Send out the clowns
Ivan Vargas likes to say his parents fell in love with the air
He is sixth-generation circus. His mother performed on the high wire when they met, his father on the trapeze.
Vargas was born between two Ringling Bros. shows in Madison, Wis., in 1990. His father managed to perform in the early show, then made it across the street to the hospital — in costume — for his son’s birth.
Vargas is part of Clown Alley. It’s not just a place. It’s the private area backstage where clowns get ready to perform. But it’s also how the clowns refer to themselves, a minifraternity within the circus, and a microcosm of it.
There’s Brian Wright, a circus superfan, of sorts. Hewas 4 years oldwhen he sawhis first Ringling show, and he knew that’swhat hewanted to do.
Restricted by the life
Quarters on the circus train can be tight. Some cabins are so small, you can touch opposite walls with outstretched arms. Many travelers are stuck in their rooms while the train is moving because the only exit is to the outside.
Take Jeannie Hamilton. She has been with the circus 12 years, most recently as manager of concessions.
The train moves much slower than an Amtrak, or even a Honda. Its final run traveled from Hartford, Conn., through Springfield and Worcester, Mass., to Providence.
The trip took half a day. By car, the 65-mile distance could be covered in less than two hours.
So, Hamilton decided to spend that last trip soaking it all in.
“Anytime the train was moving, I was on the vestibule,” she said, referring to the small standing area between train cars. “Now that it’s coming to an end, I was trying to enjoy every minute of it.”
Hamilton would smile, wave and take pictures as she passed by people who had come out to say their final goodbyes to the Ringling train, yell “thank you” and applaud.
“Got a lump in my throat,” Hamilton says, “every time I saw them.”
The Brooklyn, N.Y., native auditioned three times before finally landing a job as a clown. Now he keeps a book he likes to call the “Clown Bible,” which, after four years at Ringling, is now filled with memories, thoughts and jokes he collects when he meets a former clown.