Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Marsh Runs Away, Joins Circus At 61, Fulfills Dreams

It's not unusual for a person to consider running away and joining the circus.

However, it could be considered unusual for a person to do this at the tender age of 61. But, in the case of Bob Marsh, joining the circus was the most natural thing in the world to do.

Marsh, who performs under the name Mr. Jiggs as a clown for the Kelly-Miller Circus, began dreaming of being a clown since the first time he saw a circus.

He did become a clown when he was 15, in 1952, but realized the value of a good education and, thereby, returned to school, later earning a degree in economics.

Upon graduation, while his classmates were going on job interviews, Marsh spent 26- hours on a bus heading to Sarasota, Fla. from North Carolina to get a job with Ringling.

Before he could realize much of his dream to be a clown, the Korean Conflict broke out and he was drafted into the Army.

Fortunately, he spent his tour of duty stateside and didn't have to go overseas.

While in the service, he met and married the girl of his dreams, Judy. When he got out of the Army, Marsh worked for a furniture manufacturer and was in the Army Reserves while the Vietnam War was underway.

Again, he was lucky and was never called to active duty. "I worried about being called up. I hated to get the mail," he said.

For the next 37 years, he remained in the working world, while he and Judy raised their three children.

But Marsh kept his hand in the clown world during this time by working spot dates and working for the circus when it was in the area. He also entertained at night clubs, supper clubs and occasionally birthday parties.

However, as a silent clown, his act isn't primarily suited to birthday parties.

"My first love has always been the circus," he said. "My wife and I decided when our children were grown and educated, we would join the circus." And, at the age of 61, they did just as they had planned.

Marsh basically works as an advance man for the circus. He travels a few days ahead of where the circus will be and meets with clubs and schools, doing programs to stir interest in the coming show.

Once schools let out, Marsh will rejoin the circus.

His act includes a variety of gags, including a comedy golf skit. Marsh works off other acts during slow periods, to help keep the audience involved.

The Kelly-Miller Circus, he said, is a one-ring show of the European format. The one-ring circus has an advantage over its three-ring brother in it is more intimate and closer to the audience.

There are no distractions with other acts going on in the other two rings, and everyone has a good seat and sees the best of the circus.

More and more circuses in the U.S., Marsh said, are going to the European format of one- ring.

The best thing is the audience sees the same acts it would see in a three-ring circus in a more personal setting.

The Kelly-Miller Circus will be offering those attending, Friday, a wide variety of acts, including elephants, clowns, chimps, horses, acrobats, trapeze artists and jugglers, along with a live circus band.

There will be two clowns when the circus hits Gurdon. "Cheeko" is a musical clown and rides a breakaway bicycle.

The audience, though, may want to pay particular attention to the "iron jaw" act a dainty young lady, in this case a former ballerina, dangling from the big top while hanging on by her teeth.

The Kelly-Miller Circus, Marsh said, will visit some 200 cities this year and spend six weeks in Canada.

This may seem like it would be a hardship for those in the show with children, but this circus has a full-time accredited teacher traveling with it. The children are required to attend school five-days a week, just like in the outside world.

Circuses, Marsh said, are where vacant lots are transformed into beautiful, magical tented cities.