1921: Walter L. Main Shows
Just where in Hicksville would circuses pitch their tents?Surprisingly, the location for the 1914 circus visit seems to not have been published in the newspapers.
In 1921, however, the Long-Islander told its readers that on the Friday before Memorial Day, the Walter L. Main Shows would perform "on the Plains on Jerusalem Avenue ."Looking at old maps does not help much, other than indicating that around that time, there were plenty of open fields south of Old Country Road, including the one on which the town's first High School building would be constructed a few years later.Huntington Long-Islander, June 19, 1914
Huntington Long-Islander, June 19, 1914
Ornate horse-drawn wagon with steam-powered
calliope, used by Walter L. Main Shows in 1921
circushistory.org/archive
The parade likely assembled on Barclay Street , near the LIRR yard to the west of the Hicksville station.It would have headed east, and then turned south onto Jerusalem Avenue , continuing until it reached the circus grounds.The piercing but melodic sound of a calliope may never have been heard before in Hicksville ; it was a sure way of getting the whole town's attention.
The Hell Gate Bridge was far from the minds of Hicksvillians, but they felt its impact anyway.This was an entire three-ring circus, with an abundance of animal acts, and nothing had had to be left out in order to get it over to Long Island .The circus train would have crossed over the water into Astoria in only a few minutes, and not many hours later, the parade at the first L.I. tour stop would have been underway.
Seeing the performance in your own town would have been amazing.There was a lion trained to ride on a horse - and a horse trained not to be spooked when a lion pounced on its back.There were bears that danced, balanced on large balls, and feigned drunkenness.The Wirth family, horse-borne acrobats who rode bareback, had begun with the Ringling Brothers circus and then gone independent.They had recently concluded a well-received run at New York 's famous Palace Theatre, and then joined the Main circus to tour for the season.
Potter and Potter Auction Catalogue, 2017
thecircusblog.com
Potter and Potter Auction Catalogue, 2020
