Circus History Blog

Fellow circus clown, Patrick Cashin, has a wonderful blog on the clowns of circus past. Called most fittingly, Great Circus Clowns of the Past. Catchy, is it not?

If you happen to be one of those poor souls with a clown phobia, this page is not for you. Come to think of it, this blog isn't very good for the clown-phobic either. <:0)

The pictures and video clips truly give you an idea of what circus life was like in the canvas and sawdust days. Pat does a wonderful job of seeking out the names and histories in the photos he posts. An up and coming circus historian if ever I saw one. Greg and LeVahn you have one right behind you.

Love the box you've got

Want a to do a paper project, but are just to lazy to really put any effort into it? Then try this paper box generator. Pick your color, tweak your design, and then print it out. Great media for advertising a free box generator.

Happy Father's Day

Things I learned from my Dad.

• How to fish.
• How to keep a promise.
• To show up at work every day without fail, and never bring up to your family that you do.
• If you are hired or volunteer to do a job, do that job to the very best of your ability.
• Help your friends and relatives, even when they won't ask for it when they need it.
• Bernoulli's Principle .
• How to keep score at the ballgame.
• That dragging your kids to see things that , at the time, they didn't think were "cool" will give them a better appreciation for those things later in life.
• Yes your kid screwed up. Be mad but don't kill him.
• When he turns 21, go have a drink with him. And then keep your mouth shut when the kid mentions that he knows of this great bar with specialty beer.
• How to cook outdoors.
• An appreciation for nature, both camping in it, and just looking at it.
• Men volunteer.
• They also will help you move.
• Routine car maintenance and lawn care are a part of the package.
• If your son is too young/old for Boy Scouts, you can still help out.
• Find a woman you love who loves you back, marry her, and stay married.
• Shave on the weekends.
• To appreciate the best qualities in something; whether lumber, cities, or people.
• Talk to your children like people, not children.
• Patience, patience, patience.
• Tell the kids what you learned from your dad.
• How to joke around without being offensive.
• The art of compromising.
• How to have a discussion without it becoming an argument.
• How to be a Father.

This list gets longer every year. It just takes some lessons longer to realize themselves.

Thanks for everything Dad. I never tell you enough or nearly as often as I should. Thank you.

Can you make a dog?

These ain't your Grandma's balloon animals.









View the rest of the balloon sculptures here.

The journey of a thousand cranes begins with one fold

I have such wonderful friends. Last week I received a gift from my friends in Atlanta, several large sheets of beautiful Yuzen Washi. Thank you Jon and Yvonne! Then today, from my friend Mamiko, came a shipment from Japan. A huge box of beautiful origami paper, including a 1000 sheet package for folding cranes. Domo arigato gozaimashita! So this evening, I embarked on the daunting task of folding one thousand cranes from a rainbow of 7cm squares. For those who wish to try, the instructions are here. When the chain is finished, I will send them to Hiroshima to be placed at the Sadako Sasaki Peace Memorial. Well now that I know what I will be doing on vacation this summer, lets hear what creative projects you have planned.

Not quite paper art. But if you're lazy like me......

If you hate folding clothes like I do. This little gadget is great. All your shirts come out even and are folded in a flash. Give it a shot.

Rest well Ryder Schwartz

This week, my community lost one of our own.




There will be a service for Ryder tomorrow (Thursday)
at the Riverbend Church in Austin at 2:00, as well as
a memorial Sunday, at Esther's Follies on 6th Street
in Austin from 5 to7.

Here is the obituary, written by his father, from the
Austin Statesman:

WARREN "RED RYDER" SCHWARTZ
The sweet, gentle soul of Warren “Red” Ryder Schwartz
was taken from
this
world in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 28,
2006. Born
September 6,
1966, his special gift was evident to many even at a
very young age –
he
loved to entertain people. Longtime Crestview
residents remember the
young
boy, already an accomplished gymnast, who labored for
hours in the yard
off
of Woodrow, tossing ball after ball into the air,
learning at last how
to
artfully catch each one in the lyrical dance of
juggling. Starting as
a
young boy at the Renaissance Festival, Ryder practiced
his self-taught
art,
gathering a following with his playful banter and
skillful artistry.

He made his first appearance at the International
Jugglers Association
championships at the age of 14, where he was named
“Most Promising
Performer.” In 1988, he was the silver medal winner
at the same
prestigious
competition. He performed with the national cast of
television’s Fame
at
the Paramount Theater at the age of 18. He joined the
eminent comedy
troupe
at Esther’s Follies in 1987, a move that gained him a
second family, as
well
as a lifelong professional home.

Early in his career, he trained at the Ringling Bros.
and Barnum Bailey
Clown College in Sarasota, Florida, and went on to
perform for
audiences
worldwide, including England, France, Monaco,
Switzerland, Germany, the
Mediterranean, Argentina, and Japan, earning him
international acclaim
as
one of the very best at his craft. At home, he
delighted audiences
with his
juggling, clowning, unicycle riding, and comedy
vaudeville routines as
the
warm-up act at Esther’s. He was a tireless
perfectionist in his craft,
working on his act for hours on end. He entertained
children the best,
and
they loved him, surrounding him at local festivals and
at the Magic
Camp,
where he was a perennial favorite.

A one of a kind vaudeville performer, Ryder liked to
stand out on Sixth
Street between shows, entertaining people walking by
with his tricks
and his
infectious smile. Those closest to him, though, knew
of his private,
lifelong struggle, a dependence on substance that kept
much of what he
cherished most about life unattainable.

He dearly loved his parents, his sisters, and his
daughter, but his
illness
often kept him out of their reach. He loved
tradition, family, and
holidays, and struggled with a most extraordinary
resiliency and
youthfulness to find normalcy in his life.
Predeceasing Ryder were his
grandparents C. H. and Emily Lester and Geneva
Vessels, all of Austin,
who
loved him dearly. He is lovingly survived by his
family: daughter
Estelle
Sarmiento of Galveston; sister Shelly Schwartz and her
son Canyon
Schwartz
of Houston; sister Julie Hershberger of Houston;
mother Beverly Lester
and
her partner Martha King and her daughters Kelly and
Lauren Shugart, all
of
Austin; father Bill Schwartz and wife Paulette
Schwartz of Austin; and
many
aunts, uncles, cousins, and countless friends and
acquaintances who
will
miss him dearly.

Also surviving Ryder is the loving cast of Esther’s
Follies, in
particular
owners Shannon Sedwick and Michael Shelton, who since
the beginning
have
given him an unconditional love and exceptional
support. The family
respectfully requests that memorial contributions be
made to the
Waggoner
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research at the
University of Texas at
Austin, P. O. Box 7458, Austin, TX 78713-7459. A
memorial service will
be
held Thursday, June 1, 2006 at 2:00 p.m. in the Smith
Chapel at
Riverbend
Church, the Reverend Gordon Smith presiding.



.........................................

I just recieved word that Ryder Schwartz aka Red Ryder was murdered here in
Austin, TX.
Ryder was an extremely talanted juggler, and from my brief experience with him,
a nice guy.

In Austin, he was a regular at Esther's Follies. Those who saw him perform aren't
likely to forget
his great talant, and happy, goofy smile. RIP Ryder.

Rik Gern

***************************************

Friends,

I only met Ryder a few times.

I was absolutely blown away by his originality and juggling technique.

I also thought he was a very humble and very kind person.

I cannot get the image of Ryder smiling and juggling out of my mind...
and I hope I never will.

Rest well friend.

Joel Heidtman

*********************************************************

I remember Ryder as a very strong juggler with a great character. He also
was a practice machine. While the rest of us were learning all sorts of
clowning skills, he was happy to stay to the side and do marathon runs of 4
and 5 clubs while listening to a walkman. He also made all sorts of cool
sounds while he juggled....all part of his character. When asked why he
preferred to practice juggling over learning new skills he wasn't going to
be able exposed to anywhere else, he politely explained he had come to clown
college primarily to be discovered as a juggler. He wanted to be a juggler
in the circus and figured that this was as a good a way to get the gig as
any.

I also remembered he had one of the coolest tattoos I had seen up till
then...a skeleton wearing a top hat. The caption was 'Mr. Lucky
Stumbleton.'

I saw Ryder just a few years ago at an IJA conference...not sure if it was
Buffalo. Don't think it was Davenport. I think he even competed in the
Seniors. If anyone remembers, set the record straight. He remembered me and
we chatted. He still was performing the same character and many of the same
tricks. He was even better than before which was pretty good already. His
stage character was always very likeable. He smiled the whole time he was on
stage. He reminded me of a big kid up there just loving every second of his
time on stage.

I don't think anyone of us was very close to him. He wasn't that type of
guy. He didn't ever say much. Very sweet guy but one you were not going to
mess with. Clown College was filled with 'characters' and he truly will be
remembered by me to be one that made it so.

I have thought of very little besides Ryder since first seeing the posting
by Rik.

Rik, please keep us posted on what you hear/read. Can someone get the video
from Lee Jarrett and put it up?

Michael Rosman
Class of '88


*************************************************

Ryder and I never met. We only spoke through email and on the phone. He worked
with me on 5 or so occasions over the last 3 years and always pleased a very
discerning client. They were impressed by his talent and how willing he was to
do anything they asked. I was impressed by how laid back and easy he was to
work with. His interactions with me were always some of the most professional
of any entertainer that I have worked with. His promo videos were always top
notch and his hat/cane juggling routine is something I put in to emulate when I
decide to get off my ass and practice.

A great entertainer is gone and I'm left to look at my life and what I
have and haven't done. It's all so fragile, I'm going to make sure I let some
friends and family members know how I feel about them and how important they
are. Rest in Peace Red Ryder!

Tyler Bechtel

*****************************************

Ryder will be missed by all that knew him. I do have a tape
(practice and promo) received by Ryder early after CC. I do not
have the capability to duplicate it, but if anyone out there does
and if folks want to see it, I'll gladly get it to them to send to
anyone interested. Again, he will be surely missed and treated
everyone I know of with kindness.

Lee Jarratt
CC '88


***********************************************

Ryder was in the '88 class
and blew us all away with his polished and yet
free spirited juggling act
He really did put us all to shame with what he brought to Clown College
Sorry to hear about this sad and untimely demise
Condolences to his family

-Adam Auslander
CC '88
Red '89
Kscape '00

***********************************************

Ryder was one of us. It was funny though, Im
here in Baraboo this season and another one of our classmates is too.
Stephine Knox. I passed on the news to her yesterday and both of us were
remembering Ryder. We also watched our graduation performance on video
at Happy the clowns house last night and the juggling display came on.
Stephine said that she had forgotten what a talent he was (Ryder) and I
interjected that was 18 years ago --can you imagine how much better his
juggling had gotten!
We watched further in the tape and I said, remember he would go to mime
class and juggle or arena choreogrophy and juggle etc. or---lol
Rest in Peace Ryder!

Bob Kelmer
Clown College 1988

************************************************

I met Ryder a few times on my first contract in Japan
in '92. I was arriving and he was just finishing up a
contract. He was a very interesting mix of laid back
and focused. He practiced his show all the time. He
taped every single performance and honed it until it
was super tight. He had the quiet, slow-talking way
about him that is the typical texas southerner. I was
scared to death to be in another country for the first
time, and (with 12 other variety acts at this park,
and 60 singers and dancers, and Japanese comedians)
feeling a bit nervous about hanging with some really
talented people. Ryder always had a word of
encouragement for me. He also talked a lot about his
show and the direction he was heading professionally.
He talked about the future in a way that made me want
to get excited about my own show. A generous man
indeed. I hope someone can get a hold of some of the
many videos that must exist of his amazing show and
archive them as well make them available.
Goobye Red Ryder. You live on in the hearts and minds
of your friends and audiences.

steve patient
cc '90

***********************************************

I used to see him do shows at a summer camp that we both performed for, and he
always
left me amazed and laughing. About two and a half years ago I had a chance to
share a
venue with Ryder. It was a pseudo street performing situation and he could have
easily
blown me out of the water, but instead he was completely laid back and as
generous with
space and time as any performer I've ever seen. Austin has just lost a piece of
it's heart
and soul.

Rik Gern

**********************************************

When I knew him, Ryder was always very intense about things he wanted to
learn, and he was obviously driven to be the best at what he was doing. He
was always nice to me, and we frequently spent time outside the pie car door
(just feet away from the big trash can that we powdered our makeup over)
talking about all manner of things. He always held the door for
me when we walked back inside, and was never condescending when talking to
me despite my obvious lack of suitability for performance (not to mention my
complete lack of direction). A lot of very talented people dismissed a lot
of very NOT-talented people at CC, but Ryder was not one of them.

One of my favorite Ryder-memories is that, for some absolutely insane
reason, Ryder and Lottie Brunn, who spent a lot of time huddling and
discussing and jackpotting together, both seemed to like me and would
sometimes call me over and ask ME (ME?!) what I thought of something Ryder
was practicing. ME??? Anyway, Lottie and Ryder were funny to watch - her
talking fast-and-furious, just like she juggled, and he was the quiet,
precise, slow-talking Texan in response. You didn't even have to hear what
was said to understand their exchanges - at some point, Lottie would point
or gesture, Ryder would step back and juggle for a second, and she would
either beam at him or nod or shake her head a little and they would huddle
back together and continue talking.

At age 21, Ryder seemed to have an unusually good grasp of the concept of
not sweating things that don't matter. His heart wasn't entirely "into"
clown college the way it was for so many others - I remember his explanation
being that he had a plan, and if Ringling didn't want to hire him, he wasn't
too heartbroken about it because he knew that he could make an entire year's
clown pay in just a couple of juggling shows (if I'm not mistaken, he had
several lined up for the fall even before he came to Venice). He was very
secure in his talent, because he worked for hours and hours perfecting
everything.

Anybody who never got to see him juggle really missed out - his skill was awesome. He was
kind, and I am just so sad today. I will miss knowing he's out there.

-katie costello
clown college 88

************************************************

I didn't know Ryder Schwartz, but if he is one of our Brothers in Arms, he
deserves a good farewell. Rest in Peace Ryder!!!! Keep up the comedy quest in
another time and another realm!!!

Kip Reynolds '82

************************************************

He and I worked on a couple of gags
together and because of Ryder I can now balance many different things on various
parts of my face and head. I remember his never ending 5 club juggling. It
seemed as if he never stopped. It was also very cool to see him in his impromptu
performances at the lounge in the bowling alley with many of us tossing couple
of bucks at his feet to help start his tip.
I lost touch with him after graduation and am very sorry to hear of his passing.
Joe Vecciarelli
Class of '88

************************************************

First of all, thank you, Katie, Rik, Joe, Mike, and all the other
members of the CC Grad List for sending in all the links in regard to
Ryder's death. Rik, I hope you will be able to find some information
as to his parents location, or some family member, and Post the
address if possible.
I remembered Ryder when he first came into the costume shop at Clown
College. At first my memory of him was a little vague, until one of
you wrote in and mentioned the tatoo! Then all the visuals clearly
popped into my mind and I instantly remembered one small incident
that made me laugh.
I believe Ainsley Bruneau was the person who was assigned to design
Ryder's costume. If you'll remember, each designer met one on one
with the students to discuss their likes and dislikes in regard to
their completed clown costume. My table sat directly across from
Ainsley's. My table was also know as 'the smoking spot'. I wish I
were as popular as my table was...but that's another story!
So I'm watching out of the corner of my eye as Ryder juggles his
clubs over to Ainsley's table and sits on the stool across from her.
He then picks up his clubs (he was always juggling as I recall), and
Ainsley says to him, "Excuse me, Ryder, but you can't juggle those
clubs in here while I'm trying to talk to you." He was always,
always so polite and calm. "Okay," he said, and set the clubs on the
floor. Ainsley starts her series of questions and Ryder is
responding to them. All is going well, and then he notices some
spools of thread on top of the table. In the blink of an eye Ryder
was performing the neatest juggling shower of multi-colored spools
I'd ever seen. I thought to myself, "This kid's got talent!" and,
after reading so many wonderful Postings about this guy, I guess I
wasn't wrong. Guess this wasn't such a great Posting on my part, but
I am certainly happy that his memory brought back that smile he gave
me so many years ago. Remembering is a good thing!
-r.f
(Richard Fick, 70's graduate of Clown College and head of the costume shop for Clown College 1988)

************************************************************

Innovations in Juggling

I saw this online the other day. I thought that it was very fun to watch, however I also thought that it would be a rotten prop to be saddled with. Hard to travel with a seven foot tall lucite cone.