|
Jim Carbone
2005 Barnum Festival Ringmaster
For the record, the Barnum Festival is on
track to have another successful season. And I plan to
be part of it. After some surgery, I?m recuperating and
plan to be back in action in time to be involved with as
many Festival events as possible.
I thank all my friends and Festival
supporters for their well wishes. More importantly, the
2005 Festival is moving ahead as planned for a
successful 57th season. I?m happy that I
selected outstanding chairs for the various events, who
are meeting and planning to stage another entertaining
Festival. This shows that a Ringmaster is only as good
as his volunteers and aides. All I can take credit for
is picking the right people.
When I was named the 2005 Ringmaster, I
was honored and thrilled and promised to lead the
Festival in new directions. I plan on keeping that
promise.
We kick off the season with the bang,
reviving the Festival Ballyhoo Show. The Ballyhoo was
once the marquee event of the Festival, featuring stars,
such as Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. We?re bringing back
the glitz March 12th with Jim Bailey, the
singer-character actor who is Barbra Streisand in
concert at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport.
Bailey has performed worldwide and is the
Las Vegas entertainer of the year five times. He has
performed with Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli and for
royalty and presidents along with appearances on 80
television shows. Don?t miss the Ballyhoo Show.
I?m quite proud of the Festival chairs of
all our events who have stepped up to the challenge in
my absence. In particular, Ballyhoo co-chairs Tony
Bonnazo, Janet D?Addario and Ellen Broedlin continue to
plan and undertake all the challenges involved in
putting on a show of this magnitude. I hope the Greater
Bridgeport area will support this show, which marks the
revival of a great Festival tradition.
This year?s Festival will continue to
offer fun for families. Since the Festival is supposed
to celebrate the spirit of P.T. Barnum, the great
showman, I have adopted the theme: ?Send in the clowns.?
One thing is certain, the 2005 Festival will be
remembered for its great fun.
Look for other fun events for the next
Festival season. We?re planning a Pasta Fair in the
North End of Bridgeport. There will be a chicken and
barbecue rib cooking contest on the East Side and a
Salsa party.
On your to-do list, mark down a Garden
Tour of some the finest homes in Trumbull. We want to
have a volleyball tournament in the city, open to teams
throughout the community.
Of course, we will uphold our roots and
host the Great Street Parade. This year?s parade will be
special because it honors Connecticut veterans of all
wars. The Great Street Parade will feature military
bands and many veterans groups as well as the
Connecticut National Guard. Bridgeport was selected to
host the statewide celebration of Connecticut veterans
to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of
WWII.
You will have the chance to attend the
Champions on Parade, the Wing Ding and the Fireworks,
which comprise the nucleus of the Festival?s tradition.
With some planning and creativity, we hope to add some
new twists to the old favorites that have made the
Festival one of the longest running ones in the country.
The Festival has grown beyond a summer
event. We are hosting events practically year round and
want to expand on that. What?s exciting is more than
half of our events continue to be free to the public.
Rest assured the Festival will be bigger
and better than ever. And I plan to be back to enjoy it
all. I ask that Greater Bridgeport residents turn out to
support the 2005 Barnum Festival. Visit our website,
www.barnumfestival.com or call us at 367-8495 to
learn about all our exciting events. Join the excitement
as we send in the clowns for your Barnum Festival.
Jim Carbone, the 57th Barnum
Festival Ringmaster, is the owner of Modern Plastics and
a resident of Bridgeport.
Return
to News Articles Page |
