The Circus in Venice

The Circus in Venice (HM2OV)

Location: Venice, FL 34285 Sarasota County
Buy Florida State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 27° 4.835', W 82° 25.998'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 448 views
Inscription
Among the number of circuses that have called Sarasota County home, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (RBBB) is the largest and the one that has had the longest association with Venice. Its roots go back to a small show the five Ringling brothers established in 1884. The winter quarters was in Baraboo, Wisconsin, home of the Ringlings. Bridgeport, Connecticut, winter quarters of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, became its second home. In 1927, John Ringling brought the circus winter quarters to Sarasota, where it remained until 1959.

No longer needing the acreage it had in Sarasota, but still needing a rail connection, RBBB moved the winter quarters to Venice in 1960. The 30-year lease provided that the circus would occupy 15 acres of undeveloped airport property with an option to renew for an additional 20 years. The rent was set at $1000 per year, with adjustments to be based on the federal cost-of-living index. Since the circus no longer performed under the "Big Top," construction soon began on a 55,000 square-foot, 5000 seat arena. Adjacent structures housed staging, costumes and wardrobe space.

On November 29, 1960, a crowd of more than 10,000 greeted The Greatest Show on Earth when it arrived at the Seaboard Air Line Railroad Station for the first time. The Venice High School Band played and Mayor Smythe Brohard, atop a new Venice Fire Dept. truck, led the parade of officials, performers and animals to the new winter quarters. For the next thirty-two years, the circus was the major tourist attraction for the city. As circus employees made the Venice area their permanent home, they contributed to the city's circus reputation.

Ownership of the RBBB circus changed in 1967 when the Ringlings sold it to Hoffeld Corp., which was owned by Roy Hofheinz and brothers Irvin and Israel Feld. The following year Irvin Feld established Clown College to pass the skills of the clown masters on to the next generations. The faculty included legendary Lou Jacobs, Frosty Little, and Bobby Kaye.

Deteriorating railroad tracks threatened the circus's stay in Venice. In 1992 the Seminole Gulf Railroad announced abandonment of the ten miles of track into Venice and the RBBB closed its winter home in Venice.
Details
HM NumberHM2OV
Tags
Placed BySarasota County Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 27th, 2014 at 2:07am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 357887 N 2996169
Decimal Degrees27.08058333, -82.43330000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 27° 4.835', W 82° 25.998'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds27° 4' 50.10" N, 82° 25' 59.88" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)941
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 1252-1342 US-41 BUS, Venice FL 34285, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?