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Log inCircus menagerie rare on circuit
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Circus menagerie rare on circuit
by Outspoken on Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:59 am
Circus menagerie rare on circuit
BY DOUG HARLOW
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
SKOWHEGAN -- Life on the road is good for fourth-generation circus performer and owner Serge Coronas and his family.
Coronas and Stevie, his wife of 33 years, live in a $250,000 motor home and their four children -- fifth-generation circus Coronas -- work in the family business.
"We don't have it rough," said Coronas, owner of Circus Hollywood, based in Bradenton, Fla. "We do about 20,000 miles a year. We live in nice trailers on the road and during the winter when we're in Florida we work within 100 miles of our home."
Circus Hollywood is more than just the thrilling high-wire act, trapeze artists, showgirls and the breath-taking Globe of Death under the red and white big top.
"We're a little unique from the other circuses -- number one, we're Shriners, we raise money for crippled children," Coronas, 57, said. "We do Shrine circuses during the winter time and when the fair season starts, then we do fairs and state fairs. The we do Shrine circuses in November."
Coronas, once a high-wire performer himself who is now the circus ringmaster, said the circus travels with 80 animals in 12 trucks, including eight big tractor trailers. Animal acts include the Hollywood Racing Pigs and side shows that include a giant pig, a huge turtle and a tiny, full grown horse.
There are two reticulated giraffes, each standing 19 feet above the ground, a popular attraction for youngsters who feed them slices of carrot inside a tent with other animals.
"We're probably the only circus left traveling with a menagerie," he said. "Shows like us, we're the only ones now.
"There isn't anything for kids anymore. I'm oldfashioned, you know? The stuff that kids get exposed to -- the rotten stuff that's on television."
Coronas, who ran afoul of animal activities rules in the late 1990s, said the show now travels with modern, portable stables that exceed all the minimum standards for caring for animals. The show's Friesian horses travel in a $200,000 trailer, he said.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5307878.html
Staff photo by Jim Evans
BY DOUG HARLOW
Staff Writer Morning Sentinel
SKOWHEGAN -- Life on the road is good for fourth-generation circus performer and owner Serge Coronas and his family.
Coronas and Stevie, his wife of 33 years, live in a $250,000 motor home and their four children -- fifth-generation circus Coronas -- work in the family business.
"We don't have it rough," said Coronas, owner of Circus Hollywood, based in Bradenton, Fla. "We do about 20,000 miles a year. We live in nice trailers on the road and during the winter when we're in Florida we work within 100 miles of our home."
Circus Hollywood is more than just the thrilling high-wire act, trapeze artists, showgirls and the breath-taking Globe of Death under the red and white big top.
"We're a little unique from the other circuses -- number one, we're Shriners, we raise money for crippled children," Coronas, 57, said. "We do Shrine circuses during the winter time and when the fair season starts, then we do fairs and state fairs. The we do Shrine circuses in November."
Coronas, once a high-wire performer himself who is now the circus ringmaster, said the circus travels with 80 animals in 12 trucks, including eight big tractor trailers. Animal acts include the Hollywood Racing Pigs and side shows that include a giant pig, a huge turtle and a tiny, full grown horse.
There are two reticulated giraffes, each standing 19 feet above the ground, a popular attraction for youngsters who feed them slices of carrot inside a tent with other animals.
"We're probably the only circus left traveling with a menagerie," he said. "Shows like us, we're the only ones now.
"There isn't anything for kids anymore. I'm oldfashioned, you know? The stuff that kids get exposed to -- the rotten stuff that's on television."
Coronas, who ran afoul of animal activities rules in the late 1990s, said the show now travels with modern, portable stables that exceed all the minimum standards for caring for animals. The show's Friesian horses travel in a $200,000 trailer, he said.
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5307878.html
Staff photo by Jim Evans
"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything."
Plato (427-347 BC)
Plato (427-347 BC)
