The Ringling Brothers first came to New England in 1895 however it would be another ten years before they would venture into Maine. 1905, two years before they purchased "Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth", was the year the Ringling Brothers first came to Maine with "Ringling Bros. World's Greatest Shows". The tour of the state consisted of six dates. The route for 1905 in Maine was July 5 in Biddeford, July 6 in Portland, July 7 in Augusta, July 8 in Bangor, July 10 in Waterville and July 11 in Lewiston.The advertisement for their stop in Waterville reads as follows:
CIRCUS, WATERVILLE, MONDAY, JULY 10.
By Special Arrangement
THE ONLY BIG CIRCUS THIS SEASON.
RINGLING BROS. WORLD'S GREATEST SHOWS
AND THE STUPENDOUS
SPLENDOR-GLISTENING SPECTACLE
THE FIELD OF THE CLOTH OF GOLD
The Most Lavish, Extravagant, Largest, Costliest Amusement Feature Ever Devised. 1,200 Characters, 300 Dancing Girls, a Chorus of 200 Voices, 2,500 Magnificent Costumes. A Whole Train load of Armor, Ancient Weapons, Paraphernalia, Banners, Golden Hangings, Scenery and Accessories. A Whole City of People. Half a thousand Gorgeously Trapped Horses. A Dazzling Picture of Beauty, Life, Color and Motion.
THE GRANDEST SPECTACLE EVER DEVISED
The biggest, most complete zoological collection in the world. Over 100 cages, dens and tanks. 40 Elephants, a whole caravan of Camels and Dromedaries. The only pair of full-grown Giant Giraffes ever seen in America. Only Rhinoceros in captivity; only North Sea colossal Albino Ice Bear; giant 6-ton Behemoth; curious monster-eared African proboscidian marvel.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST ZOO
Ringling Brothers New, Big-fold Circus, fully 375 arenic artist, exhibiting all that is new, unusual, sensational, novel and interesting in the circus world. 50 funny clowns, 30 premier bareback riders, 60 acrobats, more than 60 aerialist and whole troupes of gymnasts, contortionists and other specialist. All the world's best and greatest acts, combined with the greatest show of trained horses, trained elephants and wonder-working performing animals ever seen, constituting the biggest, most novel, highest class circus the world has ever seen. At 10:00 A.M., free upon the streets of every city visited, the GRANDEST, LONGEST, RICHEST STREET PARADE ever seen. 85 railroad cars, 1,280 people. $3,700,000 capital invested. $7,400 daily expense. One 50-cent ticket admits to everything. Children under 12 years, half-price. Doors open at 1:00 and 7:00 P.M., performances begin at 2:00 and 8:00 P.M.
Admission tickets and numbered reserved seats will be on sale show day at W.C. Hawker & Co.'s Drug Store, at exactly the same price charged in the regular ticket wagon on the show grounds.
The post show write up in the local newspaper, the "The Waterville Mail" reads as follows:
TO SEE THE SHOW
Thousands of People Come to Waterville for the Ringling Circus.
AN EXCELLENT EXHIBITION.
No Surplus of Transportation Facilities For the Big Crowd.
The weather has been kind to the Ringing Bros. since they came to Maine with their big circus. People will go to the circus when it rains but they won't go in such numbers. Monday was a typical "circus day" in point of weather and all.
The crowd bent on seeing the show began to come early and long before the hour set for the parade and the sidewalks on Main street were lined with men, woman and children. Over 500 persons came over on the "scoot" from Oakland, while the morning train Skowhegan brought over 600 passangers. The morning train from Bangor brought about 550, comprising excursions from Pittsfield, Newport, Belfast and other points. Soon after 10, the vanguard of the procession hove in sight and from then until the steam calliope gave ear-piercing notice that the parade was over the interest of spectators never flagged.
It was not only a big parade but every part of it appeared in first-class condition. The horses were fat and sleek, the riders looked fresh and happy, the harness and equipments bore marks of careful attention.
To the average observer the most interesting feature of the parade was doubtless the big herd of elephants, 24 in number. They made an imposing display. Many of the elephants bore one or more riders, and the camels and dromedaries also carried riders.
Many people saw for the first time, in this parade, a string of 24 horses on one circus chariot. There were also the same number of ponies on another chariot. Among the animal
cages that attracted attention was
one containing five magnificent lions.
The heat seemed to bother the polar
bear, which stood swinging his head
and shoulders from side to side as he
does for the most of the time when
awake and not feeding.
After the parade was over, many of
the crowd who had come into town
for no other purpose than to see the
circus just naturally started for the
Central Maine park. They went in
all sorts of ways. Some rode on the crowded Waterville & Oakland cars.
Others rode out in their own conveyances.
Not a few walked.
There was plenty of entertainment
at the park in the way of free exhibitions
and sideshows, aud the forenoon
wore quickly away. At one
o’clock the doors were thrown open
for the benefit of the thousands anxious
to see,the big menagerie before
the performance should begin at two,
and from then on until the mammoth
main tent was pretty well filled, the
ticket-sellers and gatemen were kept busy.
Of the exhibition itself, it may
be said in general that it was certainly
one of the finest performances ever
seen here. The spectacle of “The
Field of the Cloth of Gold’’ introduced
a great company of gaily comparisoned
horses, ridden by gaily clad
kings, queens, knights and nobles
and their followers. These figure in a play, which does not depend for its
interest upon the closeness with which historical proprieties are adhered to
but which serves admirably to bring
out a fine display in riding and in pretty ballet. Following the spectacle came the regular circus performance
given simultaneously in three
rings and upon two stages. In this
part of the performance, the spectator
hardly knows which to admire
most—the skilled riders, athletes and
acrobats, or the trained animals that
supplement their efforts to amuse the
audience. All in all,the Ringling Bros. Circus must be pronounced one of
the best ever seen in the city. It gives
what it promises, in large measure.
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