Ringling Brothers Circus to close after 146 years – IOTW Report

Ringling Brothers Circus to close after 146 years

Sunday, 15 January 2017, 2:47 MJA Uncategorized 24

That’s funny. Another well-known circus will be closing on the 19th.

ELLENTON, Fla. (AP) — After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on “The Greatest Show on Earth.” The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May.

The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.

“There isn’t any one thing,” said Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “This has been a very difficult decision for me and for the entire family.”

The company broke the news to circus employees Saturday night after shows in Orlando and Miami.  MORE

24 Comments on Ringling Brothers Circus to close after 146 years

  2. This is a local tragedy for me – Ringling has been a major presence in Sarasota and later Manatee counties for a long, long time. 45 years ago when my family came here we’d watch the circus train as it took the whole works out at the beginning of the season and upon their return in the fall to winter in Venice. The local high school here has Trapeze as one of its athletic programs, and this is one of the few places where a kid’s dream of “running away to be in the circus” wasn’t pure fantasy. They will be deeply missed.

    “Animal rights” my ass. I’ll recognize an animal’s rights when it has the cognitive capacity and ethical awareness to sign a contract and live up to it. And this is a stark reminder of what govt regulation does to businesses: strangle and kill them.

  4. I would have rather they close the circus in Washington.

    I remember being at my grandmas’ house and watching all the circus wagons go by on the train on their way to Milwaukee for the circus parade. About ten or so years ago they cut that out because the city refused to fund it. Maybe that’s a good thing because I don’t believe the government should fund art. I guess you just can’t stop progress but you can stop progressives.

    I’m just glad that I didn’t run away and join the circus like my parents wanted me to.

  5. The left’s constant harassment and interference was the main cause of this sad situation. Going to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus performances were wonderful experiences for me and so many others. It’s really going to be missed.

  10. Why pay to go see clowns when their in front of the camera everyday defending Obamacare and threatening to misbehave during the inaugural. In fact, given the election, I think the general public is sick of clowns.

  11. Does this mean that John Lewis, Maxine Waters, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Debbie Washerwoman-Schlutz, Donna Brazille, the Lame Stream Media, the Obolas, and others are gonna have to hang up their clown noses?

    izlamo delenda est …

  15. The folks who clean the cages and the circus arenas will be transferred to Washington, DC to perform the daunting task of cleaning the White House. It will take at least two weeks or more. Nasty. Nasty. Nasty.

  16. Growing up, we lived next to a 30 acre meadow. A little circus would sometimes use it for their shows and in the mornings, we could hear the roar of the lions as we were waking up. We would wander over and watch them set up and get ready for each show. For a couple days in mid-summer, we were treated to magic.

  22. According to an episode of COPS, there is/ was a midget tossing act at Circus Circus. (They have a circus show with trapeze artists, etc. )
    On the particular episode, a midget got into some trouble and they had to chase his little ass down in the street because he was drunk.

    My point is, certain people need the circus side-show type arena for employment. Better side shows and circuses than welfare.

  23. Sad to see a show where the clowns are funny end. I never saw this circus show live, but I remember other circus shows.

    There’s a special place in Hell for Hollywood and Stephen King.

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