Smirkus is cool…
Two shows yesterday without a hitch despite a real hit of summer. How does our staff and troupers beat the heat? Nat, our tent boss started yesterday morning by opening the flaps on the Big Top’s cupola and lifting the side walls to let the air circulate the tent. Later in the day he employed the sprinkler system to evaporate some moisture in the tent to cool it down. The water in the air can bring the tent’s temperature down about five degrees, which is helpful in the heat of the day. Since the lot was adjacent to Spec Pond…
Playing at a film festival near you…
Circus Dreams, an award winning documentary about Circus Smirkus, is showing at the Newport Film Festival in RI tomorrow at 3:30 pm and at the Wood’s Hole International Film Festival on July 31. This documentary, which chronicles the 2006 season of the Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour, has already been screened at film festivals in Toronto, Boston and Sarasota. It recently won the “BestFilm4Families” award at the Seattle International Film Festival! Fans in and near Wilbraham, MA, can see the REAL THING. We have 4 shows, today and tomorrow: at 1 & 7 pm and tomorrow at 2 & 7…
What is W.H.A.T?
W.H.A.T. – the Wilbraham Hampden Academic Trust, Inc. – is the non-profit organization that is presenting the Circus Smirkus 2011 Big Top Tour in Wilbraham, MA, this Friday and Saturday! W.H.A.T. is an organization dedicated to preserving the community’s commitment to excellence in the Hampden Wilbraham Regional School District. The foundation raises private funds to provide innovative, educational, and enriching programs for school children which will foster pride in their community. The money raised by Smirkus ticket sales help fund a variety of valuable educational programs, like bringing a production of MacBeth to high school students, a history field trip for…
There’s nothing like this in Iowa
It’s astounding how time is fleeting and madness takes its toll. A couple of days ago, I realized that it had only been two weeks since Smirkus left home-base in Greensboro, VT. TWO WEEKS! This was so hard to fathom because it feels like the show has been on the road for several months. How could this time warp be so prevalent at the circus? When we first hit the road, I started to notice that I was losing track of time, and I continually had to look at a calendar to remind myself what day of the week it…
The Hectic Traveling Life
Here today, gone tomorrow — the life of the circus. As the tour goes down the road, the entire operation becomes smoother, more concise… and life becomes a bit more routine. After our final show on a lot, the tent crew swings into action dismantling the tent — starting with the sidewalls, followed by removing the bleachers, and then the Big Top — without ever touching the ground — is lowered to the flatbed trailer. Our first load-out in Greensboro was a bit slower than recent days. Our last teardown took fewer than five hours. The next morning the lot…
Good morning, Williamstown!
The Smirkus Big Top is up! Gorgeous weather on a gorgeous site in Williamstown, MA! Saturday, July 16 & Sunday, 17 Mount Greylock Regional High School 1781 Cold Spring Road, Williamstown, MA 01267 4 shows: 1 & 6 PM – Saturday & Sunday Presented by Northern Berkshire Healthcare Tickets here and at 1-877-SMIRKUS (1-877-764-7587) See you at the circus!
Meet our Williamstown presenter!
Next stop: Williamstown, MA! Four shows, July 16 & 17, on the gorgeous grounds of Mount Greylock Regional Highschool (go Mounties!) Smirkus is presented in Williamstown by Northern Berkshire Healthcare (NBH), the primary healthcare provider for North Berkshire County in Massachusetts, with generous support from Greylock Federal Credit Union. A private, not-for-profit organization, NBH’s services to the northwest Massachusetts and southwest Vermont regions include: North Adams Regional Hospital Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Northern Berkshire Northern Berkshire Healthcare Physicians Group: Northern Berkshire Family Medicine, Northern Berkshire OB/GYN, and NorthernBerkshire General Surgery REACH for Community Health Ticket sales from Smirkus…
Meet the Ferlo Fan Club
At our second New York State jump — Saratoga Springs— our resident New York trouper, Sam Ferlo of Rome, NY, had quite the following. Nearly 35 of Sam’s friends and family — which I have dubbed as the Ferlo Fan Club — traveled to visit him at the show. With them they brought enthusiasm, excitement, and delicious cookies for the cast and crew. After seeing the performance Sam’s mom, Mary Beth, said, “The troupers stamina and energy is amazing!” Everyone else in their party agreed and had nothing but wonderful comments about our show. It was quite a sight seeing…
Good Morning, Saratoga Springs!
The Big Top is up, the ticket booth is ready to open, and the concessionnaires will soon start popping corn and spinning cotton candy in anticipation of the FIRST OF FOUR CIRCUS SMIRKUS SHOWS at 1 pm today! Today, the country’s oldest, organized sporting venue – the storied Saratoga Race Track – hosts the fresh, young talent of Circus Smirkus! Not far from the spot where longshot Jim Dandy defeated Gallant Fox, and where Man ‘O War met his match , Smirkus troupers will thrill audiences on high wire, trapeze, trampoline, Chinese Pole, rola-bola and more! Clowns, jugglers, acrobats — we’ve…
Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs presents Smirkus
The Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs is an independent, nonsectarian, co-educational school for children from birth to Grade 12. This year, 2011, marks the fifth year that the school is presenting Circus Smirkus; money raised supports the school’s tuition assistance program, educational programs, facilities and faculty salaries. The school has received a lot of attention for innovative programs like the Forest Kindergarten — written up in the The New York Times — in which kindergarteners spend most of their day outdoors. Waldorf High School grads have gone on to such achievements as earning a Fulbright Scholarship, rowing in the Royal English Henley,…