The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI will not be operating it's Great Circus Train this year, due to lack of funding for it's annual circus parade in Milwaukee, WI. This is the first year in many decades that it hasn't operated. In the past, quite a variety of historic steam engines and diesels have powered this train. See link below for more details.

Boyd

Circus Parade Canceled

bowens@rypn.org

Come to think of it, I didn't hear of it operating this year. Any photos or information from this year's train? I always thought it would be interesting to see those SOO engines doubleheaded on the train, but at least #1003 made it!

Joshua


Fine Art Models

The 2003 Great Circus Train was hauled by the Wisconsin and Southern's "new" SD40-2s.

Boyd

2003 Great Circus Train

bowens@rypn.org

> The 2003 Great Circus Train was hauled by
> the Wisconsin and Southern's "new"
> SD40-2s.

> Boyd

The week before Labor Day this year, my wife and I participated in Harley-Davidson's 100th anniversary bash in Milwaukee. H-D spared no expense in planning parades, product demonstrations, entertainment at the beautiful Summerfest grounds on the Milwaukee lakefront and a HUGE concert and party at Veteran's Park (also on the lakefront) that included the Doobie Brothers, Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Dan Aykroyd and Elton John. Miller Brewing and Ford Motor Company all helped H-D in the celebration (and subsequently shared in the limelight and promotion of their products). Has anyone approached these and other local enterprises to request sponsorship of the parade? It seems to me that the Great Circus Parade and the rail movement of the historic cars and wagons could be done for substantially less than what it took for H-D to tout their golden anniversary and it would be more good will and publicity for the sponsors. Any thoughts and anyone familiar enough with the parade and equipment movement to quote a price for the train, parade and associated clean-up, security, etc?
Don C.

http://www.261.com
milw261@sbcglobal.net

The following were the sponsors of the 2003 Great Circus Parade: Strong Financial (The Great Circus Train), Travelwisconsin.com, Reiman Charitable Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Miller Brewing Company, Stella H. Jones Foundation, Marcus Corporation Foundation, U.S. Bank Foundation, and the Evan and Marion Helfaer Foundation.
I'm not aware of which sponsors have backed out for next year, but I'd think it would be just a matter of finding other major sponsors to fill in for the lost ones. Let's see, just a few major Wisconsin Companies that come to mind... Harley-Davidson, Rayovac, Lands End, Gander Mountain, Milwaukee Tools, Oshkosh B'Gosh, Wausau Insurance...

Boyd

bowens@rypn.org

Strong Financial is under some regulatory scrutiny right now. Not sure if they'd welcome the opportunity to look like good corporate citizens, or can't afford it.

Once upon a time, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company covered the full cost of the train and parade. There may have been a handful of small underwriters, but the SCHLITZ logo was all over everything connected with the parade, including the tender of Mr. Jensen's 4-6-2, during the years it pulled the Great Circus Train. I don't remember CB&Q #4960 wearing the Schlitz banner...

tr2manz@frontiernet.net

> Once upon a time, the Joseph Schlitz Brewing
> Company covered the full cost of the train
> and parade. There may have been a handful of
> small underwriters, but the SCHLITZ logo was
> all over everything connected with the
> parade, including the tender of Mr. Jensen's
> 4-6-2, during the years it pulled the Great
> Circus Train. I don't remember CB&Q
> #4960 wearing the Schlitz banner...
Today, of course, Schlitz is just a name owned by Pabst, which is itself merely a holding company that brews not a single drop of beer. All the suds-making is contracted out to real brewers. So, if you quaff a Schlitz, Blue Ribbon, Goebel, Strohs, Schaefer, Blatz, Old Milwaukee, Black Label or Ballantine ( if you can even find Ballantine it tastes nothing like the great ale it once was ), you are drinking something made by God-knows-who. They call it "contract-brewing", and Miller does a lot of it. Miller would seem to be a good place for the circus folk to look for dollars.

justighe@bright.net