UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus began its final show Sunday evening after 146 years of wowing audiences with its “Greatest Show on Earth.”
Earlier in the day, as the circus performed its second-to-last show at the Nassau County Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., about 30 miles east of New York City, a group of retired and former circus performers sat across the street at a hotel bar, laughing and hugging and sharing memories of tours past.
“There’s a lot of mixed emotions, said Rev. George “Jerry” Hogan, Ringling’s circus chaplain. “It’s a reunion, but it’s bittersweet. I’m seeing people I haven’t seen in years.”
Known as Father Jerry, the Catholic chaplain waved at a group of clowns at the bar. Nearly all of the folks at the bar said they were headed to the final 7 p.m. performance, but first, they needed a trip down memory lane with people who were, and always will be, part of a unique family.