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Summary of the 2004 CFA Convention 

Submitted by Ed Limbach on   7/7/2004
Last Modified

SUMMARY OF THE 2004 CIRCUS FANS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA ANNUAL CONVENTION
PIGEON FORGE, TENNESSEE JUNE 16-20, 2004
BY EDWARD W. LIMBACH

The annual CFA convention was held at the Music Road Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The convention center was perfect for our size of group about 120 persons attending.

The convention got going on Wednesday with an 8:30AM call for the board of directors to attend their board meeting. CFA President Bart Iddins instituted a new convention format calling for committee meetings to be held following the board meeting. This is a great idea and the Public Relations Committee of which I am chair held its first face to face meeting ever. A great meeting with decisions being made on the new CFA Take-One.

Following lunch we had our first general meeting. Bart Iddins called the meeting to order followed by the presentation of the colors, pledge of allegiance, an invocation given by the association chaplain Rev. Bob Foote.

CFA Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Cheryl Deptula gave her report to the convention. Of interest was the fact the association has 1,859 total members which is 20 more than the previous year. The web site picked up 24 new members, which shows the power of the Internet. Since the last meeting 19 members have deceased which again illustrates the graying of CFA.

Following the general meeting the convention was treated to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede, which brought back some memories of the Wild West shows of yesterday.

Earnest Albrecht started out the second day with a dynamite presentation on the "Circus of Miles White" costume designer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. With the aid of magnificent slides from the 40's and 50's he gave a brilliant program illustrating the thought that went into the design of the costumes to make the show sparkle and carry out the theme for the season's performance. White also designed floats for the specs but everything was tied together. This was a tremendous history of the Ringling Circus in the 40's and 50's . I just hope that someone has the vision to preserve these wonderful slides for the ages.

The next presentation was almost unbelievable. Deborah Walk and Howard Tibbals presented The Ringling Museum of the Circus and the Tibbals Learning Center. The opening date for the new Tibbals wing and the Ringling Welcome Center will be October 2005. The new addition is 33,000 square feet. The museum is in the process of digitizing Tibbal's poster collection. Between May 3 and August 24, 2003 4,556 posters were digitized. They want to digitize his 1.0 million photographs and to date 4,600 have been copied. There are 4,020 objects in Tibbal's model circus. The Circus model will sit on a 3,660 square foot table and the entire room will be 10,000 square feet.The circus exhibit will have an overlook so that visitors can see the circus from a high elevation to get a better look. The CFA convention will be in Sarasota in 2008, this is one not to mis

Following the Tibbal's presentation the convention went to the Black Bear Showcase Luncheon followed by another show called Country Tonight. Thursday evening fans were treated to a fish fry. Lynn and I chose to have dinner with close friends of ours from Michigan.

I missed the first session on Friday morning as I spent an hour with the advance man for the Carson and Barnes Circus that is coming to Ravenna, Ohio in September 2005 for Habitat for Humanity of Portage County.

Friday morning for me began with a presentation by Dave Price who is a circus historian specializing in the life of Clyde Beatty. The exact date of Clyde's birth has always been subject to debate since there wasn't a birth certificate when he was born in Bainbridge, Ohio in 1903. According to Price he talked to Clyde's mother and she said that he was born on June 10, 1903. Clyde sort of ran away and joined the Howell's Great London Circus in 1921 at Washington Court House. This circus was part of the American Circus Corporation which included Hagenbeck and Wallace and Sells Floto. In 1934-35 Atkins and Terril created the Cole Bros. Circus Railroad Circus and Clyde Beatty was featured on that show. In 1940 he appeared on the Hamid Morton Circus. In 1940-41 he had his own circus on the Johnny J. Jones Carnival. In 1943 he appeared on the Wallace Bros. Clyde Beatty Circus.

Following lunch we were treated to a great seminar on Animal Rights Legislation by Mary Lou Kelly, Grass Roots Coordinator with Ringling Barnum & Bailey and Tom Albert, Vice President and Esquire for the show. Also on the panel was Dr. Mark Wilson, D.V.M. who shed light on the bias within the United States Department of Agriculture. The group expressed concern about the referendum being held in Denver in August, which if passed would ban animals in entertainment in Denver. The sponsors of the referendum were cute not to include the Denver stock show, zoo or annual rodeo. There is optimism that the initiative will be defeated. The group praised the grass roots efforts of CFA members who keep them informed when the pot is brewing in their hometown.

Following the Ringling presentation, fans were bussed 90 miles to Johnson City, Tennessee where the Ringling Gold Unit was staging its first performance. It was strange to see Ringling Bros. in a high school gymnasium. The staff gave us a big welcome and toured us back stage, which is nothing like the big show. But the performance was outstanding. Strong acts and beautiful props and costumes. All keeping with the high standards of the Greatest Show on Earth. Programs were $12.00. I was disappointed as I thought that they would have more merchandise.

On Saturday morning we held the second general meeting. Reports were heard from the various circus museums. Invitations were given for future convention sites: Chicago 2006, Hershey, Pennsylvania 2007, and Sarasota 2008.

Following the general meeting the second board meeting was held and $1,000 was donated to the Witte Museum for restoration of the Hertzberg Collection, which is a major undertaking.

The annual auction provided $1,885 to the treasury. I was happy as I won the elephant painting by Gunther the elephant on the Gold unit. It is already at the frame shop.

The annual banquet was excellent. Beautiful table decorations provided by Ringling Bros and an outstanding speech given by William B. Hall 111 who has written Tanbark Topics for several decades. Many had never seen him before and he was just right for the occasion.

On Sunday the convention goers had the option to attend church at the Louise Mandrell Theater.

All in all a very entertaining and worthwhile convention.

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