Team CeDo

Thank You for your vote for: Monkey Jungle Thank you!!

Gatoulis, I log in just to read your stories about Greece! There is so much history there I hope to visit one day!

We got one of these cool coins in a neat little silver package yesterday. After staring at if for a while we realized that it must be from a mystery gifter. HOW COOL! And then came the grin and a happy afternoon. Coin #084 is happily settled in Florida Thank you

I grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Sarasota and the nearby areas are rich with history much of that history has much to do with the Ringling Brothers Circus and others. The Greatest Show on Earth Filmed at the circus' winter quarters and throughout Sarasota, the 1952 Academy Award Best Picture of the Year made its debut on January 31, 1952, at the Florida Theatre. Its marquee was tented like the entrance to the Big Top, and director Cecil B. DeMille joined stars Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton and Dorothy Lamour in a re-enactment of a movie's street parade down Main Street to the theater. Sailor Circus Sarasota's Sailor Circus, named for Sarasota High School's mascot, is the oldest continuously running youth circus in America. Founded in 1949, Sailor Circus began as an extension of the school's gymnastics program to include basic circus skills taught by volunteer circus performers. The Police Athletic League of Sarasota County has run the program since 2004. Ringling Circus Museum The Circus Museum celebrates the American circus, its history and unique relationship to Sarasota. Established in 1948, the museum was the first in the county to document the rich history of the circus. The museam boasts features such as colossal parade and baggage wagons, sequined costumes, and a sideshow banner line that document the circus of the past and of today. Sarasota, Florida: Home of the American Circus The five Ringling brothers. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida. No other area in the country can claim the rich cultural heritage, the abundance of circus families, and the homebase of as many circuses as Sarasota, Florida, and its surrounding communities. As a hub of circus activity for more than three-quarters of a century, Sarasota has earned its rightful title of "Home of the American Circus." John and Charles Ringling - two of the five original Ringling brothers who turned a small traveling circus into an international entertainment empire - wielded incredible influence on the economy, development, culture, and character of this same quaint village on beautiful Sarasota Bay. When the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus moved its winter quarters to Sarasota in 1927, the serene seaside resort became a ring of circus activity, attracting famous circus families and artists from around the world, as well as thousands of tourists to its famed winter quarters. Sarasota quickly became known far and wide as Circus City, USA. In 1960, Ringling moved its winter quarters to Venice, (25 miles south of the city of Sarasota), and the impact of the circus expanded into the larger Sarasota County area. Ringling Bros. Winters in Sarasota On March 23, 1927, prior to the circus' opening in Madison Square Garden, John Ringling announced that Sarasota would become the new home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The Greatest Show on Earth would move its winter quarters to 200 acres on the east side of town. Winter quarters provided an annual respite for circus performers while giving management and the creative staff an opportunity to create and produce a new show for the following year. John Ringling realized that the public had a great interest in a "behind-the-scenes" look at circus life, so he opened winter quarters on Christmas Day, 1927, and charged $.25 for adults and $.10 for children. Ringling's winter quarters boosted tourism for Sarasota, and reaped a great deal of publicity for the state of Florida. By 1940, the winter quarters in Sarasota drew 100,000 visitors in one season, making it one of Florida's earliest and most heavily visited tourist attractions. However, the folding of the Big Top tent for the last time in Pittsburgh on July 16, 1956 drastically changed the structure of the three-ring circus. Without the Big Top tent, several additional service tents and moving equipment the need for 1,000 roustabouts, a 75+ car train, or a 200-acre winter quarters greatly diminished. After the circus pulled out of Sarasota on its 1958 tour, John Ringling North announced that winter quarters was moving 25 miles south to Venice. The 1959 season marked the last year that winter quarters were held in Sarasota, and as soon as the circus left town, the Ringling organization began taking up the train tracks and dismantling the circus buildings. The land was sold to Arvida Realty who developed the subdivision of Glen Oaks Estates that opened in 1963. Today a historical marker stands at the entrance to the Glen Oaks Estates off Beneva Road at Calliandra Drive to memorialize the 33-year history of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' winter quarters in Sarasota. Before the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus left Sarasota, it made its big-screen debut. Filmed at the circus' winter quarters and throughout the city of Sarasota, the 1952 Academy Award Best Picture of the Year premiered on January 31, 1952, at the Florida Theatre. The theatre's marquee was tented in the fashion of the entrance to the Big Top, and Cecil B. DeMille joined Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton and Dorothy Lamour in a re-enactment of a movie's street parade down Main Street to the theatre for its first public screening. On January 21, 1960, the Florida Theatre was also the site of the world premiere of another circus movie entitled Toby Tyler, starring Kevin Corcoran in the title role. The Sarasota Opera bought the Florida Theatre in 1979, reconditioned it for $7 million, and renamed it the Sarasota Opera House. In 1983, it was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The Sarasota Opera House was also the site of the 30th (and last) session of the famed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1997. Circus performers parading in Venice. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida. Venice and the Circus Venice's first experience with the circus occurred in 1946 when longtime Ringling family friend James Edgar leased the rights to the former Sparks Bros. Circus and signed a five-year agreement with Mayor Clyde Higel naming Venice as its winter quarters. The Sparks Bros. Circus rehearsed for the 1947 season in a tent on a vacant lot off U.S. 41 adjacent to the Venice airport. The season was not as successful as Edgar would have liked, and the show ended the year on September 7 in Tacoma, Washington. With less than adequate funds to make the long haul to Venice, Edgar decided to get out of the circus business. Although Venice held the dubious distinction of being the winter quarters of a circus that never played in its hometown, the Sparks Bros. Circus experience put it on the circus map. Other circuses continue to reside in Sarasota County. Among them are Sailor Circus and Circus Sarasota. Sailor Circus Sarasota's Sailor Circus, named for Sarasota High School's mascot, is the oldest continuously running youth circus in America. Founded in 1949, Sailor Circus began as an extension to SHS's gymnastic program to include basic circus skills taught by volunteer circus performers. Initially only students from Sarasota High School were allowed to participate in Sailor Circus, but its popularity became so great that admission was opened to any interested youngster from the larger Sarasota area. In 1952, Sailor Circus gained permission from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to call itself "the greatest little show on Earth," marking the only time that such copyright permission has been granted to any performing arts troupe outside the Ringling organization. In 1969 Sailor Circus moved to its present location on Bahia Vista adjacent to Sarasota High School, and performed under canvas. It moved into permanent facilities in 1981. Ownership and management of Sailor Circus was passed from the Sarasota County School Board to the Police Athletic League of Sarasota County in 2004. While its goal remains teaching circus skills to young people, its mission is to use the positive atmosphere of the circus as an alternative teaching method and intervention program for youths at risk in the community. Sailor Circus holds two sessions each year. Sailor Circus is presently conducting a $6 million capital campaign to build a new 31,000 sq. ft. arena as its home. A Circus Sarasota performance. Photo courtesy of Circus Sarasota. Circus Sarasota Many circuses have called Sarasota home, but one of the latest and most dynamic is Circus Sarasota. Founded in 1997 by aerialist Dolly Jacobs, daughter of famed clown Lou Jacobs and aerialist Pedro Reis from South Africa, Circus Sarasota is a non-profit circus committed to "broadening the artistic contribution of the circus while raising the level and perception of the American circus." Circus Sarasota made its debut under canvas on a lot near the intersection of Fruitville Road and Interstate 75. Known for its highly artistic performance, the hometown circus features outstanding circus artists from around the world during its annual three-week performance schedule. Circus Sarasota's new location is on Beneva Road near the Ed Smith Stadium, and site of the Cincinnati Reds' spring training baseball diamond. Showfolks An international alliance of circus artists, executives and associates, Showfolks of Sarasota was formed in 1964. Today, it presents performances every December. Its historic clubhouse holds memorabilia, including photos and hand-painted murals. Circus Hall of Fame The idea to create a hall of fame that honors outstanding circus artists and families was formulated in 1954 by circus fans and enthusiasts in the Sarasota community. The founders wanted to create a museum that would memorialize the rich cultural heritage of the American circus, as well as the contributions made by Sarasotans. In 1956, the idea became a reality when the Circus Hall of Fame opened its doors to 5,000 attendees on U.S. 41 near the airport and the Ringling Estate. Its seven buildings provided 29,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space that was filled with circus memorabilia from costumes and props to posters and circus wagons. Also among its collection were Tom Thumb's carriage; the Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind's sleigh; personal remembrances from P.T. Barnum, James A. Bailey, the Ringling brothers, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley; and mementos from aerialist Lillian Leitzel and Aflredo Codona, the Flying Concellos and the highwire-walking Wallendas. The Circus Hall of Fame was open year-round (including Christmas and New Year's), and presented circus acts four times a day from mid-December through April and from early June through Labor Day. CBS-TV and host Garry Moore broadcast "The World's Greatest Circus Stars of 1966" from the Circus Hall of Fame on December 11, 1966. Appearing in the show were many famous Florida-based circus performers, including Emmett Kelly, the Wallendas, the Clyde Beaty-Cole Bros. elephants, Harold Alzana on the highwire and an animal act presented by Jon "Tarzan" Zerbini. Although many thousands of tourists visited the Circus Hall of Fame each year, it was unable to remain profitable and closed in 1977. Ring of Fame at St. Armands Circle The Ring of Fame was established in 1988 to "recognize those who have made significant contributions to the circus." Each member is honored at an annual induction ceremony and a bronze plaque that is permanently embedded in concrete around St. Armands Circle. Governed and administered by The Ring of Fame Foundation, new inductees are nominated by a committee comprised of former circus artists, employees and fans. About one-third of all Ring members are still living, most of them in the Sarasota area. As of 2006, there were 88 members in the Ring of Fame, including circus owners P.T. Barnum, James A. Bailey, the five Ringling brothers and John Ringling North and present Ringling circus owner Kenneth Feld; circus aerialists Fay Alexander, Lillian Leitzel. La Norma and Dolly Jacobs; animal trainers William and Barbara Woodcock, Mable Stark; clowns Dan Rice, Otto Griebling, Emmett Kelly and Lou Jacobs; Ringmaster Fred Bradna and Bandleader Merle Evans; and famous families such as the Wallendas, the Cristianis, the Gaonas, and the Zacchinis.

Congrats EdDakota!! And thank you seekerfamily for the fun Cointest!

Todays Canada Day celebration.

****Note the comma****

Brings new meaning to the "bison" geocache container!

LETS PARTY!

Double post

Here is another 32x32 16x16 I do have the .gif images saved, however I could not get your e-mail address to work

O.K. we have spider webs forming in here again.............

We love the beautiful sunsets at the beach, and how the sun sparkles through the trees as it rises when we hike. Team CeDo also in Florida