July 16, 1956: John Ringling North strikes the big top for the final time in Pittsburgh, PA, citing crippling expenses as the main reason for moving the show into arenas.
July 14, 2016: The Big Apple Circus suspends performances for lack of sufficient non-profit funding to continue. Maybe, with luck and pluck, Paul Binder and Co. will give up on the prohibitively expensive 3-month Lincoln Center run, and institute drastic changes leading to a far more cost-effective operation -- and still under a tent. This is a circus of consistent striving, fair dealing with the public, and high artistic standards.
Did you witness the last performance of Ringling-Barnum under canvas? In fact, were you in this very crowd?
I feel a certain respect for the people sitting there -- the people who believed in the great American circus -- especially the boy looking almost directly at us. (enlarge the photo; he's on the right, three heads above the railing.) He could be me; he could be you. What is he feeling?
Did you watch the big top fall for the last time that sad unforgettable night? Were you a performer in the show? I keep hoping that somebody will come forward. None so far has ...
And if you weren't in Pittsburgh, where were you when you heard the news? I was at home in Santa Rosa, when it flashed across our DumontTV screen. Perhaps the saddest day in my life....
All memories near and far are welcome on this lot ...
A newspaper editorial cartoon, 1956
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