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Wednesday, July 05, 2006 



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Oconto, WI. Jump 67 miles. Sand lot. Weather mild.

While in Oshkosh the circus was set up next to an actual circus sideshow. Sideshows were once a famous part of the circus midway. In the 1940's and 1950's circus stopped displaying Human Oddities is sideshows, relinquishing such attractions to the world of cranival, where they flourished for another thirty years. By the late 1970's many circuses gave up the sideshow business entirely, replacing them with stand alone "grind shows" or "pit shows" like our own giant snakes. As pit shows have become less of a money maker it might be argued that it's time for a successful circus to try reinventing the sideshow with it's colorful banner line, but to date that hasn't happened.

About me

  • I'm B.E.Trumble
  • From Everywhere, United States
  • Ben Trumble works in circus, carnival, and media relations
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