Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows drew the final curtain on May 2, 2017, closing after 146 years. Immediately after, the city of Baraboo, Wisconsin (historic home of the Ringling Brothers) extended a heartfelt invitation to ALL former employees of the Greatest Show on Earth to attend its festival that summer as honored guests and Grand Marshalls of the Annual Circus Parade. KPTZ reporter Chris Bricker attended, not only to cover the event, but also as a former Ringling Brothers & Barnum & Bailey Circus clown. In this reprise of an earlier Compass episode, we revisit some of these employees, especially those who took care of the Circus Train — the Show’s home on the rails — as it reached its final run.
Also, a year ago, we gathered together some Swan School kids for a “Question & Answer Session,” and we thought it would be fun to revisit their answers.