Baraboo - Wednesday

What a great week this is going to be. The model Builders are rolling into town. The Circus Kirk alumni are already arriving. The Historians are arriving.

While Wednesday morning was tied up with the Board of Trustees still in the Strategic Planning Sessions, Registration for the CHS Convention began at 1PM. The reunions began and it was great to see so many wonderful friends coming in town again and the excitement of getting to make some new friends as well.

While our supper became a working session for our committee, the Board of Trustees annual meeting began at 7:30 PM. My night was over by 11:30.

Baraboo - Wednesday

Here are a few of the model circus wagons in the Circus World Museum Library.

Baraboo - Wednesday

The Model Builders are coming!

Baraboo - Wednesday

The Model Builders are coming!

Baraboo - Tuesday

Well, Tuesday morning is here already and I only have the morning to be in the Library before meetings start in the afternoon.

One of the great new additions in the Library is the exhibition of some of the model circus wagons in their collection. This real beauty was built by the late Joe Taggart.

Baraboo - Tuesday

Here's a terrific Courier from the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus in the 1930s.

Baraboo - Tuesday

This 1898 John Robinson Route Book comes from when the Ringling Bros. leased the John Robinson circus for the season.

Baraboo - Tuesday

This is just one of the amazing posters in the CWM Library.

Baraboo - Tuesday

After leaving the Library, I took a quick trip down Water Street and photographed a few of the Historical Buildings plaques.

Baraboo - Tuesday

Baraboo - Tuesday

The Office Building has not been opened to the public yet.

Baraboo - Tuesday

Some of the buildings plaques are removed right now during some of the restoration processes.

Baraboo Tuesday

The Strategic Planning Sessions began Tuesday afternoon. This involved a wonderful facilitator named Jenny Erickson from the University of Wisconsin - Baraboo Extension who had submitted homework to all the Trustees all winter long.

These sessions engaged all the Board of Trustees to address our strong points, our weaknesses, etc and to eventually begin a more structured direction to address anything that comes along.

Baraboo - Monday

It's going to be a great day. This is a day I've been looking forward to for a long time. I get to spend the entire day in the Research Library. In addition to some great research, some of the greatest circus historians will be dropping in as well.

Baraboo - Monday

Louis DelMoral is here with three of Carson & Barnes elephants.

Baraboo - Monday

Here's the completely rebuilt US Bandwagon. Based on a handful of carvings that John Zweifel had saved from the Sarasota WQ, the wagon was built new from the ground up. Once built, it was valued at more than the Two Hemispheres Bandwagon when the train was insured to go to Milwaukee.

Baraboo - Monday

This is one of the beautiful carving displays inside the shop building. What did the carvings come off of? I don't know. I'll have to do some asking around on this one.

Baraboo - Monday

Here is the former Royal American Shows Giavoli Band Organ which still gives concerts during the day.

Baraboo - Monday

This is one of the four corporation cages that exists here at Circus World Museum.

CHS trip - 2012

It is almost time for the Circus Historical Society's convention. I'm heading in to Wisconsin having left South Carolina early Sunday Morning. There's almost 120 registered for the Convention, the largest in years.