The arena above which was originally owned by Roman Proske, was purchased by the Hawthorn Corp. many years ago, and has stood in the Hawthorn training barn #2 since the early 90's. It is a "unique" arena, quite different from a standard arena of the time. It is very short, only 10 feet tall, it has no "peg" or hooks for attaching a net, and it has 3 door's, two 5' tall by 3' wide door's in back of the arena, one on either side, and a 7' by 4' door for the front. The reason for this "unique" arena as told to me by John Cuneo:
"Proske played in many theaters and on many stages which were often times very small and very low, so low that the net sometimes couldn't be attached and lifted as the arena almost touched the ceiling. When he used the net on other date's, it was laced around the top(that's why it had no "pegs" or hooks for attaching the net.) It had smaller doors in back, one on each side, because sometimes you could only get into the arena from the back as it was right up to the front of the stage, and in some theaters you could only enter from the left of the stage, yet the props had to be put on the right, and in the next one you could only enter from the right, and there was only room for the props on the left.
In Hawthorn training barn #1, where I spent a good portion of my adult life, LOL there is a Terrell Jacobs folding or "bible arena" set up since 1977, 12' tall with pegs for a net and every other section hinged so that two sections can fold together, hence the name "bible cage". Every other bar of the arena is solid steel, and every other bar is hollow pipe to make it lighter and easier to handle. Over the years of in and out, up and down, before it was "retired" off the road it has taken on an odd look with every other bar bent or wavy and pitted, and every other bar solid and straight as an arrow.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Cage Act Trivia
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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2 comments:
Neat stuff. Probably not a lot of people who would know, or care, about some of unique arenas but -- their loss. During my short stay in Peoria Joe Frisco brought an Alfred Court arena. It was an experience to help put it up once, it was HEAVY. It was held together with hooks that fit into slots cut into the adjoining section and nuts and bolts. It would have been a real challenge to put it up on an uneven lot if that's the way they put it up on RBBB.
Some other infamous arenas: Prof. Keller's small arena, Baudy's cyclone fence arena, the "bible" arena Charly worked in before the net. Didn't Albert Rix have a bible arena too?
I'm interested in more.
Jim,
I believe Albert did have a "bible arena". I have always been told conflicting stories about the invention of the "bible arena" American's say Jacobs and Europeans say Court. As often times happens with a "new" circus invention is it is a good idea for that situation, but then it is copied and used for different situations and it never works right or is a miserable pain for many years creating as you say "real challenges." Works good on a parquet floor but sucks on a pea rock road. The pull up net cage worked great on Ringling with a frame overhead, but was miserable on a shrine show when you had to hook a becket to the highest point in the roof. I remember having to haul and set up two centerpole's to set up on either side of the ringcurb to string a cable across to hang the arena on outdoor dates, or a second section arena. Haul two arenas to use for different situations? The first arena I worked in was Lou's arena which was 4 X 4 hog wire panels with over hang sections which had to be inserted before it was put up, and taken off when it was taken down. I believe Baudy had the same type set up with overhangs. You tended to see the same mistakes copied as well as the same success's.
Wade
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