Close to Vintage, but not quite--Marineland and Game Farm 1981

In the photo above is Pete followed by Cal(who was the newby in 1980) as the dolphins are released from the holding pen, on the left, to start their show with their leaps. Josip has just finished the tiger act, as we can see the props just starting to be removed. The small killer whale is neither Kandu or Nootka. It may be Kiska, one of 4 calves brought to Marineland in I believe 79 or 80, who is "getting their feet wet" in a sense with her performing debut. The "legs" below look real bony so I am guessing they are Pete's. LOL In addition to Tom and Bill, whom I mention in the threads below, Pete, Cal, Mark Shaver, Carl, and Kevin LaBlanc made up the skilled sea mammal training staff. Kevin was also very skilled with electronics/sound equipment, and each year was responsible for the incredible taped music and announcements for the show. Kevin took his training skills home and trained his Dachshund to get the mail and bring it in the house. Kevin married Tracy McKibben who was part of the brilliant Publicity Dept. at Marineland headed by her father Bill McKibben. Each of these trainers had a specialty, ie. Tom, Pete, and Marks were dolphins and whales, and Carl, Cal and Kevin's were sea lions/sea elephants. They each could cover for the other with the other animals so that 3 shows a day on 6 show days could be split as well as day's off could be taken. It was different for the land mammal trainers. For two years, until Hawthorn built a second smaller act I did 6 shows a day, 7 days a week. James C. Hall, after Herta and John Cuneo retired at the end of 1976 did 6 shows a week, 7 days a week with his bears for I believe the last 4 or 5 years that he was at Marineland. Which is why he is so rich today, right Jimmy? LOL

In 1981, the year I was contracted to appear with Circus Vargas, and thus had to forgo the summer at Marineland, Josip Marcan was contracted by Hawthorn to add a half dozen or so of their animals into his act for a bigger act that was then sent to the Hamid Morton Circus which normally I played early in the year before heading to Marineland, and then Josip did the summer at Marineland, splitting duties with I believe John Cox. In the photo below you will see a white tiger. To save Thomas from having to ask "which tiger is that", it was a tiger named Silver.