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RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY® CONTRIBUTES $10,000 TO THE BARNUM MUSEUM IN HONOR OF P.T. BARNUM’S 200TH BIRTHDAY
(Vienna, VA – July 5, 2010) – Feld Entertainment, Inc., producers of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presented The Barnum Museum in Bridgeport, Connecticut with a contribution of $10,000 in honor of Phineas Taylor Barnum’s 200th birthday. The funds will help support the museum’s continued preservation and restoration efforts of the famed showman’s papers, unique curiosities and artifacts.
“Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is P.T. Barnum’s living legacy however it also is vital to support the collections of one of this country’s most celebrated citizens,” stated Nicole Feld, Executive Vice President of Feld Entertainment and producer of Ringling Bros. “P.T. Barnum created The Greatest Show On Earth® and his contributions as a philanthropist and Mayor of Bridgeport among his other achievements memorialized by The Barnum Museum are to be acknowledged and supported.”
“The museum has shared a wonderful partnership with Ringling Bros. since 2001 when The Greatest Show on Earth® came back to perform in Bridgeport,” explained Kathy Maher, Executive Director and Curator of The Barnum Museum. “This generous contribution will help us continue to preserve Barnum’s legacy,” said Maher, “and allow us to ensure that the most precious parts of the collection are accessible to the public for many years to come.”
“The quote that embodies P.T. Barnum’s spirit is, ‘The noblest art is that of making others happy,’” exclaimed Maher, “and I am confident he would be very happy with this gift.”
From its opening on February 18, 1893 to present day, The Barnum Museum has been committed to the preservation and interpretation of Bridgeport's industrial and social history, as well as being an outstanding educational resource for students of all ages. Designed by the architectural firm Longstaff & Hurd, the Museum was originally named The Barnum Institute of Science and History. The Barnum Museum is the only museum that houses the largest institutional collection of P.T. Barnum’s artifacts available to the public.
Complementing The Barnum Museum’s celebration on Monday, July 5th Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus also will be hosting two birthday celebration performances at Coney Island, New York that same day. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey will open in Bridgeport, Connecticut at the Arena at Harbor Yard on October 21, 2010.
About Feld Entertainment: Feld Entertainment, Inc. is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live family entertainment that lifts the human spirit and creates indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment’s productions have appeared in more than 65 countries and on six continents to date and include Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, Feld Motor Sports, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®.
For more information and schedules about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey visit: www.ringling.com and to learn more about The Barnum Museum visit: www.barnum-museum.org.