So Jennifer tagged me to do this, so I figured why not. It’s a good way for you to get to know where I’m from. I could do Ashland, where I currently reside, but that’s boring as hell, so you get to know my hometown of Delavan, Wisconsin.
State the name your hometown or the town that you live in and then Post 10 facts or observations about the town you call home. Then tag 4 people.
01. It’s the home of the Wisconsin School for the Deaf.
02. It’s where the Andes Candies factory is.
03. The P.T. Barnum Circus was organized here in 1871.
04. “Between 1847-1894, Delavan was home to 26 different circus companies. The Mabie Brothers U.S. Olympic Circus, then the largest in America, arrived here in 1847, to become the first circus to quarter in the territory of Wisconsin. Its famous rogue elephant, “Romeo”, stood 19 ½ feet high, weighed 10,500 pounds and is reproduced on this monument.” – Wikipedia
05. There are more than 250 members of the old Circus colony are buried in Spring Grove and St. Andrew’s cemeteries.
06. The International Clown Hall of Fame opened its doors here in 1987. (And people wonder why I am absolutely terrified of clowns.)
07. Delavan Lake is the final resting place of the bones of one of P.T. Barnum’s elephants – the elephant died in the cold of winter so they dragged it out onto the ice. When the ice melted, the remains of the elephant sank to the bottom.
08. The town has a large amount of old Victorian houses, many of which are in the National registery of Historic Places.
09. John Mahoney (dad from Frasier) has a house here (his favorite restaurant is Elizabeth’s Cafe).
10. Gary Burghoff (Radar from M*A*S*H) was raised here – he went to my high school.
There you have it. My home town. Interesting, yes, but also one of the reasons I stay away from circuses. They creep me out. Tagging: Ash, Leigh, Meg, and Cristina. Do It!
I just waved good-bye to Ash and Spunky. They’re off to the bank to run some errands, and the two of them in the car were just adorable. You know what, I am so in love with my girlfriend. Ash is seriously the most wonderful person I have ever met. I am so lucky that I get to spend my life with her. She’s too good to me. I love her.
/end mushy stuff. I’m gonna go clean up a little.
You know what… I think I have been there. I remember a circus town in Wisconsin when we were going to the Kenosha County fair. I may have gotten lost. I did that a lot in Wisconsin. But I am sure that we saw a circus town and the name sounds familiar.
You might also have been in Baraboo – that’s where the Circus World Museum is. I really like Baraboo, it’s beautiful. But Delavan has some cool history.
Maybe. I was always lost when I was in Wisconsin. Seriously. County X and County 12… And I had no idea if I left the county or not half the time. Everything looked the same.