Circus brings colorful past

The Russian Air Force will bring their high-flying talents to the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus when the Big Top show visits Freehold Township next week.

to Freehold Twp. stopover

Hundreds of circuses have come and gone since the mid-1800s. Circuses large and small, carried by horse-drawn wagons or on dozens of railroad cars, three-ring circuses and dog-and-pony shows alike crisscrossed the North American continent bringing entertainment to the public.

Cole Bros. Circus, permanently combined in 1956 with the Clyde Beatty Circus, remains the only circus to have survived a century, still appearing much as it did more than 100 years ago under the Big Top.

The Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus will visit Freehold Township on Aug. 16, 17 and 18 with performances at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. each day at Freehold Raceway Mall, Route 9. The circus is sponsored by the Greater Freehold Area Pop Warner Football League.

Among the featured performers are: Susan Lacey’s White Siberian-Bengal Tigers; the Dukovi Teeterboard Troupe; Laura Herriott’s Exotic Revue, featuring dromedaries, llamas and a miniature Falabella stallion; Miro, who swirls effortlessly on slender, silken strands at the pinnacle of the Big Top; the Casalino Comedy Troupe; Beatty-Cole’s herd of performing pachyderms; and Motorcycle Maniacs on the inclined wire to thrill and amaze circus fans of all ages.

Tickets for performances are available at the Freehold Raceway Mall customer service counter. Advance tickets for reserved seats are $14 for adults (ages 13-61), $9 for children and seniors, and $20 for ringside seats.

On show day, reserved seats are $16 for adults, $11 for children and seniors and $25 for ringside seats. General admission tickets (available on show day only) are $14 for adults, $9 for children and seniors. For more information, call (732) 577-1144.

The Cole story was begun by William Washington Cole (1847-1915). His "W.W. Cole’s New Colossal Shows" (1884) were, as he stated, "presented in a reputable manner by reputable people."

Around the turn of the century, the name of the show was changed to Cole Bros. Circus and was purchased by Canadian showman Martin Downs and his son James, according to a history of the circus.

During the 1920s brothers Floyd and Howard King owned and operated Cole Bros. Circus, bringing it to the western frontier with appearances scheduled at military bases, mining camps and in remote boomtowns.

The Great Depression nearly signaled an end to Cole Bros. Circus, but the faith and perseverance of two of the most highly esteemed men in the circus industry kept the show on the road. Jess Adkins and Zack Terrell acquired and rebuilt Cole Bros. into a circus equal in magnitude to Ringling Bros., the largest American circus of the era.

During the 1935 season, Adkins and Terrell moved the show on 35 double-length railroad cars, treating townsfolk to a giant street parade from the railroad yard to the circus grounds.

A new chapter in circus history was begun in 1935 when the legendary performer and wild animal trainer Clyde Beatty was featured with the Cole Bros. Circus, initiating the long association of the Cole Bros. and Clyde Beatty names.

The advent of television in the 1950s had circuses going down for what seemed like the final count. John Ringling North sounded the death knell for American Big Top circuses in 1956 when he ordered Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey to fold its tents, scale down and retreat to arenas.

The management of Cole Bros. Circus, however, believed in the viability of the tented tradition and combined with Clyde Beatty Circus to maintain the tradition of presenting the three-ring circus under the Big Top.