Barnum Festival Souvenir Program
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http://hdl.handle.net/11134/110002:21378
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Title |
Title
Title
Barnum Festival Souvenir Program
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Origin Information
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Parent Item
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Digital Origin
reformatted digital
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Description |
Description
Souvenir program from the very first Barnum festival in 1949. It features a list of events, gives a history of P.T. Barnum, Charles Stratton (General Tom Thumb), Jenny Lind, and the lasting impact of the circus on Bridgeport's history. It also includes a number of reproduced circus posters from the Bridgeport History Center's collections. One of Bridgeport's longstanding traditions, the Barnum Festival was conceived of by various individuals in the city such as Bridgeport Brass Company president Herman Steinkraus as a way to celebrate Bridgeport and all of it's accomplishments, using P.T. Barnum as a symbol to rally around. In his introduction in the program, Steinkraus compares his vision of the festival to the Rose Parade in Pasadena, making it clear precisely what the original founders were aiming for. The first Barnum festival include a pre-festival event on June 9th, then ran from Friday, June 10th, 1949 through Tuesday, June 14th, 1949. Events included sports days, clam bakes, parties across the city, a great parade, a music festival including a Jenny Lind contest, a regatta, and circus days. A large number of key local businesses helped to sponsor the first festival, including Bridgeport Brass, Bryant Electric, General Electric, Columbia Records, and D.M. Read among many others. Over the years the festival has evolved to meet the needs of the community, and includes a larger philanthropic aspect with a focus on youth organizations. However the parade and various contests that were at the first festival in 1949 remain a part of the ceremonies to this day. Please note that the Barnum Festival retains the copyright on this material as it is still a functioning organization. The display of this program is for educational use only.
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Organizations |
Organizations
Associated name (asn): Barnum Festival (1949: Bridgeport, Conn.)
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Rights Statement
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