Circus Ring of Fame
From Circopedia
Based in Sarasota, Florida, in the United States, the Circus Ring of Fame® recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus over the span of a career. The "Ring" was created in 1988 to honor famous circus performers from around the world and the rich circus heritage of the Sarasota area, which has been home to a significant number of circus performers since the Ringlings moved their winter quarters there in 1927. Each year honorees are nominated by the public and voted on by former inductees, historians, scholars and knowledgeable members of the global circus community.
Each inductee is honored with a bronze wagon wheel plaque that is placed on a circular walk in a park located at St. Armands Circle in Sarasota. The annual Circus Ring of Fame® induction ceremony attracts a veritable who’s who of circus artists, executives, fans and members of the greater circus arts appreciation community, who gather to honor their peers.
History
In mid-1985, the Sarasota Convention and Visitor Bureau's director, Larry Marthaler, was invited by Sarasota Mayor Bill Kline to join a group of local business leaders to explore ways to promote the approaching centennial celebration of the city by possibly employing a circus theme. Sarasota was the winter home of Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey Circus, as well as home to several other circuses and many circus families. Yet, after weeks of meetings with the committee and interested parties, everyone was running out of suggestions.
Most of the ideas being reviewed were too ambitious and required extensive outlays of up-front money. Then, one evening, Larry and his wife, Mary, were watching TV when the news showed an induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Larry said “that’s it,” and the idea was conceived for a Circus Walk of Fame in Sarasota. He shared the idea with the committee, who liked it, but didn’t want to infringe on Hollywood Walk of Fame. Therefore, the name Circus Ring of Fame was chosen.
Prominent Sarasota artist Frank Hopper (1924-2022), who had done a piece of artwork for the Centennial, was brought in to help design the wagon wheel symbol that ornate the inductee's bronze plaque. The initiative was approved in 1986 and the first induction was in April of 1988. In 1993, the Circus Ring of Fame® Foundation became independent from the Convention and Visitor’s bureau, when it incorporated as a non-profit organization.
