The circus train passes through Mt. Airy, Georgia on its way to Atlanta on February 13, 2017 (PHOTO/Shelley Tullis)
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is pitching its tent in Georgia for the last time. The iconic 146-year old circus is permanently closing in May. Fans captured video of the nearly mile-long circus train as it made its final journey through Northeast Georgia on Monday.
Shelley Tullis recorded the bittersweet moment from alongside the tracks in Mt. Airy.
Tullis says her family has attended the Ringling Bros. Circus for the past three years and, while her sons have seen it traveling the rails before, this was her first time. “My husband works in Toccoa and saw the train go through,” she explains. “He called me to take the boys to see it for the last time.”
Shelley, her sons Austin and Zac and father-in-law Melvin Tullis watched as the train passed. She recorded the event “knowing everyone would like to see it. Plus,” she adds, “it will be neat years from now to see.”
End of an era
In January, Feld Entertainment which owns Ringling Bros. announced it’s decision to shut down the circus.
Animal rights activists applaud the decision. They claim forcing animals to perform is cruel and unnecessary. Amidst mounting pressure last year Ringling Bros. removed elephants from its shows and sent them to live on a conservation farm in Central Florida. Retiring the pachyderms appeased some critics but resulted in a “dramatic drop” in ticket sales, according to Feld executives.
Circus fans express mixed emotions over the decision. Some continue to voice their resentment over what they consider to be “liberal” animal rights lawsuits while others are content giving a nostalgic nod to their childhood.
Amy Yearwood was among those reminiscing on Monday. She live streamed on Facebook as the train rolled through Toccoa.
“We were all holding back tears… we just saw an iconic piece of history roll right by us,” Yearwood wrote.
Others shared their memories and opinions on Yearwood’s Facebook post.
Changing times
Once called and considered ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, Ringling Bros. ultimately was done in by a combination of factors including costly animal rights litigation, rising costs, declining ticket sales, and changing times.
Feld Entertainment Chairman and CEO Kenneth Feld recently told Fox News that the company’s business model is unsustainable. He said transporting the circus by train, providing a traveling school for performers’ children and other “circus quirks” are “throwbacks to another era.”
Ringling Bros. 2017 train schedule
“It’s a different model that we can’t see how it works in today’s world to justify and maintain an affordable ticket price,” said Feld.
When Feld’s family bought the Ringling circus in 1967 the show was just under 3 hours long. Today, it’s just over 2 hours. “Try getting a 3- or 4-year-old today to sit for 12 minutes,” Feld challenged, illustrating the difficulties old school shows like the circus face in today’s instant, digitized world.
A show for all ages
Ringling Bros. has two performing units – Red and Blue. It was the Red Unit train that passed through Habersham Monday hauling performers, animals and equipment for the show “Circus Xtreme.”
The show opens a six-day run Wednesday (Feb. 15-20) at Phillips Arena in Atlanta followed by eleven days (Feb. 23-March 5) at the Infinite Energy Center in Duluth.
The Tullis’ will be among the thousands who attend to say their goodbyes.
“I hate that the circus is closing,” Shelley says. “It really is an entertaining show for all ages. We attended last year because it was the last show that they used the elephants. This year we will attend for their last show.”
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will pull up stakes for good after its final performance at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, on May 21, 2017. Then ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… the Greatest Show on Earth will be no more.
