2022 Circus Historical Society Convention

The Circus Historical Society will hold its 2022 Convention from Sunday, July 24 through Tuesday, July 26, 2022 at the Trumbull Marriott near Bridgeport, Connecticut . . . home of the Barnum Museum and several other historic circus sites.

In addition to visits the Barnum Museum, PT Barnum and Tom Thumb's gravesites, the Bridgeport History Center, and the former site of the circus winter quarters, the convention will feature presentations by leading circus professionals, historians, and authors from around the world. There will also be auctions of circus books, posters, programs, and other memorabilia!

If you haven't done so already, register before July 22, 2022 to secure your place at this exciting convention and to save on registration fees! The last day to reserve your room at the convention rate was June 24, 2022.

Can't attend in person? Attend the presentation sessions online via Zoom for only $50!

Convention Program

Click the arrows below to expand the schedule for each day. Since the program order and event times may change, please check this page periodically for any updates.

Sunday, July 24, 2022: First Session of Presentations, Circus Film and Videos, and Gala Opening Reception

6:30 - 10:00 A.M. - Free Breakfast (for registered hotel guests only), Trumbull Marriott restaurant

10:00 - 11:00 A.M. - Board of Trustees Meeting (Trustees only), Board Room

12:00 - 7:00 P.M. - Registration desk, Sales Room, and Display Area open before and after sessions and during breaks, Hallway and Ballroom

Registration Desk: Convention badges, souvenir program, and general information
Sales Room: Circus books, posters, programs, DVDs, and other memorabilia for sale. Check signs for the times of book signings for the authors of recently-published circus books, including Les Standiford (Battle for the Big Top, 2021) and Dawn Rogala (When the Circus Came to Town, 2020)
Display Area: Sunday-only exhibition of an amazing model of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train by John Rezuke.

First Session - Ballroom

1:00 P.M. - Opening Remarks, Bruce Hawley, President, Circus Historical Society

1:30 P.M. - Welcome to Bridgeport and Barnum Country! Kathleen Maher, Executive Director of the Barnum Museum

2:10 P.M. - Eva Clark: Transforming Lore and Legacy, Aíne Norris, Old Dominion University Ph.D. student and CHS Board Member

2:40 P.M. - Afternoon Break (20 Minutes)

3:00 P.M. - Elephants, Clowns, and Photos: How a Chance Encounter Became a Decade-Long Adventure, Dawn V. Rogala, Ph.D., 2021 Stuart Thayer Prize-winning author of When the Circus Came to Town – An American Tradition in Photographs

3:35 P.M. - Pallenberg Wonder Bears - From the Beginning, Peggy Adler, Author of Images of America CLINTON (Arcadia)

4:00 P.M. - Trained Sea Lions in the Circus, Gary Bohan, Jr., Author of Sharkey: When Sea Lions Were Stars of Show Business (1907-1958)

4:25 P.M. - Battle for the Big Top: The Circus and the American Dream, Les Standiford, New York Times bestselling author and Professor, Florida International University

5:00 P.M. - Administrative Announcements, Bruce Hawley, President, Circus Historical Society

Circus Film and Videos

5:45 P.M. - Film by Corey Boutilier about a sculpture of Barnum entitled P.T. Barnum: The Lost Legend

6:45 P.M. and continuous showings during Reception:

Video of Emil Pallenberg putting his last bear, Snookums through her paces presented by Peggy Adler
Video by David Johnson, edited by Lane Talburt, that documents the set-up, performance, and tear-down of the Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus under canvas in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1993
A historic 16mm film shot by a Kodak official of the 1927 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presented by Richard Flint

7:00 - 9:00 P.M. The Gala Opening Reception, Ballroom, Dinner buffet and cash bar. Live entertainment provided by long-time CHS member Joe Barney, owner of Center Ring Productions.

Monday, July 25, 2022: Second and Third Sessions of Presentations, Annual Banquet Featuring 2022 Stuart Thayer Prize Announcement, and Annual Auction

6:30 - 10:00 A.M. - Free Breakfast (for registered hotel guests only), Trumbull Marriott restaurant

7:30 - 10:00 A.M. - Registration Desk open

7:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. - Sales Room open before and after sessions and during breaks

SECOND Session - Ballroom

8:30 A.M. - Annual Report to the Membership, Bruce Hawley, President, Circus Historical Society

9:00 A.M. - What is a Circus Anyway? - The Yankee Circus on Mars Goes to Court, Betsy Golden Kellem, Attorney and Board Member, Barnum Museum and CHS

9:25 A.M. - Rose Killian: Trailblazer for Women in the Circus, W. Patrick Bracy, CHS member

9:50 A.M. - Morning Break (15 Minutes)

10:05 A.M. - Ritual to Theatre to Circus! Paul Binder, Founder, Artistic Director, and Ringmaster of the Big Apple Circus and author of Never Quote the Weather to a Sea Lion and other uncommon tales from the founder of the Big Apple Circus

10:40 A.M. - The Worst Season Ever: Nathans & Co. 1883, Amelia Osterud, Milwaukee Librarian, CHS Secretary, and author of The Tattooed Lady: A History

11:05 A.M. - No Gaudy Street Display: Equestrian James Melville's Wall Street Speculations and His Old Fashioned Circus of 1875 -- A Study in Sources, Richard Flint, CHS Board member

11:30 A.M. - Break (30 minute break to set up banquet)

Noon - 2:00 P.M. Annual Banquet, Ballroom

Lunch buffet
Announcement of 2022 Stuart Thayer Prize by Bruce Hawley, CHS President
Banquet speaker: Eric Lehman, Professor, University of Bridgeport, author of Becoming Tom Thumb: Charles Stratton, P.T. Barnum, and the Dawn of American Celebrity

Third Session - Ballroom

2:00 P.M. - Jumbos and Jumping Devils: A Social History of Indian Circus, Nisha Poyyaprath Rayaroth, Fulbright Fellow, Yale University

2:25 P.M. 5 minute break to set up Zoom connections

2:30 P.M. - Ricardo Bell and the Legacy of Relajo in the Mexican Circus (via Zoom), Javier Hurtado, Ph.D. candidate at Tufts University

3:00 P.M. - American Circus in Australia: 1851-1913, Mark St. Leon, Ph.D., CHS member and author of Circus: The Australian Story

3:30 P.M. - Afternoon Break (15 Minutes)

3:45 P.M. - These Roaming Ministers of Pleasure: American Circus Professionals in Asia: 1859-1865, Margaret Kirby., CHS member and Ph.D. candidate at LaTrobe University (Australia)

4:15 P.M. - The Razzle - A History and Demonstration of Gaffed Midway Games, Monty Bowman, CHS member

- Dinner on your own -

Annual Auction - 6:30 - 9:00 P.M.

6:30 P.M. - Auction Preview and cash bar open

7:00 P.M. - Auction begins

Tuesday, July 26, 2022: Fourth Session of Presentations and Field Trip to Bridgeport Circus History Sites

6:30 - 10:00 A.M. - Free Breakfast (for registered hotel guests only), Trumbull Marriott restaurant

7:30 - 10:00 A.M. - Registration Desk open

7:30 A.M. - noon - Sales Room open before and after sessions and during breaks

FOURTH SESSION - Ballroom

9:00 A.M. - Administrative Announcements, Bruce Hawley, President, Circus Historical Society

9:05 A.M. - Circus Authors' Roundtable: Research and Writing Circus History Articles and Books Chris Berry, Moderator, Bandwagon Associate editor and CHS vice president; Maureen Brunsdale, Special Collections and Rare Books Librarian at Illinois State University and CHS Board Member; Aíne Norris, Old Dominion University Ph.D. student and CHS Board Member; Fred Pfening, historian and CHS Board Member; Lane Talburt, CHS member, historian, and video producer

9:55A.M. - Bridgeport Connecticut: Home of the Greatest Show on Earth for Almost Half a Century! Bruce Hawley, President, Circus Historical Society

10:15 A.M. - Morning Break (15 Minutes)

10:30 A.M. - Wonders of the Collections! A Sampling from the Barnum Museum and the Bridgeport History Center, Adrienne Saint-Pierre, Curator of the Barnum Museum

11:10 A.M. - Noon: - Lunch on your own -

Field Trip to Bridgeport Circus History Sites: Noon - 6:00 P.M.

12:15 P.M. - Bus Group A departs hotel for Barnum Museum and Bridgeport History Center. Group A will visit the museum and history center until 3:15 P.M. Bridgeport History Center is a one block walk from the Barnum Museum.

12:45 P.M. - Bus Group B departs hotel for Mountain Grove Cemetery to visit the gravesites of P.T. Barnum and Tom Thumb and a tour of the Barnum memorial statue and the site of the Barnum & Bailey winter quarters. Bus Group B will visit the Barnum Museum and Bridgeport History Center from 3:15 - 6:00 P.M.

3:15 P.M. - Bus Group A departs the museum for Mountain Grove Cemetery to visit the gravesites of P.T. Barnum and Tom Thumb and a tour of the Barnum memorial statue and the site of the Barnum & Bailey winter quarters. Bus Group A will arrive back at the hotel at 5:45 P.M.

6:00 P.M. - Bus Group B departs the museum for the hotel.

- Dinner on your own -

Convention ends

Registration Information

Early Bird registration rates ended on May 15, 2022. Use the menus below to learn more about registration types, fees, and procedures.

What's Included With My Registration

Fees for on-site attendance include admittance to the gala opening reception with buffet, Sales Room, all presentations, the auction, the banquet, the Barnum Museum, and the Bridgeport bus tour of historic circus sites.

Registration Types: Regular, Academic, Online-Only, and Late Registrations

Regular Registration (May 16 - July 22, 2022)

The regular fee for CHS members and their guests is $215 per person. The non-member regular fee, which includes a one-year CHS membership, is $275 per person.

Academic Registration (until July 22, 2022)

The fee for full-time teaching and other academic staff (regardless of CHS membership status) is $190 per person. The fee for full-time students is $125.

Online Attendance (Presentations Only)

The presentation sessions on Sunday afternoon, Monday, and Tuesday morning will be streamed online via Zoom. The fee for members and non-members to attend only the online sessions only is $50.

Late Registrations (after July 22, 2022)

There will be a late fee of $25 for all registrations received after July 22, 2022.

How to Register: Online or By Mail

Register Online (Pay Online or Send a Check)

1. Click here to visit the Registration Page and complete the registration online even if you plan to pay by check (note: CHS Members who are not already logged in to the members-only section of the Back Yard will need to authenticate to register at the reduced Member Rate)

2. Pay the registration fee online or mail your check to: Circus Historical Society, P.O. Box 644, Stratford, CT 06615. Checks should be made payable to the Circus Historical Society. (note: if you are registering online and mailing a check, please register online before mailing your check)

Register by Mail

You can also download a Convention Registration Form and register by mail.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

100% if cancellation notice is received by the CHS Treasurer before June 23
50% if notice is received from June 23 - July 15
No refund after July 15

Hotel and Transportation

Use the menus below to read more about discounted rates at the Trumbull Marriott and transportation details.

Hotel Reservations

The hotel has a restaurant on the premises. For additional hotel information, visit the Trumbull Marriott website.

The last day to book at the CHS rate was June 24, 2022.

Transportation Information

The hotel is located at 180 Hawley Lane in Trumbull Connecticut 06611 near the intersection of the Merritt Parkway and Connecticut Route 8. It is easily accessible by automobile from Interstate 95 and by shuttle bus/rental car from the New York City airports (JFK and LGA), the Hartford-Springfield Airport (BDL), Westchester County Airport (HPN) in Harrison, NY, and Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) in New Haven, CT. The closest airport is Westchester County Airport (HPN) in Harrison, NY.

The closest airport is Tweed New Haven Airport. Avelo Airlines offers discounted direct flights to and from Tweed New Haven Airport to several Florida cities, including Sarasota, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Meyers, Orlando, West Palm Beach, and to Chicago, Nashville and several other East Coast cities.

Connecticut Limo Service provides shared-ride, shuttle bus service from the airports to the Bridgeport Transportation Center, which is only 5 miles from the Trumbull Marriott. The phone number for Connecticut Limo is (203) 974-4700. Reservations are required at least 2 days in advance. Further information is available at CT Limo.

The Bridgeport Transportation Center is also served by Amtrak, Metro-North Railroad, Greyhound Lines, Peter Pan Bus Company, and the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson Steamship Company. Yellow Cab, Uber, and Lyft service is available from the Bridgeport Transportation Center to the Trumbull Marriott. The phone number for Yellow Cab is (203) 334-2121.

Questions

Please email the 2022 Convention Chair with questions about Convention. We look forward to seeing you in Bridgeport!