Ringling Bros. Circus holds final show after 146 years

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus began its final show Sunday evening after 146 years of wowing audiences with its "Greatest Show on Earth."

Earlier in the day, as the circus performed its second-to-last show at the Nassau County Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, about 30 miles east of New York City, a group of retired and former circus performers sat across the street at a hotel bar, laughing and hugging and sharing memories of tours past.

"There's a lot of mixed emotions, said the Rev. George "Jerry" Hogan, Ringling's circus chaplain. "It's a reunion, but it's bittersweet. I'm seeing people I haven't seen in years."

Known as Father Jerry, the Catholic chaplain waved at a group of clowns at the bar. Nearly all of the folks at the bar said they were headed to the final 7 p.m. performance, but first, they needed a trip down memory lane with people who were and always will be part of a unique family.

"It's 146 years of tradition, older than American baseball," said David Gregg, a clown from Hollywood, Florida.

"This was one of the last nomadic tribes running around the country."

Ringling's parent company, Feld Entertainment, announced in January it would close the show, citing declining attendance and high operating costs.

Kenneth Feld called the final shows "a celebration."

Feld said Sunday while he is melancholy about closing the production, he feels the performers are energized to "go out on top."

"We all have to embrace change," he said. "But there is a love for the circus that will never die. Our family has given a half century of life to something that would have ended 50 years ago."

Feld's father and uncle bought the circus in 1967. It was sold to Mattel in 1971, but the Feld family continued to manage the shows. The Felds bought the circus in 1982.

Over the years, animal-rights activists had targeted the circus, saying forcing animals to perform and transporting them around the country amounted to abuse.

In May 2016, the company removed elephants from its shows, but ticket sales continued to decline.