NEWS: Former Circus World employee holds Reunion Event

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http://www.newschief.com/article/201002 ... ?p=1&tc=pg

 

DAVENPORT - Those who worked at the vanished northeast Polk County amusement park Circus World plan to resurrect its friendly ghost with their first reunion this month.

 

Reunion organizer Dan Stapleton, a former park employee, said several performers - including clowns, a juggler and possibly a fire eater - plan to recreate their acts at the Circus World reunion Feb. 19. So far, 65 people have mailed him checks to reserve a place at the event, to be held at the Radisson Resort in Kissimmee. And from the reactions he's heard, he said he expects another 40 more.

 

"We're getting people from every year," Stapleton said about the years from the park's opening in 1974 to its closing in 1986. He compared it to a high school reunion.

 

Former Circus World clowns Billy Scadlock and Jerry Darkey will perform their old routines, including the classic Abbott and Costello "Let Me Have It" bit involving a bucket of water.

 

Bart Landenberger plans to do his juggling act, and Stapleton, a Circus World magician from 1978 to 1981, will again bring out his bag of tricks. Others, including a fire-eater, might join the lineup, Stapleton said.

 

The Flying Robins, the group of Circus World trapeze artists, will be there, Stapleton said, as well as dancers, ride operators, vendors and others in the spotlight as well as behind the scenes.

 

Online, a Facebook page in honor of the park has sprung up, and has 786 members.

 

At the corner of Interstate 4 and U.S. Highway 27, where the shopping center Posner Park now stands, Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus World had an IMAX theater, two roller coasters and various shows and attractions with a circus theme. A host of young locals worked there in service jobs.

 

The publishing company Harcourt Brace Jovanovich bought the park, shut it down and reopened it as Boardwalk & Baseball, a baseball-themed attraction that re-used the old roller coasters and rides. The company bought SeaWorld at the same time.

 

Boardwalk & Baseball closed in 1990, though, and the land eventually became the site for Posner Park.

 

Stapleton said the former employees are bringing their Circus World memorabilia to display on tables during the meet-and-greet and cocktail hour, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 19. Videos of performers' acts will play during the dinner, set to start at 7:30 p.m. There will be speeches and impromptu testimonials throughout the evening, and the live performers will recreate their routines onstage. Attendees also can join in the tabletop balloon display competition.

 

The cost to attend the reunion is $28 per person, or $35 after Friday. Stapleton asks that checks be made out to "Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration" and can be mailed to him at P.O. Box 2131, Windermere, FL, 34787.

 

Those interested in the reunion can call Stapleton at 407-491-3287 or e-mail magicdanstap4u@aol.com.

Image courtesy of News Chief files

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Some came dressed as clowns. Others brought their memories in the form of photo albums, old newspaper clippings and colorful posters. More than 100 former employees of Circus World gathered for a reunion at the Parkway Radisson on U.S. Highway 192 on Saturday. The theme park was owned by Ringling Brothers and was located where Posner Park now resides. "I'm seeing people I haven't seen in 30 years," said Dan Stapleton, who coordinated the event that brought former Circus World workers from as far away as California, Washington State and Texas for an evening of reminiscing about the days when they ran off to join the circus.

 

For East Polk residents who weren't around in the 1970s and 1980s, its hard to imagine that amusement park rides and jugglers were the norm then where now numerous retail stores stand. But, for those who came to the Radisson to see old friends and remember old times, it was a chance to take a step back in time.

 

"I still have a passion for 'The Show,'" Cindy Potter, who worked as an elephant handler at Circus World during the summer of 1974, the year the theme park opened. The year before, she graduated from Winter Park High School, and was looking for a job working with the huge animals. When told that " we don't hire girls in this department," she responded, "Why not? I can swing a shovel as well as any guy." Potter believes she was the first female elephant handler ever hired by Ringling Brothers.

 

Jerry Darkey was a clown at Circus World in 1981 and 1982, after graduating from the Ringling Brothers Clown College. He still freelances as a clown. "It's just like the real circus," he said of the camaraderie that was evident at the reunion. "People become family."

 

Billy Scadlock towered above the revelers as he walked on stilts, dressed in his clown costume. "I loved Circus World," he said, recalling the three years he worked there as a clown from 1978-1981. "I love these people."

 

There were former food workers and maintenance people there, too. Some once operated the rides or worked in the offices. But all remarked on the unique experience of once having worked in the circus and thrilled at the opportunity to get together with those who had shared that experience.

 

"Nobody has ever gotten everybody together before," said Cindy Hall. She and, her husband, Bill, both worked at Circus World after spending time with carnival shows in Central Florida. "This is really neat."

 

Ringling Brothers' original intent was that Circus World would be a museum where visitors could learn about circus history and admire at circus artifacts. But, when it opened in 1974, Disney World had been open for three years; Cypress Gardens had been a popular tourist draw for decades; putting Central Florida well on its way to become the theme park capitol of the world and international tourist trade. Therefore, in order to compete with the neighboring attractions, Ringling Brothers turned the property into a circus-themed park. It was complete with roller coasters, midways and circus shows, lasting until the 1980s. Then, new owners changed the name and theme to something totally different - Boardwalk and Baseball City. In 1989, Busch Entertainment, sold off the rides and the park ceased to exist.

 

The 21st century brought the development of Posner Park, a major shopping mall in Four Corners, to the property.

 

But, it was the Circus World persona that drew the former employees to the reunion to recall a time when elephants and zebras and clowns roamed the property at Four Corners - when a piece of ground at the intersection of Interstate 4 and U.S. Highway 27 was "The Greatest Show On Earth."

Former Circus clown Billy Scadlock towers over attendees during the them park's reunion held at the Parkway Radission on Friday.

Hand-carved figurines of actual Ringling Brothers circus clowns were on display during the reunion.

Dan Stapleton, who organized the Circus World reunion, stands beside the poster that advertised the Illusion Theatre he operated at the theme park for more than three years.