From Mayor Finch:
‘The Greatest Show On Earth’ Rolls into Town; Feld Family Donates $10,000 to Barnum Museum Restoration
The newest edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus that comes to Bridgeport Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 20-23, “Barnum 200,” celebrates the legacy of P.T. Barnum, the man who helped to create what is now “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
The show’s festivities kicked off Thursday afternoon with a Birthday Brunch at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard Click it or Ticket Box Office. Asian elephants Karen and Nicole ate a healthy lunch of fresh produce and bread. Nicole also demonstrated her love for painting by creating a one-of-a-kind picture for everyone assembled at the event to see.
On Thursday night, Mayor Bill Finch presented Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey with a proclamation at the Save the Barnum Museum Gala, a fund raiser for the City’s museum held prior to the first showing of “Barnum 200.”
At the open of Thursday’s show, Alana Feld of Feld Entertainment presented a check of $10,000 to Kathleen Maher, executive director/curator for the Barnum Museum. The donation is for the restoration and preservation of the Barnum Museum, which was damaged during a 2010 tornado that struck Bridgeport. The money will enable the museum to reopen sooner than expected.
Barnum, born in Bethel on July 5, 1810, became a world-renowned showman and the mayor of his adopted home of Bridgeport. A philanthropist, community organizer, lecturer, author, land developer, entertainment promoter, entrepreneur and “the father of American advertising,” Barnum’s legacy lives on not only in the show he helped create but also throughout the Park City. While he only served a one-year term as Mayor of Bridgeport, Barnum remains the City’s most famous mayor.
Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard, 600 Main St., Bridgeport. Friday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m., 3, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 23, 1, 5 p.m. $95.25 (circus participation), $50.25 (front row), $45.25, $25.25, $20.25, $15.25. 1-800-745-3000, www.Ringling.com, www.Ticketmaster.com
Bridgeport and the Barnum Museum should be ashamed to be supporting the terrible documented animal abuse by the Ringling Circus in this modern age. Join the continuing PROTEST of Ringling Brothers Circus at Bridgeport’s Webster Bank Arena, Sun Oct 23. Rally to educate circus-goers about circus animal abuse. Animals used by Ringling are brutally trained to perform unnatural tricks, chained & confined to small cages. See details at:
blog.ctnews.com/dennis/2010/10/20/will-the-circus-ever-leave-town-bridgeport-elephant-abuse