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Herschell to host history of the American carnival sideshow event

Fri, Aug 19th 2016 03:25 pm

The Herschell Carrousel museum will host "Carrousel Chat: The History of the American Carnival Sideshow" from 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, at 180 Thompson St., North Tonawanda.

From the first "Dime Museum" owned by the famous P.T. Barnum in the 1800s to the 20th century carnival sideshows that have all but totally disappeared.

The presentation will trace the lineage of this slice of Americana from the "Ten-In-One" to the "Single O," the bally, and some of the "carny lingo."

Participants can discover the origin of these rides and the circumstances that led to the carnival's demise in the latter part of the 20th century, and see one of the most prolific sideshow acts of the 20th century presented live.

For more information, call 716-693-1885 or email [email protected].

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