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Circus Historical Society 2013 Convention

July 17 – 20, 2013 - Peru, Indiana

Registration Form (print form or register online)     Convention Schedule

    CHS returns to Peru, Indiana, home of the International Circus Hall of Fame, with a variety of presentations that will appeal to a wide range of interests - and the annual Peru Circus City Festival activities.

    The Convention Hotel will be the Best Western Circus City Inn. They have set aside a block of 40 rooms at a rate of $85.00 for a non-smoking room with two queen size beds (mention the Circus Historical Society to get this special rate). A free continental breakfast is included and they have an indoor pool. The phone number for reservations is 765-473-8800. Hotel information: Best Western Circus City Inn. Be sure to register early, the hotel fills up quickly and only has 62 total rooms!

    Knights Inn is across the road. Their rates are only $49.00 a night, but they fill up early. The phone number is 765-472-3971 or 800-843-5644. Other motels are 15 minutes away in Wabash, Indiana: Holiday Inn Express, 260-569-1189; Wabash Inn, 260-563-7451; Charley Creek Inn with 30 unique rooms in downtown Wabash, 260-563-7488.

Tentative Schedule

Wednesday, July 17 - Registration 2:00 – 6:00 pm in the Clyde Beatty Room of the Best Western City Inn. Convention packets, a driving tour of Miami County and car pooling information will be available. If any registered member would like a 8 foot table to exhibit or sell circus items please advise Bob Cline, a limited number of tables at no charge are available at the hotel. (contact Bob Cline at 5Tigeract@gmail.com)

Thursday, July 18 - 9:00 am, presentations at Ivy Tech - Dick Moore's presentation on antique circus lantern slides; Lane Talburt's video presentation on African Americans in the circus; Charles Conrad's presentation on circus band music; Eileen Rosenstel, "Those Bodacious Beauties;" Sarah Chapman's discussion on her life in the circus, and Steve Gossard on "Competetion and Controversy in Performance." A luncheon buffet will be set up on site, and the group will retire to the Mandarin Chinese Buffet for dinner. The group will return to Ivy Tech at 5:30 to preview the auction materials and the annual auction will start at 6:00 pm.
    Sessions are at Ivy Tech Community College, about two miles from the hotels. The college is in a revamped school which is air conditioned. The parking is in front, additional parking a half block away.

Friday, July 19 – 9:00 am at the International Circus Hall of Fame under the big top. We will have a tour of the grounds and watch as the parade wagons are being prepared to be moved to downtown Peru.
    The first session will be a circus band concert by Charles Conrad directing the 60 piece Indianapolis Wind Symphony. Michael Beauchamp, aka "Captain Terrell M. Jacobs, the Lion King," will present a first person encounter with one of the circus’s most noted steel cage performers. There will be a catered lunch by the Hall of Fame, and informative afternoon sessions, plus the Hall of Fame Circus. Evening dinner will be on your own and at 7:00 pm we'll attend the Peru Amateur Circus.
    A number of eight foot tables are available for those who have circus material to trade or sell. Cost of the table and two chairs is $20.00 for registered members and $35.00 for others. Contact Bob Cline at to reserve a table. (contact Bob Cline at 5Tigeract@gmail.com)

Saturday, July 20 10:00 am the Circus City Parade kicks off. We will have bleacher seats for this two hour event. Lunch is on your own - the street carnival will be open and there are many local restaurants. At 1:30 pm we'll assemble at the Miami County Museum to see their new circus exhibit. After the tour members will be free until 7:00 when we will join the Circus Hall of Fame for their annual awards presentation and dinner at the Firehouse in downtown Peru.

Special Circus Historical Society Outreach Program

    From Monday July 15 to Wednesday July 17 the Circus Historical Society do a three day outreach program in the archives of the Circus Hall of Fame. At a planning session before the 2012 Baraboo Convention a project was proposed to assist the Circus Hall of Fame organize their archives. A group of fourteen CHS volunteers are needed to work in the Hall of Fame archives sorting files and identifying VHS video tapes. The group will work with the collection of the circus producer George Hubler who passed away a few years ago. His archival material came to the Hall of Fame. Documents need to be sorted, correspondence needs to be organized, and some 200 VHS tapes need to be viewed. Under the direction of John Polacsek the volunteers will work for three days starting on Monday morning July 15. Lunch will be provided by CHS each day for volunteers, and processing supplies will be available. What is needed is a knowledge of circus history, and a willingness to provide the Circus Hall of Fame archival collection some care. Contact John Polacsek at artistofdetroit@aol.com if you would like to assist in this special outreach program.

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