"Lorain Fiesta Days" – Sept. 1963

Ad from the Sept. 9, 1963 Lorain Journal

One of the most ambitious and creative efforts to drum up interest in Downtown Lorain took place sixty years ago this month: Lorain Fiesta Days.

As described in an article in the September 11, 1963 Journal, Lorain Fiesta Days consisted of five days of circus performances and carnival rides on Broadway. The Paul A. Miller Circus would present a free show four times a day on an elevated stage erected between 5th and 6th Street.

The gimmick was to encourage shoppers to "Stop At The Store With The Sign On The Door." Stores with the special circus sign gave away free discount tickets with each $1 purchase, good for 10 cents off any of the twenty big rides.

A series of promotional ads appearing in the paper drummed up enthusiasm for the big event. This ad appeared on Sept. 11, 1963.

And here's what it looked like on Broadway on the opening day, Sept. 17, 1963.

On Sept. 18th, the Journal ran this ad, as well as a night shot of the festivities on Broadway.

On that same day, the Journal described the action. "Lorain Fiesta Days" got under way Tuesday night with four blocks of funmaking equipment set up on Broadway between 4th St. and 8th St.," it noted.

"With the advantage of good autumn weather, large crowds will be turning out for the Paul A. Miller Circus attractions.

"A merry-go-round and whirl-a-rama rides gave Broadway a spectacular and unaccustomed appearance.

"Miller, who has taken his show to 300 American communities, expects 100,000 to turn out to the fiesta before it closes Saturday night.

"Seventy-four merchants are participating in the event, representing 98 per cent of those doing business in the area.

"They are contributing both directly with cash contributions toward the cost of the show, and indirectly with a 10-cent discount on a carnival ride for each $1 purchase."

One of the memorable aspects of the appearance of the Paul A. Miller Circus was a side contest, in which children (aged 12 years of age or under) were encouraged to write to the Journal and explain "Why I Would Like To Have A Circus In My Backyard."

Regular readers of this blog might remember that Bill Nahm was the local winner. This blog post featured some great photos and the article announcing him as winning the 'backyard circus.'

Paul Miller Circus at O'Neil's – June 7, 1962

Sixty years ago this month, Paul A. Miller's Wild Animal Circus came to O'Neil - Sheffield Center for a free show – just in time for kids being on summer vacation.

Above is the ad that ran in the Journal on June 7, 1962.

I've written about the Paul A. Miller Wild Animal Circus before.

The Paul Miller Circus came to Ridgeview Shopping Center in June 1960 (the subject of this post). It is also the one that came to Lorain and put on a show in young Bill Nahm's front yard at his home near Clearview High School in September 1963 (which I wrote about here and here). 

As the ad above notes, the circus included lions, bears, a baby elephant, aerial acts, clowns, and juggling. There were also seventeen exciting thrill rides for which you had to buy a ticket.

Anyway, it's kind of sad thinking how today the classic circus that we all remember is no more – thanks to rising costs of transporting them, dwindling attendance and animal-rights activists. Oh well.

Yes, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is poised to make a comeback in 2023. But it will be without any animals at all. What good is that?

I'm sorry, but if I'm going to go see a circus, I want to see animals. At the very least: a lion, a few elephants and maybe some trained seals honking some horns. Oh, and some non-threatening clowns that won't provoke nightmares.

Both my mother and father used to tell me about how a circus would come to Lorain, and set up where George Daniel Stadium is today (which was on the outskirts of town back in the 1930s). There was usually some kind of circus parade too, from the train to the circus grounds. But those days are over.

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I've done a few posts on other circuses, including a 1901 visit to Lorain by the Adam Forepaugh and Sells Brothers Circus, the Sam Dill Circus featuring movie cowboy Tom Mix (my Dad's favorite) which came to town in 1934, and a 1965 appearance by the Cristiani-Wallace Brothers Circus.

Billy Nahm and the Paul A. Miller Circus Revisited

Remember when I wrote about the day that the Paul Miller Circus put on a show in Bill Nahm's front yard in Lorain in September 1963?

My original post explained how young Billy had won a contest with the prize being a personal visit from the circus. The circus troupe included elephants, clowns, unicyclists and tumblers – making for a memorable day for Bill and his family, friends, and neighbors.

Billy and two of the clowns from the Paul Miller Circus

Billy and one of the elephants

Well, I recently found the Journal article providing the background about the contest and how Billy won. It's a cute story.

The Paul Miller Circus was already performing in Downtown Lorain for a special merchant "Fiesta Days" promotion.  But as it had done in other cities, the circus held a contest and invited local children to write letters explaining "Why I Would Like To Have A Circus In My Backyard."

There were many great entries, but according to the article, Billy's letter touched the judge's hearts.

Billy wrote, "Dear Mr. Miller. I would like to have a circus in my yard because this summer I tried to have a circus and had a lot of trouble.

"My turtle got run over, the snake got away and my dog would not do any tricks. The only thing I could do was the sumersalt [sic]. The kids did not like this show. They ate all the popcorn and went home.

"I would like to have a nice circus for them and all my other friends too. Thank you. – Billy Nahm."

Here is the whole article, as it appeared in the Journal on September 18, 1963 – 55 years ago.

(Thanks to Bill Nahm for allowing me to extend his fifteen minutes of fame a little longer!)

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There's not a lot of information online about the Paul A. Miller Circus, but there are a few photos of its clowns.

Here's one of a clown named "Bumpsy Anthony" circa 1959, courtesy of Pat Cashin's Clown Alley blog. Here are a few posts from the same blog about Bumpsy.

It sure looks like Bumpsy in the photo of Billy Nahm and the two clowns.

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UPDATE (Sept. 25, 2018)
The ‘Comments’ section for this post includes a few from Bill Nahm himself and his friends that make reference to his long career as a high school and college football official.

Well, nine years after the circus set up shop on Bill’s front lawn, Bill was as a senior at Clearview High School and a member of the Clipper football defense unit in the fall of 1972.

That’s Bill in the front row at the far left. The photo appeared in the Chronicle-Telegram on November 15, 1972.

The Paul Miller Circus Comes to Town – September 1963

Way back in 2010 (here), I posted a 1960 ad (at left) announcing the arrival of the Paul Miller Circus in N. Ridgeville.

At the time, there were some interesting comments posted, including one by one of the acts – the "Riding Kristensens" – that toured with the circus. But there was another comment that was posted by a local gentleman who had a unique perspective of that circus – namely, from his Lorain front yard!

He wrote, "Dan, the Paul Miller circus was in Lorain in September of 1963. They also were in my front yard. I won a contest that brought some of their  acts to my home. Two clowns, Japanese tumblers and three elephants. Next time you're going through old newspapers, check out page 3 of the September 23, 1963 Lorain Journal.

Well, I finally took his advice! Here is the article (below) and photos of Billy Nahm's memorable experience of the day the circus came to his E. 46th Street home – 51 years ago this month.

And where did all this go down? Over in the area by Clearview High School, east of Broadway on E. 46th Street (below).

1960 Paul A. Miller Circus Ad

I see that Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is in Cleveland right now (click here for the story), and that made me think of this ad for another circus that I had on file.

It's an ad for Paul A. Miller's Wild Animal Free Circus, appearing at the Ridgeview Shopping Center that ran in the Lorain Journal on June 1, 1960.

There's not much information online about this circus, but one website, www.circushistory.org, contained a post that shed a little light on it. A gentleman named Ben Brigham left a message on January of 2009 that contained the following information:

Every boy dreams of running away and joining the circus and I did just that In 1960. I was 25 and ringmaster of a small circus (Paul A Miller circus) that promoted shopping centers. I had the honor and privelege of presenting the Great Arturo along with his son and niece. I can't remember their names but maybe someone can tell me. The son and I ran around together and maybe he would remember me. We were about the same age. I left the circus later that year and have not seen them again. I did run into The Hannefords again at Pomona fair in 1961. Would love to hear from anyone that remembers me. 
– Ben Brigman

Another website, www.sideshowworld.com, contained another reference to the Paul Miller Circus, referring to it as the Paul Miller Free Merchant's Circus. And a blog, Pat Cashin's ClownAlley.net, contained another post by Mr. Brigham about his time working with Bumpsy the Clown.

Anyway, I really like the ad – its fun layout and use of illustration really grabbed my eye. Plus, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a blog entry on North Ridgeville, one of the many Lorain County cities neglected in this blog!

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UPDATE (February 27, 2015)
Here is the link to my post describing the Paul A. Miller Circus visit to Billy Nahm's Lorain home in September 1963.