CIRCUS VARGAS 1987: PROLOGUE

Forrest Gump sure was right about life being like a box of chocolates, and not knowing what you're going to get. In 1986 the show Trudy & I were with promised a season of 150 days, "maybe even 175", in the end it was 99, our disillusion with the show came long before knowing this, so when the chance came to make a decision for the future,it didn't take long to make it.

When the show had time off in Toronto, Trudy was booked to do one show at a Thoroughbred race track in,(get this), Winnipeg, Manitoba, ironically Circus Vargas was playing Winnipeg so we visited, this evidently started some wheels turning. Vargas made a jump to Toronto at the same time we made the return trip, and while they were there we met with Mr. Vargas and wound up signing a two year contract. We had heard some nightmare stories about Vargas jumps & were apprehensive, but ready for a full season's work for a change.

We spent 8 weeks in Winter Quarters where Trudy trained a Mixed Animal Act,(which I worked), then we did 44 weeks on the road doing less than 15,000 miles, went back to Quarters for 8 more weeks, and then did 45 weeks, again in less than 15,000 miles. We were more used to doing 45,000 miles in 15 weeks!!!!

We enjoyed being a part of Circus Vargas and there were no hard feelings when we left, someone convinced Mr. Vargas to take the Liberty Act Display in a different direction, & it just didn't include Trudy or Billy Baker, "That's Shobiz"!

THE PROGRAM:
Once again the pictures in the program are sort of mix-matched so I decided to publish them in the order they come, with the exception of moving the line up ahead of Alan Gold.