Our first promotion was in Parkersburg West Virginia, with the Sheriff of Wood County as our sponsor.  He was in a battle with the District Attorney (they were suing one another) and he gave us free rein to do whatever we wanted. Lion cub on TV, Clown at the hospital, Elephant walking down their main drag, tons of high school students putting up posters like the one enclosed here, and giving away free kids tickets; we did whatever we thought would draw attention.  It was a one show, one night stand and it poured buckets of rain.  So many people came that they ended up having five shortened shows, 3 straw houses.  We were given a grocery bag full of $8800 cash as pay. Perry and I were arrested in Jackson Mississippi for having long hair.  Escorted to a Justice of the Peace who fined us $20 each for disturbing the peace. (our car was a Volvo with a Berkeley license plate ring). Perry and I were speeding south on 95 in Virginia when a State Trooper stopped us.  He took our drivers licenses and told us to follow him.  After exiting the Interstate and winding through the countryside for more than 15 minutes, he pulled into a driveway and drove to the back of a house.  He came to my window and told us to wait, walked up to the back door and knocked.  A light came on and a very scantily clad lady answered.  They talked for a second, she shut the door and turned off the light; he came over to my window (I rolled it down an inch and he threw our drivers licenses in). “You two are lucky”, he said.  “The Judge is busy.”  It took us forever to find our way back to the interstate. Darryl Ponicsan, the author of The Last Detail and Cinderella Liberty, both major motion pictures, clowned for the show researching for a book he would later write: Ringmaster.

Herbie Weber was the tight rope walker. Herbie’s act was very much in demand with most circuses across the United States, and he performed with many of them. He performed a low-wire routine and a “slide for life”where he would walk up an incline wire to the top of the circus tent and then slide backwards to the bottom. Herbie performed the same routine for most of his career, (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it). He would walk, run, jump and dance across the wire wearing baskets on his feet. What really sold the act was “the fall”. Herbie would attempt a jump and dramatically fall from the wire. Audience would gasp, the ringmaster and Herbie’s wife would run to his side and beg him not to try it again. Herbie would insist and complete the jump on the second try bringing the audience to their feet cheering, and he did this every performance. No one could sell this like Herbie Weber.

Lou Ann Jacobs, daughter of the famous Ringling clown Lou (big guy getting out of a tiny car), was an aerialist, equestrian rider, and more.

Alice the lion got loose in Lexington Kentucky in a park where the circus was staged on one end and the 1976 Boy Scout Jamboree was being held on the other end.

A 3-day show in Huntsville Alabama began with 3 tornadoes a couple of weeks before the show arrived, while we were promoting it; followed by a tent blow-down on the first day of the show, collapsing on one-third of the audience (no injuries, just a lot of scared people), with the lion tamer severely mauled during the first show on the last day.  He returned 6 weeks later, but only worked with the elephants.

The show was in Bossier City Louisiana over the 4^th of July weekend.  They celebrated the 4^th on the 3^rd.

Perry and I were in Vicksburg Mississippi on July 4^th.  There was no 4^th of July celebration.

Matt, the son of the owner Sid Kellner, who we partied with frequently, was found guilty of charity fraud, along with the Santa Clara County Sheriff, and Matt’s brother George, for whom the circus was named.