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Allen, TX. Cooler today, with a stiff breeze predicted. It's been said that a circus is a little bit like a sailing ship. Anytime you've got that much 'canvas' up you are ruled by the winds. Tent crews, like old time sailors are a well disciplined bunch of guys.
Texas is circus country. As far back as the 1870's when Mr. Coup put the Barnum Show on the rails, big circuses have felt at home here. Texas was where the railroad shows came in the autumn to lock-in the profits they either had or hadn't made elsewhere before retreating into Winter Quarters. By the early 20th Century Texas was putting some pretty impressive circuses of its own onto the rails. South Houston's George Christy not only built a large circus that carried his name, he also moved it better than almost anyone else. The Christy show could and did occasionally play more than one town in a single day. The logistics were daunting. Unload the train, set up the tent, parade, perform, tear it all down again -- reload the train -- then repeat the entire process again 100 miles down the road on a long summer evening.
Circus has never been a job for anyone afraid of hard work.
