From the Vault
This blog series is actually not our first!
Almost 10 years ago, Circus Bella embarked on a strange and somewhat ill fated tour of Utah where we were booked as the Al-Kalah Shrine Circus. About half way through the tour the blogging stopped. Sadly there is no documentation of our final stop in St. George or our return trip to Vegas where JB, the roadie we found on craigslist, disappeared on us (ask who was on the trip and they will tell you their own JB strange story). Nevertheless is fun to look back at the fun and misadventures of our first trip beyond the bay. Thanks to David Hunt for so lovingly recounting our journey and then uncovering the blog from the depths of the interweb and sending to me.
April 19, 2011
The Journey Begins
At last, Circus Bella is starting to document and share its goings-ons and adventures. We started CB in 2008 because we saw a void in the Bay Area for a traditionally staged, one-ring circus since the folding of the much loved Pickle Family Circus and Make*A*Circus! The Bay Area is a significant hub in the United States for training and performance so it just made sense. Plus, we wanted to be performing more closer to home!
This Spring seems a good starting time to finally start this online journal because, for the first time, we are packing up with a company of five artists and one crew member and embarking on our first "tour." In just over a week, we're heading out to southeastern Utah to perform thirteen shows in six towns over the course of nine days. We'll also be posting updates on our Circus in the Parks performances taking place this summer in San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael and Marin City.
Stay tuned, subscribe, and stay in touch!
April 20, 2011
Here we come
Well this is quite a sight! As a relatively new company, it's a lot of fun to see how we are presented to world.
April 23, 2011
Preparations
Painting the boxes for 'The Hoist" in the rag tag workshop....
Friday, April 29, 2011
SF - Vegas - Cedar City, UT
We packed up and hit the road on Thursday, April 28. Of course our 9:30am take off time was significantly pushed back after dancing through morning traffic, picking up our T-shirts at Ashbury Images, delays at the rental vehicle office, and general "personal traffic." And, as usual, David was overly particular about how the truck was packed.
Actual departure was 12:34pm from Fruitvale in Oakland, burritos in hand, after finally dropping off JB's car in a secure location. Tristan, Ariana, Abigail, and our new tech man (and documentarian, nori wrapper and bee keeper who also happens to travel with a Vitamix, ceramic water cooler, 10# of quinoa, walkie talkies, and...amazing what Craigslist can do) traveled in the rental car as David and Mark navigating the Penske. We arrived in Las Vegas around 10:30 and had a good time navigating botched up reservations at Circus Circus Casino - where else would we stay?
A sugar depleted lil' circus company isn't a pretty sight on the strip. Trekking between three different restaurants and finally settling on the Peppermill was shameful. Ariana was the smart one for going to bed early. JB starts by describing the PM experience: The ultraviolet matrix of Cisco food distribution systems served by Vegas excessively rouged and overly scented automatons.... It left all of us well ground and gave David road gut the first 24 hours on the road. Not recommended. BUT easily forgotten after a couple discounted adult beverages and a good ground of nickle slots. Most of us ended up on top.
Early morning departure for Cedar City on Friday. Rolled up to the loading dock of the Heritage Center at 1:20pm to be greeted by the tech director, Jason, who's on point and been great to work with. Wow, CB in a classy theater. Set up went smooth save for some challenges getting the water barrels for the slack rope act to stop sliding ( human ballast), checked into the hotel, ate dinner, and SLEPT - ready for a 4-show day....
Saturday: April 30, 2011
Premier Performances in Cedar City
Morning came very quickly and with some resistance on Saturday, April 30, but show days naturally bring a certain energy lift. We finally got on schedule, making it to the theater (2 blocks from the hotel) by 7:30am. Arriving to a finished set was a luxury. We comfortably ran through group acts, checked rigging, each had their own ring time, and JB was on the spot with sound check and of course getting the merch table set up.
We successfully knocked out four shows: 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm. Opening. Ball juggling routine. Unicycle. Rag Doll Contortion. Clown Reprise. Slack Rope. Ensemble Act. Plate juggling. Plate spinning with audience members. Clown entrée. Trapeze. Final Group Juggling Act.
The first show was....the first show....at 10am. And we left it at that. We significantly tightened up the loose ends in the second show and kept a good rhythm into the evening. Tristan's contortion clown reprise went over well. Everyone enjoys seeing a grown man in Utah wearing a ruff and little skirt on stage. Abby celebrated the completion of her forth run of the day by doing an impromptu skin-the-cat dismount. Of course there were the expected unexpected glitches and switches. Most unbeknown to the audience except one brilliant moment when Mark dropped* one of his clubs while up on the unicycle on the table. The club fell from Mark's hand to the table below then ricocheted off the unicycle's tire directly into Abby's open hands. It's always interesting what happens between shows on days like these. The green room at the Heritage Theater is more than any little troupe could ask for: coffee, comfortable couches, long table to spread out our buffet of bread, lettuce, cheese, peanut butter, and fig newtons. We'd drop out (sleep), go for short walks, get back in the ring, call loved ones, lay back down. The day did give us all the opportunity to better get to know our producer, A.C., and to learn edifying stories more about the Shriners. A couple of us had the opportunity to make acquaintance with a group of high school guys outside the theater after the first show. They were coming from their own private "fight club" and ditching their work supervisor, assigned to them for misdeeds during school. It's a small town without a lot of healthy distractions for young people. These guys have no problem finding less favorable ways to keep themselves entertained. Best not to mention these here. All to say, they could sure use a permanent circus here in Cedar City.The theater did not fill up as we would have hoped, but those in attendance were very responsive and appreciative. One audience member came back after seeing the first show to bring his parents. Very sweet. Lots of pictures after the shows with the kids and it was satisfying that in spite of the small crowds, spirits were raised.
After our last show we took down our set, folded the ring tarp and loaded it all into the truck. Tear down time: 1 hour 34 minutes. Most of the time was spent packing the truck. Dinner at Applebee's (the late night Mexican restaurant closed early). Mark took Tristan to the bus station for her trip back to San Francisco for a gig. And we took our tired bones to bed. *the club was dropped after he nailed the trick.
Sunday: May 1, 2011
First Day Off.
As the sun came up over the mountain ridges on Sept. 30, 1852, Richard Harrison proclaimed that the time had arrived and ordered an ironworker to take a pole and tap the furnace. As he did, a small stream of molten iron came belching out. The crowd began to dance and cheer, shouting "HOSANNA," as the first iron poured from the furnace. Before nightfall, Harrison and the tree others were on their way to Salt Lake City to carry the good news and a bar of pig iron to Brigham Young.
Sunday was very much a Sunday. We took a late morning stroll through town to check out a small carnival set up at the end of the business district on Main Street. There's the local cafe complete with couches and a grand white piano on a raised stage and inside entrance to an adjacent bookstore. Small clothing stores, a few restaurants, the town gym, and barbershop where the pleasant 33-year old owner can fix a self inflicted haircut for a fair price. Pass Lin's grocery (where our name was in lights!), the Dollar Tree, and the new barbecue restaurant. Continuing on, we past the main green space that sits next to the new library, the old barbecue restaurant, now with "For Lease" posted on the door, and the well kept cemetery with the usual rows of stones adorned with plastic memorial flower kits that can actually be purchased up the street in a special section at Lin's.
The town opens up here, making room for the Iron County Visitors Center and a pioneer museum. The museum is closed on Sunday but the visitor center is open 7 days a week and can be a very nice place to hang out. Rocking chairs and coaches, lots of reading materials and even a special room with an interactive touch screen guide to recreational opportunities in the area. Cedar City rests in an optimal spot for exploring some of the country's most beautiful wildness: most noteworthy Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, and the Grand Canyon. The city was originally settled in late 1851 by Mormon pioneers originating from Parowan, UT who were sent to build an iron works. (It was named after the abundant trees that happen to actually be Junipers). The iron works closed in 1858 though iron mining continued until the late 1980's. The 20's brought the railroad connection that set the town on the map as a tourism gateway. The town has banked on this as best it can ever since. Now dubbed "Festival City USA," Cedar City hosts the annual Utah Shakespearean Festival, Neil Simon Theatre Festival, the Utah Summer Games, and smaller local events like Groovefest. We haven't quite gotten our brains wrapped around why, for a "festival city", circus at the local theatre may be shunned – aside from the fact that not many people knew we were here.
The continental breakfast at the Stratford Court can be a rather decadent experience. Preferred company breakfast includes coffee (of course) and the make-your-own-waffles supplemented with almond butter, yogurt, bananas, and honey. Add a little sugar flakes on top and you're golden. It's always entertaining to be seen bringing your own condiments down to the breakfast room. Tacky, maybe. SF left-coast reflective, extremely. No shame in our game, though. We like to eat.
Carnival not open till noon. Oh well. We headed back to Lin's to forge for a lunch spread laid out back at the hotel room. A loooong nap for many of us followed by the inevitable trip to Walmart for Mark, Abby and David. It's a cliché, but what you think you want or need and why you went often has little to do with what you end up loading in your car. The first distraction came before even pulling into the parking lot – PUPPIES! Baby beagles being sold out of a card board box at the entrance. Dad was sitting in the passenger seat of the family car with door open, just now giving the precious squirming puppies their inoculations while Mom and daughter were all grins placing the dogs in any seduced hands that strolled by. We had to stop. Bella needs a Beagle, no? No. We managed to get out of there in less than two hours, but barely, with items checked off the list and a spider plant instead of a dog. It was the right choice.
Half the group went to Don Miguel's, a great Mexican restaurant ¾ mile up the road, while the rest took advantage of JB's well equipped kitchen set up in the hotel room. Shut the day down by watching and over analyzing the recording of one of Saturday's shows. Then, of course, got absorbed in the Obama's speech that U.S. forces killed Osama bin Ladin. When we departed CA, the world was a-gaga over the royal wedding, many of us have been transfixed and closely following the reports of the tornadoes in the southwest, and now bin Ladin takes the stage as he's been permanently taken out. The word keeps spinning and we all carry on.
Monday: May 2, 2011
Magic in Kolob Canyon.
Monday morning was a relaxing, lazy process. Everyone had time to tend to personal needs and interests, explore the town, laze about, etc. In the early afternoon we headed to Kolob Canyon for a three + hour hike. Alas, Tristan was on her slow return from San Francisco but was definitely with us in spirit.
Kolob Canyon is a part of Zion National Park with an entrance off I-15 just 25 minutes south of Cedar City. It had been very much on Abby's radar for several weeks before departure. The hike was absolutely stunning and restorative. We walked the Middle Fork Taylor Creek trail that ends in a two blind arches in one rock face. The sound of the falling melting snow dripping from the rock's ceiling added to magic. Fortunately, no rattlesnakes.
We made it back to the hotel in time for Mark to pick up Tristan at the bus stop at one of the local gas stations. We were happy to have her back with us. Dinner back at Don Miguel's was just right.
Tuesday: May 3, 2011
Touching Show in Panguitch.
There are two different ways to get to Panquitch, UT from Cedar City. You can take the scenic steep, uphill route via 14 to the Dixie National Forest and then down, down, down 148 to pass Cedar Breaks National Monument or take what looks to be the long way up I-15 past Parowan, then back down route 20. Did you get that? At the advice of Becca, the gregarious and sweet-as-can-be housekeeper here at the Stratford Court, we went up to 20. She said her little car struggles up 14 so we played it safe.
The drive up and down was uncharted territory for Bella. Beautiful scenery, snow capped mountains on the horizon, and very very little of what we consider "civilization." Once exiting onto 20, we kept asking "where are we?!!!" Route 20 took us through the end of the ridge that runs east of 15 and then to US-89 that levels out and gets you into town.
Panguitch Giraffes Panguitch is the county seat of Garfield County and has around 2000 residents. It's a significant post enroute to Bryce Canyon which, if we had another day off, would be a worth while destination. We arrived at the high school around 2:30 or so with a scheduled 3:20 load in for a 7:00pm show. The Panguitch High has 150 students in all 9 - 12 grades. Brendan, the school's custodian, was very cordial and let us know that we could get started immediately as the gym was free and clear for the rest of the afternoon.
The gym was perfect for our size. The orientation of the locker room and sound control booth were ideal. Set up was efficient, done in 90 minutes. Midway through the process, a small group of students wandered in the gym, saying they were there to help. They turned out be kids had mandatory, court ordered community service hours and were looking for Brendan for their next assignment. (a theme carrying over from Cedar City shows) They were having a hard time wrapping their brain around linking the trapeze bar and our explanation that it was, yes, that woman over there who goes up there and hangs by her ankles.
We had a small but enthusiastic audience of around 100 people. The show went very well except David forgot about his opening ball juggling routine and prematurely announced "Mark on the Mono-Cycle," sending a momentary wave of panic backstage. The audience clearly enjoyed Ariana's act and Tristan had a proper crowd for her clowning to really take off. We nailed the juggling act, a nice payoff after a couple hours of practice on the days off.
All were gracious and appreciative on their way back to their cars. While saying good bye, we glanced over to the ring to see a figure dressed in nurses garp, wearing Groucho Marx nose/glasses, and a gold sequined hat left over from the plate spinning act, juggling three balls. An unforgettable picture blazed in our minds. Beautifully surreal. While leaving, she explained that she just had brain surgery and showed us her scar. Kudos for her for stealing a moment in the ring!
Upon leaving, a woman explained that we could have pulled a bigger crowd on a different night. Tuesday nights are important religious meeting nights for the men and boys in Panguitch.
Tear down was complete in 57 minutes but we didn't roll out until 15 minutes later because of a misplaced wallet, discovered to have been strategically placed in a rigging back (well packed) during set up.
We got back to Cedar City around 11pm and hit Toadz, a bar/restaurant that serves food (including frog legs) until 1am. It was Karaoke night but unfortunately they have a strict 21 and over rule for patrons. Ariana and Tristan and JB headed back to the hotel leaving Abby, Mark, and David to the beer, pasta, and local talent. Frog legs too expensive.
There were about 5 people competing for something we don't know what. One guy did a series of Doors songs while another did a selection of country standards. The winner was a 55+ year old man who hit the mark singing Jim Croce's, I Got A Name. We were a bit distracted by the large screen behind the vocalists, running a football game along with commercials for disposable Catheters. It was hard to pay attention to the 2nd place runner up singing Folsom Prison Blues with the word Catheter flashing behind him. Regardless, it felt really good to drink beer and eat some food. Next day, Hurricane...the adventure continues...
Wednesday: May 4, 2011
Mormons Boycott Shriners & Bella Bears Brunt (we think that's what happened)
We're not sure what exactly happened in Hurricane. Be we do know exactly what happened And many times on the way back to Cedar City, we continued to ask one another…"What just happened?"
It was a puzzle, but by the time we left, we think we had most of the pieces. Looking back on the trip (as I'm catching up on the blog well after the fact), Hurricane was the apex of the trip, the crux, fulcrum even, if you will, as it was. Cedar City had very small audiences for the town's size and scale of the theater. Panguitch was also small but we chalked it up to a Tuesday night and conflict with religious meetings. In Hurricane, there was no accident. At showtime, not a single person was in the theater. Something else was going on.
Hurricane, pronounced "hur-ah-kun," has a population of around 11,000 though to us, it felt much smaller.
"Its first residents, the Paiute Indians, called the area Timpoweap, meaning "Rock Canyon." In 1776, the Dominguez and Escalante expedition passed through the region, stopping at the confluence of Ash Creek, LaVerkin Creek and the Virgin River and noting the signs of irrigation left by the Paiutes. Some speculate that mountain men such as Jedediah Smith and George C. Yount also passed through the area. A group led by Mormon Apostle Parley P. Pratt in 1849-50 and another exploring party led by John Steele in 1852 came through Hurricane, both using the river junction as a landmark and a crossing point." - from www.utahsdixie.com/hurricane.html
Erastus Snow, a Vermont born Mormon convert is credited with the name. He was in the first Mormon pioneer company to cross the plains and, along with Orson Platt, was first to enter the Salt Lake Valley. While traveling in the area, a whirlwind blew the top off of his buggy. Snow explaimed, "Well, that was a hurricane. We'll name this 'Hurricane Hill." This was back in 1896.
It was a windy place. The town sits half way between Cedar City and St. George and neighbors Tocquerville and La Verkin. All quaint communities with a heavy reliance on tourism for the national parks.
Over a month ago, while arranging venue logistics, we knew we were going to have some challenges at the Hurricane Performing Arts Center. Don, the contact for the center, still only a voice to us, informed that a dress rehearsal for the school production of Anne of Green Gables was scheduled for our show day. They had agreed to end early for our set up needs and we were offered a 5:30pm load in time for a 7pm show. It was going to be tight.
On Monday, JB had connected with the proprietors at Pah Tempe Hot Springs, located just on the edge of Hurricane, and made plans for all of us to go in the morning before load in. Alas, it was a premature move. Three hours in a hot springs before a show felt risky to a couple of us and Ariana was uneasy about it for the sake of her body. Others were game to go with the flow. Also, we knew we wouldn't be able to work the trapeze on the small stage so we had to rework the show order, rewrite and print a sound cue sheet, etc.
Alas no Hot Springs. This was a working trip. JB did seem to develop a connect with the proprietor and as it now stands, the guy is looking for $2M investor/partner and wants JB to help find "the one." If anyone out there is interested, please let us know as Circus Bella is up for a good commission if we can find the right person. JB works in mysterious ways.
So we headed for Hurricane and arrived early – around 3:30pm. Abby and I went to investigate the situation while the rest hung out in an adjacent park. Now Don, our contact had gone for the day, but the pleasant women in the office of the Community Center directed us across the street to the actual theater and instructed us to meet the technical director, Chris.
Sure enough, at the theater, bands of teenagers were congregating for their rehearsal to soon begin. We met Chris G. in the lobby and he instantly became our new friend and ally in Hurricane. Charming and sweet as ever, he gave Abby and I a more than thorough tour of the stage, available dressing room, sound and light booths. He has the gate and walk of a tech director, slightly leaning forward with quick steps. He comments at and jokes with all the kids we pass as we make the rounds. They all clearly adore him and he clearly adores his role here.
He connected us with the custodian, Jamie, for access to the key to the outside water facet. Jamie was more than ready to go home and handed over the key without a question, brushing off that he'd just somehow get it later. We agreed to reconnect with Chris around 5:00pm and returned to find the others laid out in the grass proudly displaying their 99¢ frozen yogurt soft serve from the health food store across the street. Arianna taking it a step further with a bag of shredded coconut to sprinkle on top. Atta-Girl!
With some time to kill, we walked over to the consignment shop in town. One of the shop keepers proudly stated that there are over 300 people with merchandise in the shop. It was a labyrinth of old luggage, doll houses and miniature wares, brick-a-brack, nick-naks, and furniture. My favorite was the 5 lb. mechanical Punch and Judy steel bank. You put your coin in Judy's hand and then pull the lever. Judy swings over and drops the coin inside while Punch almost wacks her with his bobble. We were carrying too much stuff already.
While in the store, Chris called me asking if we wanted to grab a bite to eat to "talk over our tech needs". There was really no need as JB had that covered but it was an invitation and opportunity to hang out with our new friend. Mark, Abby, JB and I met him back at the theater and walked to small Mexican restaurant. Though very tight on time, it was well worth the detour.
Chris is a charming 20 year-old young-man whose family dates back to the founding of neighboring La Verkin. The townsite was surveyed in 1898 by tow brothers, Joseph and Henry Gubler. The area grew into an area of fruit production, turkey growing and dairy farming. Chris' father owns the grocery store in La Verkin and it's amazing to think that the store probably dated back to Joseph and Henry's first fruit trees in the settlement. Chris is not, however, following his paternal path as he's very dedicated to the performing arts. (His father doesn't really like music).
Aside from being the tech director, he plays piano, accordion, sings, and dances. And he's proud of all of the talent in Hurricane. He also loves the surrounding wild landscape and had a stint working at Zion National Park as a host of the restaurant. Unfortunately, his sense of humor got him fired when some one called and asked if there was a dress code. "Not really, just don't come naked…" It was too much for them.
When we got back to the theater, we had some time to fill the water barrels right outside the door, thanks to the facet key we got from Jamie the custodian - moments before he left for the day – and unloaded most of the truck in the hall. The rehearsal was starting to wrap up and kids were scattering about in prairie costumes with painted on moustaches. At one point , the director instructed them to "get out of the way for the Shriners…."
DOINK!
At that moment in Hurricane, UT we found out who we were in Hurricane, UT. We were no longer Circus Bella billed as a Shrine Circus. We were Shriners.
Mark took the time to explain to a few of the kids that we were not really Shriners but a circus troupe being presented by Shriners. But, in Hurricane, at that moment, we were Shriners. And you better get out of the way.
We set up on the relatively shallow stage, folding the ring tarp ¼ back and opting to hang the CB sign on the back curtain instead of setting up the backdrop. Alas, no trapeze for the low ceiling and stage specs but fortunately the table would work for Mark's unicycle act and Tristan's moment up on the stacked chairs and boxes. I got going on rigging the rope and got a bit caught up in my warm up. Just coming down, feeling a some internal time pressure to start getting ready, Abby walked onto the stage in her blue suit and stated that it was 7:00pm. I was a bit perplexed and asked why hadn't anyone come to tell me. "Because nobody's here," Abby simply stated.
Empty.
We walked into the hallway to try to make sense of the situation. Five after seven, no one. Ten after seven, a family of four arrives. We discuss with A.C. just what to do and naturally decide to cancel the show. Abby was the brave one to deliver the bad news to the family and that they were certainly invited to come see the show the following night in Richfield, or on Thursday in Parowan. They were not pleased.
No one showed up. Here, in this relatively small town, where the show was announced in a calendar sent to every resident in Hurricane, a circus mind you, something went down. It was a Shrine thing, a Mormon thing, and a circus thing. The shows are billed as raising money for the El Kalah Shrine Center. Not the Mormon Church. This likely had something to do with it also.
Chris explained that sometimes people only come out for sports events and local theater.
So…Chris got on the piano and began playing melodies of pop songs, JB got his camera out and we knocked out a little photo shoot over the next 30 minutes. We packed it all back up in the truck and, on Chris' suggestion, went to Dairy Queen.
Which was buzzing with local teens getting on with their Wednesday night sugar buzz. We did the same complete with shredded coconut thanks to Ariana. One young woman was their with her friends, guitar on lap, playing the recent top 40 chart list: Jason Mraz, Train, Taylor Swift, and she sounded great! Friends all leaning over a smart phone clearly reading the lyrics off the screen. It was acoustic, live Karaoke in the DQ in Hurricane, UT. And we sat together, clearly from the other side, baffled and amazed. You know what they say…if you can't beat them…..but only Chris felt comfortable to belt out along with a couple songs – every one in DQ knew him and gave him a rousing applause when he did. Well deserved. Mark would have if he had been invited because he knew all the words too.
In another time and place perhaps Chris could have run away with the circus, but tonight, we dropped Chris back off at the theater so he could retrieve his bike and ride home to La Verkin and we headed back to our humble abode in Cedar City wondering what was to come the rest of the week.
Friday: May 6, 2011
Spirits Lifted in Richfield - In and Out of the ring
Richfield, UT
When we set out on this little adventure, we knew it was going to be an odd sort of trip. Circus Bella as Shrine Circus, rural southwestern Utah, theaters and gymnasiums....hm. Our first shows in Cedar City were barely attended. That seemed a bit odd. Panguitch was really sweet, but again, small attendance. Then Hurricane happened.We know that the small attendance was no reflection on the quality of our show and that for the most part, we're pretty decent people. There were a number of forces at work that were clearly outside of our control. Regardless of the reasons, small audiences are hard on the egos and morals of our performer selves. We really needed some show love in Richfield…As much as I love Google Maps, I don't recommend it if you're traveling into unchartered territory. Our directions to Sevier County Fairgrounds in Richfield led us to a looped country road spotted with small properties across vast farmland. We were not in Richfield but in Annabel and we were definitely not at the Fairgrounds. Many of the homes had a few sheep in their yard, quaint. Two different times, curious dogs came trotting out to the road right in front of the truck, another sign that we were the unlikely anomaly in these parts, even to the dogs.
Prehistoric people occupied the Richfield area for more than 7,000 years. Fremont culture remains are found near most community sites in the Sevier area and are dated from approximately CE 1 to CE 1000. During the late 1820s, Jedediah Smith and other fur traders crossed the area. Sevier County lies on the Old Spanish Trail between Santa Fe, New Mexico and California and was used by travelers between 1830 and 1850.
In the early part of January 1864 a party of ten men under the leadership of Albert Lewis came from Sanpete County, Utah and arrived in what is now Richfield. The Mormon settlers found fertile soil, good water and wood in the nearby hills. They decided that it was a desirable site for a settlement. These pioneers made a dwelling place for all ten men, which they called 'The Hole in the Ground.' They carefully covered this hole with brush willows and other materials and made a crude chimney of rocks. This dugout was located on today's Main Street. These men spent the remainder of the winter in this dwelling, planning and preparing for the time when they could bring their families.
The early Mormon settlements were abandoned in 1867 due to the conflict known as the Black Hawk War. But, when resettled in 1871, Richfield grew to become a regional center. The coming of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad in 1891 opened the valley for expanded agricultural commerce and mining. From Wikipedia
Fortunately, cell reception worked and I was able to reach the county events coordinator, Paula, who gave us directions to get us on track. We were only 10 minutes away but it felt like a million miles to get there. We made it to the fairgrounds with no idea what to expect after Hurricane. Some of us ready and open for anything, others, a bit worn down. We promptly met Yvonne, the short, fiery spirited blond groundskeeper. She gave us the tour of the building and set us up with an empty office for our dressing room. We got to work. While we got into motion, Mark took the reigns of working out the sound system and microphone situation with Yvonne as JB set to work on the setting up the merch table in the lobby. Yvonne said that she'd probably make it for the 4pm show but had to leave as her daughter had a dance recital that day.The fairground arena faced the parking lot with its back to an open vista of cow pastures that stretched out to the mountains. The arena was relatively small with a well groomed packed dirt floor and aluminum bleachers on one side for about 600 – 700 people, split in the middle by the entrance from the lobby. Roll up doors sat on each side that accessed to roof covered stables. This is where they held the rodeo and other events. Now there would be a circus here. It felt good to be setting up on earth again and anyone who's worked both stage and ring can understand the value of the differences – good and bad. Nice to be able to stake again and feel a bit more grounded, not so much better for unicycle and leveling the table.We had a good 2.5 hours to prepare for our first show at 4:00pm. Plenty of time to set up (done in about 80 minutes) and give us all some time to noodle around a bit in the ring. We decided to set the ring in front of one set of bleachers instead of centering to the entire space, anticipating not filling the entire space. A.C. was running late on his return from a meeting in Las Vegas so JB had to handle ticket sales for the first show. Unfortunately, this didn't prove to be much of a challenge as only about 30 people showed. The 4pm show as nice enough, though. We just rolled with it.Before the 7pm show, we all scattered to tend to our own needs. Making lunch, finding napping spots, getting on the phone, running routines. All of us, at one point or another, took some time out to watch the calves dance and play in the field directly behind. It was a novelty for us city folks to watch cows play.
Backyard behind the Arena.Paula, the events coordinator for the county, came around in between shows, disappointed that she missed the 4:00. She mentioned that she couldn’t stay for the 7:00 performance. Paula came in and took some pictures of the ring in the arena, expressed her disappointment that it was a small house, and then left. Before departing, she mentioned that this was the time of year for a lot of youth sporting events and that we may have had a better turn out a different time of year. Hm.Thirty minutes till the next show, we were a bit curious as to what would pass. Would there be an audience at all. The bounce house was blowing around a bit in the afternoon winds out front. We'd peer through the venetian blinds of our office/dressing room to see anyone was out there. A few kids, few adults. Ok, maybe we'll have another little show.Twenty till we go out to the arena and get ready. Fifteen till we were hoping for a case of MST (Mormon Standard Time) arrival. And, alas, the bleachers appeared to actually to fill up. Sparsely, but there were people. We were thrilled. Tristan was peering through the curtain dancing with joy that she spotted at least three audience members deemed good victims for the contortion reprise. It took so little to get us excited at this point. The 7pm show was cohesive, energized, and exciting. The ensemble was working as an ensemble and JB was completely on his game running sound. The audience was very much with us throughout the show and the post show in the lobby really affirmed this. Lots and lots of pictures, cutting up and chatting. Someone from Richfield actually posted on our Facebook page the following day. We needed that show in more ways than one. We struck in 79 minutes, just getting dark outside then. We were ready to leave, running the dummy checks, etc. when we realized we were the only ones in the building. Odd. We wrapped up our business and just left. I did call Yvonne on the roll out, who casually told me, "oh, yeah, I'll be over there in a bit to lock up." In our original plan, we were going to stay the night in Richfield. We decided to keep our reservation in Cedar City to simplify our lives. It had become our temporary home and staying one more night kept us close to Parowan for the next night's show. The two-hour drive back was not so bad in spite of heavy eyelids.
