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Barnum Festival Ringmaster
James Carbone recalls as a kid standing on the corner of
a Bridgeport street with his parents, watching the
Festival?s Great Street Parade, still the second largest
parade in New England, march by.
He remembers the marching
bands, floats and inflated balloons. He never forgot the
pageantry and community spirit that the Barnum Festival
stirred throughout much of Fairfield County. He loved
the fireworks bursting over Long Island Sound that drew
thousands to Seaside Park in Bridgeport.
Fast forward to the present
and the Barnum Festival in its 57th year, one
of the longest running festivals in the country, is
still marching along celebrating family, fun, and
tradition. The Barnum Festival, which celebrates the
spirit of the great showman P.T. Barnum, is a reason to
kick back, lighten up and celebrate with parades,
concerts, drum corps bands, balls, a ferry ride,
fireworks and a polo match.
Carbone?s theme for 2005 is:
?Send in the Clowns? and that?s exactly what the
Festival has planned with a season of fun events.
?Over the years, we?ve seen
the Festival pass through many phases,? said Carbone,
owner of Modern Plastics in Bridgeport. ?But it?s still
going strong. In fact, it has grown from a summer
festival to a year round one. We host events that create
community spirit and fun throughout Fairfield County.
And we have a great time doing it.?
The festival reaches into
Westport with a polo match and exotic car display at the
Fairfield County Hunt Club. Two polo teams square off in
a competitive match while under a tent, ladies dressed
in large floppy hats and men in blazers dress in the
style of a bygone era, enjoy the polo and dine on a
sumptuous feast. They also admire exotic cars, such as a
Bentley, Rolls Royce and Ferrari on display.
Kathy Young of Fairfield, a
Festival volunteer, enjoys the polo match every year as
riders guide their beautiful horses thundering across
the polo field. ?I bring my entire family to the polo
match because it?s so unique,? she explained. ?Many
people are amazed how much fun watching polo is. The
hunt club grounds are beautiful and the exotic cars add
to the spectacle of the event.?
The Festival began in 1949
and took place in the summer to boost the moral of the
Greater Bridgeport area, which then was suffering from a
post-WWII depression. However, it has since grown into a
year-round festival. The Barnum Festival kicks off its
2005 season March 12th with the revival of
the Ballyhoo Show at the Klein Memorial Theater in
Bridgeport, featuring Jim Bailey, singer-character actor
who will do a tribute show to Barbra Streisand.
Bailey is a five-time Las
Vegas entertainer of the year and has appeared on the
Tonight Show, Ally McBeal, Night Court, the Olympics and
the Super Bowl. Critics have called him the ?next best
thing to Barbra.? Tickets are $40 for orchestra seats,
all other tickets are $35.
As Ringmaster, Carbone has
led the revival of the Ballyhoo Show, which has had a
long list of top entertainers ? Bob Hope, Johnny Carson
and Jack Benny. Carbone believes reintroducing the
Ballyhoo restores an important Barnum Festival
tradition, bringing top entertainers to the area. ?The
Ballyhoo has such a rich history. I thought it was
important to revive it,? Carbone said. ?We?re bringing
top Las Vegas headliner to the area at very affordable
prices. We hope people throughout Fairfield County will
take advantage of this.?
Many Festival events are
free to the public ? the Wing Ding (a parade that
includes children and their home-made floats), the
Antique Car Show, The Road Show and the Greatest Weekend
on Earth, featuring the Skyblast Fireworks, the Great
Street Parade and Champions on Parade (a drum and bugle
corp concert). This year, the Great Street Parade will
have a military flair as it celebrates the 60th
anniversary of the end of WWII and the service of all
veterans. The parade will include military bands,
National Guard units and a fly over military planes
along the parade route in Bridgeport.
This month, the Festival
will also select its Royal Family to join the Ringmaster
as the hosts of all its events. The Royal Family will
include two third or fourth graders (boy and girl)
selected from area schools who will represent Tom Thumb
and Lavinia Warren, P.T. Barnum?s diminutive showmen. In
addition, the Festival will pick the King and Queen and
the Prince and Princess to complete the Royal Family.
The final four are chosen from area high school juniors
who must rank in the top 20 percent of their class, be
involved in extra curricula activities and complete
interviews with a panel of judges.
Laura DeFrancesco, the 2003
Queen from Notre Dame-Fairfield, described being part of
the Royal Family as a maturing experience that changed
her life.
?I?ll never forget that year
for as long as I live,? DeFrancesco said. ?I had a great
time attending all the events and met so many wonderful
people. It was exciting to be a part of the Festival
that spread so much joy throughout Fairfield County.?
The Festival has planned an
extensive list of fun events throughout the year in
several Fairfield County towns, such as a Pasta Fair, a
Salsa party and Food Festival. There will also be a
garden tour of many fine homes in Trumbull.
Each summer, the Festival
spreads its special brand of joy with the Road Show,
where dozens of amateur and professional actors and
singers visit two dozen nursing homes and senior citizen
centers from Shelton to Fairfield in a three-day
whirlwind tour. Mimi Nelsen has organized the Road Show
for several years and characterizes it as the highlight
of her summer. Organizing dozens of performers and
musicians is a major undertaking, but one she wouldn?t
miss.
?I love the Road Show
because we put smiles on the faces of so many elderly
and sick people,? Nelsen said. ?It?s a tremendous amount
of work, but it?s so worthwhile. We really do bring fun
and entertainment to the community which is what the
Festival is all about.?
For a complete listing of
Barnum Festival events and information, visit
www.barnumfestival.com or call 203-367-8495. Frank
Szivos is a media consultant to the Barnum Festival.
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