circus, not my monkey."

"Hippo Den"

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Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. That's a tight fit.

Miniature Reunion

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. There's a lot to unpack here.

Pals

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. They share a cool spot.

The only thing I ever liked about a circus.

Chicago, Illinois, 1961 or 1962. It's the clown car filled with dogs.

(This may have been taken at an ice show; not at the circus.)

Charming, Captivating, Bewitching

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. She's a bird on a wire.

Ignore the lurking clowns.

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. Focus on the distraction instead.

"Poodles"

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. They're not those kinds of "poodles."

Assumption of Risk

Circus World Museum, Baraboo, Wisconsin, July 9, 2014. Read this before you ride a pony.

Related by Marriage: Meet Mr. Ned

Bozo’s Circus made its debut on Chicago’s WGN Channel 9 television broadcast at noon on September 11, 1961, with a blast from Ringmaster Ned’s opening whistle and his hearty announcement, "Bozo’s Circus is on the air!" In its forty-year history, the daily weekday show, taped in front of a live audience, became the country's longest running children's program. If you grew up in Chicagoland in the 1960s and early 1970s, then you knew that the waiting list for Bozo’s Circus tickets was years long.

Ned Locke played Ringmaster Ned until his retirement in 1976. The show was a promotional engine for its commercial advertisers. Bun Candy Bars was a prominent sponsor of Bozo’s Circus, and Mr. Ned knew how to reach its consumers.

Ringmaster Ned made frequent appearances in Chicago area grocery and department stores. Mr. Irene met Mr. Ned at the Winston Plaza Kroger in the during one visits (The Kroger store sign is partially visible in this 1963 shot.)

Winston Plaza, Melrose Park, probably 1964. Mr. Ned signs a souvenir photo for Mr. Irene.

Ned Locke, like other pioneers of early television, had a career in radio and in other businesses before joining WGN-TV in 1956. Mr. Locke was an avid pilot. He owned two airports in Iowa and had served as that state’s director of aeronautics for seven years. He retired to Kimberling City, Missouri. He was mayor of that city when he died in 1992.

Vatican City: Send in the clowns.

"Pope Benedict XVI greeted thousands of clowns, acrobats, puppeteers and even a pair of lion cubs on Saturday as the circus came to town for an unusual papal performance."

More photos here and here.

Scenes from a Circus

I have disliked circuses (and parades) since I was a child. My Dad took me to a circus in the early 1960s. I found it overwhelming and frightening.

I don't remember seeing zebras at the circus!

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Chicago, Illinois, Spring 1962. I think this circus took place at the Chicago Stadium. That same year, the Stadium served as the scene for The Manchurian Candidate's depiction of the Republic National Convention. Fourteen years or so later, I saw the Beach Boys and Chicago in concert there.