The Circus Is Coming!
Years ago, the circus “advance” team would ride the rails in “advance cars” or “bill cars,” plastering towns along the way with hundreds of posters announcing that, in essence, “the circus is coming!” Here at Smirkus we routinely corral a group of loyal volunteers to do this job. Our “advance team” for our first shows in Greensboro, on July 3, includes two sets of Smirkus parents, our development assistant, our communications intern, our marketing director, assorted “friends of Smirkus,” and me. We ride the back roads of Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, leaving no general store, public bulletin board, post office or day care center unpostered.
Postering for Smirkus is always an adventure. I approached three men working at a local garage.They looked suspicious: just what was it I’m trying to sell? But at the mention of Smirkus, three begrimed faces produced three huge smiles, and three burly men chorused in unison:” We LOVE Smirkus.” Another poster taped in another window.
Speaking of advance publicity, check out the most recent edition of SevenDaysVT. Great article by Seven Days writer Alice Levitt, and fab photos by our own communications intern, Alex Zaprudsky.