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Walter L. Main Circus Route, 1922

    The biggest day of the season was at New Bedford, Mass., in the rain and it was also the biggest day in the history of the Walter L. Main Circus.
    The biggest single performance was at Asbury Park, N. J., and the biggest amount of kids at the circus at one show was at Stamford, Conn.
    The four biggest towns of the season were New Bedford, Mass., Asbury Park, N. J., Stamford, Conn., and Pottsville, Pa.
    The engagement of the Powers elephants, and the purchase of elephants from European animal dealers gave the circus ten elephants in parade.
    A big feature of the parade and menagerie was the first appearance of the "candy kids," Joe and Ina, the smallest baby elephants ever placed on exhibition.
    May Wirth and the family immediately on their arrival from Europe took a taxi and rushed over to Englewood, N. J., to spend a few minutes with Mr. and Mrs. Downie. "If I ever travel with another circus it will be with you," said the famous rider and the Governor told her to bring her horses over any time.
    Floreta de Ortega, the greatest wire walker in the world, has a bright young son who is learning to speak English very fast while staying at a friend's home in New Haven.
    Four performances were missed during the season. One at Bridgetown, N. J., caused by a cloud burst the previous day at Toms River, N. J.; Englewood, N. J., owning to a long haul to the lot and late arrival; Mechanicsville, N. Y., and Meriden, Conn., due to bad lots and late arrivals.
    More than 20,000 people in pouring rain poured into the big top at Hartford, on Labor Day and four shows were given to accommodate the crowd.
    The circus made its second tour of Long Island in the wrong season. Forty-six carnivals, street fairs, and church festivals kept the summer folks pretty well broke and business suffered in consequence. The best time to play Long Island is never.
    "Kinker," "Whitie" Warren's old friend used on the pull up team for years played his old buddy a mean trick by biting off "Whitie's" thumb while he was putting him out of his misery with chloroform.
    Mrs. Andrew Downie had a most successful season with her candy stands and valuable assistance from Bob Thatcher and Thomas Hewer.
    "Medina day" was celebrated at the Bativia fair and hundreds from the Governor's home town came on to see his show and shake hands with him and the Missus.
    Charles Bernard who stared out as contracting press agent and would up with the additional title of manager of the advance car, will spend the winter at his big resort at Savannah, Ga., and attending to his real estate business. Charlie's whole heart and soul was in the Main circus with which he was treasurer and press agent for many years. George E. Caron, and there a few better opposition men, has given up the circus business and returned to his old job as stage carpenter with one of Augustus Pictous attractions.
    Thomas Gorman and Burns O. Sullivan were frequent visitors during the season. Only a few years ago both were putting her up and taking her down but managing New York vaudeville circuits and houses keeps them housed up now.
    A great friend of the circus is George Duffy, the millionaire silk manufacturer of Fort Plain, N. Y., and he won't be happy until he has a circus of his own.
    George Coy, who has been in the harness for more than fifty years found it necessary to retire from active work this summer after many years with Andrew Downie. He will, however, still look after the winter quarters at Havre de Grace, Md.
    Everybody said the Main stock was the finest they ever saw with a circus. Claude Orton is to blame.
    Turning his office over to the press department of the Main circus, billy Gallagher of the Concord, N. H. Patriot took a day off and let the circus scribblers fill up the sheet with stories and special news service mats. There were four pages of stories and cuts, the biggest spread ever accomplished by any press agent.
    The circus was almost in the city of Boston for a week and did business following the two biggest shows, but suburban New York proved darb territory and business capacity every day.
    Palmer, Mass., and Chatham, N. Y., were the soon forgotten towns of the season.
    The big Fourth of July dinner came this summer at Falmouth, Mass., and was enjoyed by every one around the show.
    While near New York, J. J. Murdoch, head of the Keith interests was a visitor together with B. S. Moss and others.
    The artistic cuts used by the press department wre many of them made from drawings by A. L. Kemp, the prominent New York artist and the product of the Benedict Engraving company, fo which genial Phil Benedict is the boss.
    Jerry Sullivan, the midget clown, is being featured this winter with Gus Hill's Mutt and Jeff Company.
    Billy Emerson deserted the circus and the calliope to take up theatre management in his home town.
    Bill Fowler had a good band all season and his concerts were much enjoyed by the crowds daily, before the performances. Prof. Jackson also kept his band up to the standard.
    Frank Wirth was on hand all week at Batavia and his big free act in front of the grand stand was Downies' elephants.
    Bill Emory broke all records by training baby elephants to do an act in two weeks.

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Walter L. Main Circus Route, 1927

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Walter L. Main Circus Route, 1928

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Walter L. Main Circus Route 1937

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