Happy New Year!

These are from America's largest Amusement Park, Cedar Point, in Sandusky, Ohio. While these aren't taken during New Year's they do indicate a wild celebration full of fun and excitement. I hope all of you can find fun and excitement in the New Year as well.

Happy New Year!

The 40 Horse Hitch

With New Years Day coming up soon and all the big parades on TV, I thought I would pass on a HUGE parade spectacle, the 40 Horse Hitch.

The 40 Horse Hitch is nothing new. The first one documented was back in 1848 on the Spalding and Rogers Show driven by J.W. Paul. Yankee Robinson had a 40 horse hitch in 1866. and Dan Rice made good use of such a fine equine exhibit in 1873.

The Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth took a European tour from 1898 to 1902 with the 40 horse hitch and returned to tour the United States with the 40 in 1903 and 1904. Jake Posey was well known as the 40 Horse Hitch driver on the Barnum & Bailey show. He explained the lead horses were over 80 feet in front of the wagon. To control such a large team, the driver had ten reins in each hand ( one for every two horses ). Mr. Posey always kept the lead reins between his thumb and forefinger and the pole reins bewtween his third and fourth finger.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 1903

This is a well circulated photo of the Barnum & Bailey parade in 1903 featuring the 40 Horse hitch under the direction of Jake Posey. Mr. Posey explained that he had a man behind him at all times to keep the reins straight. A turn to the right or left by the teams meant an extra twenty feet of reins sliding through his fingers. Just one twist in the lines would knock them all out of his hand. Once they straightened up, it required pulling that extra twenty feet of reins back in and keeping it straight.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 1973

Teamster Dick Sparrow, of Zearing, Iowa was asked to bring back one of the greatest pieces of horsemanship anyone had ever seen before, the 40 Horse Hitch. Dick Sparrow personally selected every Belgian in the group and determined thier position in place in the hitch that was four abreast and ten deep.

The promotional materials included here were all prepared by Barkin, Herman and Associates.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 1973

Dick Sparrow and some of his friends.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 1973

This Promotional photo shows Robert A. Uihlein Jr., President of the Jos. Schlitz Brewing Co. and the 40 Horse driver Mr. Dick Sparrow of Zearing, Iowa. The Schlitz bandwagon was built literally from the ground up just for the forty horse hitch. The wagon was 23 feet long and weighed over 5 tons.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 1973

This is one of the Promotional Photos from the 1973 Old Milwaukee Days Parade taken from the Driver's seat of the 40 horse Hitch.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 2003

The Big day has arrived and the 2003 Great Circus Parade is about to get under way on the Milwaukee lakefront. The oldest wagon known to have been pulled by a 40 horse hitch, the Two Hemispheres Bandwagon, now owned by John Zweifel, is about to be pulled by the infamous 40 horse hitch. This would be the very last time.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 2003

The 40 Horse Hitch - 2003

The 40 Horse Hitch - 2003

The outriders prepare to get the team taking off in Milwaukee, 2003.

The 40 Horse Hitch - 2006

Now sitting in a barn beside the train shed, the Schlitz Bandwagon is 35 years old. The carvings are showing various stages of rot. The last Bandwagon ever built in the United States remains in storage.

Christmas Cards

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This is marker 1980.

No matter how you say it, it means the same; MERRY CHRISTMAS

I Recieved this from a Friend today. Wow!

Afrikaans: Geseënde Kersfees

Afrikander: Een Plesierige Kerfees

African/ Eritrean/ Tigrinja: Rehus-Beal-Ledeats

Albanian:Gezur Krislinjden

Arabic: Milad Majid

Argentine: Feliz Navidad

Armenian: Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand

Azeri: Tezze Iliniz Yahsi Olsun

Bahasa Malaysia: Selamat Hari Natal

Basque: Zorionak eta Urte Berri On!

Bengali: Shuvo Naba Barsha

Bohemian: Vesele Vanoce

Bosnian: (BOSANSKI) Cestit Bozic i Sretna Nova godina

Brazilian: Feliz Natal

Breton: Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat

Bulgarian: Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo

Catalan: Bon Nadal i un Bon Any Nou!

Chile: Feliz Navidad

Chinese: (Cantonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

Chinese: (Mandarin) Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan (Catonese) Gun Tso Sun Tan'Gung Haw Sun

Choctaw: Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito

Columbia: Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

Cornish: Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth

Corsian: Pace e salute

Crazanian: Rot Yikji Dol La Roo

Cree: Mitho Makosi Kesikansi

Croatian: Sretan Bozic

Czech: Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok

Danish: Glædelig Jul

Duri: Christmas-e- Shoma Mobarak

Dutch: Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! or Zalig Kerstfeast

English: Merry Christmas

Eskimo: (inupik) Jutdlime pivdluarit ukiortame pivdluaritlo!

Esperanto: Gajan Kristnaskon

Estonian: Rõõmsaid Jõulupühi

Ethiopian: (Amharic) Melkin Yelidet Beaal

Faeroese: Gledhilig jol og eydnurikt nyggjar!

Farsi: Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad

Finnish: Hyvaa joulua

Flemish: Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar

French: Joyeux Noel

Frisian: Noflike Krystdagen en in protte Lok en Seine yn it Nije Jier!

Galician: Bo Nada

Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil agus Bliadhna mhath ùr!

German: Fröhliche Weihnachten

Greek: Kala Christouyenna!

Haiti: (Creole) Jwaye Nowel or to Jesus Edo Bri'cho o Rish D'Shato BrichtoHausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaiian: Mele Kalikimaka

Hebrew: Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova

Hindi: Shub Naya Baras (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Hausa: Barka da Kirsimatikuma Barka da Sabuwar Shekara!

Hawaian: Mele Kalikimaka ame Hauoli Makahiki Hou!

Hungarian: Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket

Icelandic: Gledileg JolIndonesian: Selamat Hari Natal

Iraqi: Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah

Irish: Nollaig Shona Dhuit, or Nodlaig mhaith chugnat

Iroquois: Ojenyunyat Sungwiyadeson honungradon nagwutut. Ojenyunyat osrasay.

Italian: Buone Feste Natalizie

Japanese: Shinnen omedeto. Kurisumasu Omedeto

Jiberish: Mithag Crithagsigathmithags

Korean: Sung Tan Chuk

HaLao: souksan van Christmas

Latin: Natale hilare et Annum Faustum!

Latvian: Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu!

Lausitzian:Wjesole hody a strowe nowe letoLettish: Priecigus Ziemassvetkus

Lithuanian: Linksmu Kaledu

Low Saxon: Heughliche Winachten un 'n moi Nijaar

Macedonian: Sreken Bozhik

Maltese: IL-Milied It-tajjeb

Manx: Nollick ghennal as blein vie noa

Maori: Meri Kirihimete

Marathi: Shub Naya Varsh (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Navajo: Merry Keshmish

Norwegian: God Jul, or Gledelig Jul

Occitan: Pulit nadal e bona annado

Papiamento: Bon Pasco

Papua New Guinea: Bikpela hamamas blong dispela Krismas na Nupela yia i go long yu

Pennsylvania German: En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr!

Peru: Feliz Navidad y un Venturoso Año Nuevo

Philipines: Maligayan Pasko!

Polish: Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia or Boze Narodzenie

Portuguese:Feliz Natal

Pushto: Christmas Aao Ne-way Kaal Mo Mobarak ShaRapa-Nui

(Easter Island): Mata-Ki-Te-Rangi. Te-Pito-O-Te-Henua

Rhetian: Bellas festas da nadal e bun onn

Romanche: (sursilvan dialect): Legreivlas fiastas da Nadal e bien niev onn!

Romanian: Sarbatori vesele or Craciun fericit

Russian: Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva is Novim Godom

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Sardinian: Bonu nadale e prosperu annu nou

Serbian: Hristos se rodi

Slovakian: Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce

Sami: Buorrit Juovllat

Samoan: La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou

Scots Gaelic: Nollaig chridheil huibh

Serbian: Hristos se rodi.

Singhalese: Subha nath thalak Vewa. Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Slovak: Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok

Slovene: Vesele Bozicne Praznike Srecno Novo Leto or Vesel Bozic in srecno Novo leto

Spanish: Feliz Navidad

Swedish: God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År

Tagalog: Maligayamg Pasko. Masaganang Bagong Taon

Tamil: (Tamizh) Nathar Puthu Varuda Valthukkal (good New Year not Merry Christmas)Trukeese: (Micronesian) Neekiriisimas annim oo iyer seefe feyiyeech!

Thai: Sawadee Pee Mai or souksan wan Christmas

Turkish: Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun

Ukrainian: Srozhdestvom Kristovym or Z RIZDVOM HRYSTOVYM

Urdu: Naya Saal Mubarak Ho (good New Year not Merry Christmas)

Vietnamese: Chuc Mung Giang Sinh

Welsh: Nadolig Llawen

Yoruba: E ku odun, e ku iye'dun!

AND

Best Wishes for a Grand and Glorious New Year!

Christmas Cards

This was the inside of the card. The front cover was a strip of Poinsettas.

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If you double click, this should enlarge for you. This was on the back of the CWM card.

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This was a good friend of mine, Art Kozlik. Art had these wolves ( perhaps some were hybrids? )at Jungle Larry's Safari Island at Cedar Point. They then stayed in Cleveland during the winter rather than go to Naples, Florida.

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The front of the Card.

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The inside of the card.

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Circus Winter Mixer in Baraboo, WI.

WINTER CIRCUS “MIXER”
CATCH CIRCUS FEVER on SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2009

In
Beautiful BARABOO, WISCONSIN @ “The Farm Kitchen” Restaurant!

(Farm Kitchen is located near the North entrance to Devil’s Lake State Park @ S5718 Highway 123)
With permission/blessings of Gordon & Dorothy Yadon, we wish to continue this traditional mid-winter gathering of circus fans, friends, enthusiasts and professionals to rid ourselves of the winter time blas and circus news withdrawals which seem to plague most people, who are interested, this time of year!
WE WILL BE HONORING BARABOO CIRCUS SCHOOLS – PAST & PRESENT &
OUR “FALLEN” CIRCUS HEROES / STARS

“This event is conducted for the purpose of fostering a gathering of individuals with a mutual interested in the Circus – CFA, CHS, CMB, Clown Alley, etc”.

PROGRAM
12:00 Noon – Room opens for anyone that wishes to display, sell, or exhibit circus related items! “Bull Room” will be one in the same, and space is limited!

4:00 PM – Informative lecture presented by noted local circus historian!
“Worth the Price of Admission Alone!!!”
5:30-6:30 PM – “Circus Social” (cash bar, a short walk away!) Wear your “boots”, as it may get pretty “deep” around this time!
6:30 PM – “Pitch Till You Win” Buffet in the meeting room! 3 Meats, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Dressing, Salad Bar and Desert!
Following the Buffet: “Fast moving program with reports on 2009 circus activities!” (A 10 minute time limit, per person!)

COST - $20.00 PER PERSON!
Please make reservations no later than January 14, 2009. List names as you want them to appear on badges. Reservations will not be acknowledged! Pick up badges upon arrival at entrance way to “Circus Lot”!
Please make reservations, by remitting to: Peter Sturgis, 541 Fourth Avenue, Baraboo, WI 53913-2034.
Please put in notation area: “CIRCUS MIXER – 2009”
PLEASE NOTE – THERE IS NO RAIN (SNOW) DATE FOR THIS EVENT! THIS EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE REGARDLESS OF WEATHER! IF YOU CANNOT MAKE “IT” BECAUSE OF UNSAFE ROADS, OR INCLIMATE WEATHER, YOUR MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED! YOU WILL HAVE TO CALL TO CANCEL, THOUGH!
IF YOU PLAN TO STAY OVER THERE ARE QUITE A FEW NICE, NOT SO NICE, AND VERY NICE, MOTELS IN THE AREA. Here’s a link, for those who have a computer: http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-480383-baraboo_hotels-i
“HOPE YOU CAN ATTEND AND FEEL FREE TO INVITE ANY INTERESTED FRIEND(S) WHO
MAY NOT BE ON THE MAILING LIST!”
(Please note this is NOT a money making venture! All extra monies donated, from raffles, or just handed over are for the continuation of this event! This is not for profit! It is strictly for the propagation of the circus, and all surrounding activities! Postage, transportation to find a suitable location, and phone calls do COST $$$!)
“BEST WISHES FOR A HEALTHFUL 2009!”

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This is from the 1957 CFA convention in Peru, Ind. One of the Paul kelly elephants was buried here.

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Mr. Tom Mix. The card was sent in 1961.

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This was sent in 1968 from Joseph Bourgeous.

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I'll call this a Senhauser Day. Bob & Norm Senhauser were great Circus Fans and friends from Ohio. They were quite a bit older than I was but I remember being at Circus gatherings and meeting them. This particular card features Clyde Beatty. It was sent in 1955.