Barnum Birthday Celebration This Weekend

BETHEL — Author, philanthropist, publisher, politician, and professional showman. P.T. Barnum wore all those hats proudly, and will be celebrated for his legacy when Bethel Historical Society presents a weekend-long celebration of all things Barnum in honor of the 200th anniversary of the town’s most famous native son.

Barnum settled in Bridgeport for the latter part of his life, but Bethel lays claim to first quarter-century of the showman’s life.

Phineas Taylor Barnum would certainly be pleased with one event in particular planned for this weekend. Following a year of work by David Gesualdi, a larger than life-size bronze statue of P.T. Barnum will be presented to Bethel during a statue dedication and parade on Sunday beginning at noon. The statue will face Greenwood Avenue, the street where Barnum was born.

Meanwhile, the week of Barnum’s 200th Birthday Celebration events — which began September 20 with an ongoing Where In Bethel in Barnum? treasure hunt and continued with a screening on September 23 of the Beau Bridges feature film P.T. Barnum — has been 2½ years in the making. It will be capped with events running all day Saturday and Sunday, September 25–26. Unless noted, Saturday events will be running from 10 am to 5 pm.

Trolley rides will be offered on Saturday from the center of Bethel — P.T. Barnum Square, of course — to Blue Jay Orchards and Ivy Island, the latter being Barnum’s former property.

At noon Todd Zimmerman, a Barnum impersonator from Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus, will give the speech Barnum delivered in Bethel upon presenting a fountain to the town in 1881. The fountain fell into disrepair and was taken down in 1923, but a piece of it still remains and is in the garden at Bethel Public Library.

Mr Zimmerman will be joined by several professional Barnum clowns, who will mix with other strolling clowns around town. Clowns will be offering face painting at P.T. Barnum Square.

A collection of hand painted and decorated wooden elephants has been set up along Greenwood Avenue.

Boy Scouts will lead tours of Barnum’s Bethel, and will also be at locations to explain the importance of each in Barnum’s life. Ongoing tours will depart from and maps will be available at First Congregational Church of Bethel, at the corner of Main Street and Chestnut.

Bethel Historical Society will have a special Clown Museum presentation at its headquarters, 40 Main Street. In addition, the society will be presenting a 23-foot-long miniature circus train and circus layout, as well as Philadelphia resident Bob Houston’s “Barnum Collection” at its museum. Clowns will offer face painting at P.T. Barnum Square.

Children’s read and craft events will be ongoing on the lawn of Bethel Public Library, 1 School Street. Also on the library’s lawn, a collection of circus art by John Belfontaine. Indoors, the library is presenting a collection of circus posters.

Beyond The Flea, a pet store at 20 P.T. Barnum Square, will be hosting an event right in keeping with the originality of Barnum himself. “The Oddest Dog Contest” winners will be announced at 1 pm.

Additional events on Saturday include a tea and quilt show at St Thomas Episcopal Church, 95 Greenwood Avenue; and an open house at Plumtrees School, Bethel’s one-room schoolhouse at the corner of Plumtrees and Taylor Roads, which Barnum attended.

From 5 to 8 pm, the public is invited to enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres at Bethel Photoworks, at 14 Depot Place, while viewing P.T. Barnum related art.

Sunday’s events will begin with the unveiling and celebration of the Barnum sculpture at noon. A Carnival of Clowns Parade will then begin at 2 pm, following Greenwood Avenue. Organizers expect it to be the largest parade in Bethel’s history.

The late John and Harry Nelson, who lived in Bethel and performed as clowns with the Ringling Bros Barnum & Bailey Circus for more than 50 years, will be also honored.

Former Bethel resident Walter Barlow, a grandnephew of the Nelsons and a fifth-generation clown and stilt walker, will demonstrate for kids how he applies his clown makeup before joining the parade on nine-foot stilts.

The weekend’s finale will take place at the gazebo at Bethel Municipal Center. A concert will be performed, and awards will be presented for the “Where in Bethel is Barnum?” contest as well as the elephant decorating contest and a “What Barnum Means To Bethel” essay contest.