The Circus Ring of Fame recognizes those persons who have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus over the span of a career. With over 140 inductees from around the world, the Ring of Fame began in 1988 as a way to honor world famous circus performers and the rich circus heritage of the Sarasota area. Each year, Ring of Fame honorees are nominated by the public and voted on by former inductees, historians, scholars and knowledgeable members of the global circus community.
Each inductee is honored with a bronze wagon wheel plaque, recognizing their contribution to circus arts and culture and their sponsor. The annual Ring of Fame ceremony is a veritable who’s who of circus artists, executives, fans and members of the greater circus arts appreciation community, whogather to honor their peers. The Ring of Fame graces a central park located at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Florida. There, visitors and locals alike stroll past decades of circus history, reading the plaques and conjuring up childhood memories of circus greats such as famed animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams, astounding aerialists the Flying Wallendas and Lillian Leitzel, and timeless clowns Lou Jacobs and Emmett Kelly.
Also of note, the Ring includes leaders of the circus arts industry such as P.T. Barnum, The five Ringling Brothers, Irvin Feld and Kenneth Feld, Guy Laliberte, Prince Rainier of Monaco and many others. The list goes on and on!
HOW AND WHY THE CIRCUS RING OF FAME CAME TO BE
In mid 1985, Sarasota, Florida Convention and Visitor Bureau director, Larry Marthaler, was invited by Mayor Bill Kline to join a group of local area business leaders exploring ways to promote the approaching centennial celebration of the city by possibly employing a circus theme. Sarasota was the winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus, as well as home to several other circuses and many circus families. After weeks of meetings with the committee and interested parties, everyone was running out of suggestions. Most of the ideas being reviewed were too ambitious and required extensive outlays of up-front money. Then Larry and his wife, Mary, were watching TV over Thanksgiving weekend and the evening news showed an induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Larry said “that’s it,” and the idea was conceived for a “Circus Walk of Fame” in Sarasota. He shared the idea with the committee, who liked it, but didn’t want to infringe on “Hollywood Walk of Fame.” Therefore, the “Circus Ring of Fame” was chosen.
Prominent Sarasota artist, Frank Hopper had done a piece of artwork for the Centennial, so, he was brought in to help design the wagon wheel symbol along with circus historian John Lentz, for research and authenticity. The initiative was approved in 1986 and the first induction was in April of 1988.
The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation became independent from the convention and visitor’s bureau in 1993, when it incorporated as a non-profit 501 (C)(3) organization.
WHAT IT MEANS TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE CIRCUS RING OF FAME
To realize the magnitude of the Circus Ring of Fame, one must first understand the concept of “six minutes of perfection.” Six minutes is the average length of a circus artist’s presentation. Dedicated to their craft and steeped in generational tradition, they spend a lifetime developing and rehearsing routines so that when they perform before a live audience the result is perfection. Whether it is thrilling high wire artistry, elegant flying trapeze, gymnastic tumbling routines or being shot from a cannon, the goal of a circus artist is perfection. No one enters the circus arts to become wealthy. They do it for the pure love of performing and bringing smiles to patrons of the art form. Their reward is the applause and the satisfaction of knowing that, for a brief moment in time, their six minutes of perfected craft results in a moment of joy for children of all ages.
After decades of performing before millions of patrons, they seek recognition by their peers for a job well done. While the general public admires circus artistry in numerous productions across the globe, only circus artists and knowledgeable industry professionals fully understand the dedication and difficulty in developing “six minutes of perfection.” Check out our video interpretation of 6 minutes of Perfection:
William W. Powell
Chairman,
Circus Ring of Fame
Board of Trustees
Bill Powell – Chair
Mich Sauers – Vice Chair
Joan Galvin – Board Member
Mike Pender – Treasurer
Brian Liddicoat – Past Chair
Kay Rosaire – Board Member
Ian Garden – Board Member
Heidi Herriott Koch - Board Member
Steve Cook – Board Member
John Zamoiski – Board Member
Kenneth Wachter- Board Member
Deborah Walk – Secretary
Cedric Walker – Board Member
Chris Berry – Board Member
Aurelia Nock – Ex Officio
Norma Fox – Ex Officio
Kenny Dodd – Ex Officio
Bill Powell – Chair
Mich Sauers – Vice Chair
Joan Galvin – Governance/Admin
Mike Pender – Treasurer
Brian Liddicoat – Past Chair
Deborah Walk – Secretary
Kay Rosaire – Board Member
Ian Garden – Board Member
Steve Cook – Board Member
John Zamoiski – Board Member
Chris Berry – Board Member
Cedric Walker – Board Member
Heidi Herriott-Koch – Board Member
Aurelia Nock – Ex Officio
Norma Fox – Ex Officio
Kenny Dodd – Board Member
Contact Us
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The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 4282 | Sarasota, FL 34220
Email: circusringoffame@gmail.com
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