Circus Circus

It is not 1913. Nor is it 1941. It might as well be. The last time the circus came to town was during these two years. Stamford was a town back then. Now it is a city. The tradition continues.

“Long before the conception of a shopping center, the land where Ridgeway Center is located was filled with people coming and going…only with different activity. Children played, people picnicked, and at least one day a year, Stamford residents gathered between Summer, Bedford and Sixth Street. The great Ringling Brothers Circus came to town complete with three rings, two stages and dining tents set apart on Summer Street south of Sixth Street."

Elephants might not be walking with trunks tied to tails parading down Atlantic Street but the large, white tents displaying the Big Apple Circus sign now stands.

For the past month, the newly renovated Mill River Park (see separate post below) has host the Big Apple Circus entertaining a Stamford audience in the center of the city. Acts include gravity-defying acrobats, juggling clowns, dancing dogs and a daredevil grandma. A daredevil grandma? You have to go to the show to see what that one is about.

The circus brings back old Stamford. Photographs and articles from The Daily Advocate show a small town with annual parades and circus acts. The Stamford Town Center now stands in the old circus parade route, but that doesn't matter. The past has made a comeback. The downtown looks different but the trapeze acts remain the same.

The community is once again coming together to celebrate the tradition of an old American pastime. In a state where P.T Barnum was renowned for his traveling circus, the Big Apple brings that enjoyment back for all ages.

After this weekend the circus is leaving Stamford so be sure to visit and make a day out of it. The setting may have changed, but the excitement has returned.

Photos and citation compliments of the Stamford Historical Society