CIRCUS FANS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

       I discovered the Circus Fans Association of America in my reading of Emmett Kelly's excellent 1996 autobiography, Clown.  On page 138 he writes:

 

       "There is in America a remarkable group called the Circus Fans Association.  It was organized a quarter of a century ago by business and professional men and artists who at heart were still the small boys who wanted to run away with the circus.  This group makes it a hobby to study and visit circuses and to help the shows with local problems when they come to town.  They call the various chapters 'tops,' which is an expression for tents in America, and name them after circus people who either came from the community where the 'top' is or who are favorites of the Fans thereabouts.  The Fans at Hagerstown, Maryland, honored me by naming their 'top' for me a few years ago.  The CFA has a fine magazine called White Tops for its membership."

 

       And it's true, White Tops is a top-quality magazine, and members get four printed issues a year, access to "Members Only" area on website, circus route sheets updated monthly, and more.  Dues for regular membership are $55.  I crawled under the tent with my brother-in-law's younger sister to get into a circus free.  I went with my parents to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show on Earth. And I befriended the owner of a circus that came to Sultan WA and was one of the lucky kids who walked with him and his elephant down the streets of my town.  And there is still the circus.  This membership brings them all the closer.

 

The Circus Fans Association