Circus Vargas is an American
circus
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...
based in California. It was built with the intent of bringing an old time circus to everyone; it is billed as one of the world's biggest traveling circuses still using a big top tent. Owned and operated by Katya Arata Quiroga and Nelson Quiroga, the circus produces a circus show throughout the western United States.
History
Clifford E. Vargas (1924–1989) founded Circus Vargas in 1969. Vargas was influenced to restart the big top tent circus from his childhood fascination with glamour and thrills of old circuses. He was a frequent spectator with big top tent circuses that visited his hometown of
Livermore, California
Livermore (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californ ...
every year. Vargas, the son of Portuguese immigrants, grew up on a farm near Livermore. He got a job in Chicago as the ticket seller, doorman and later ringmaster. Vargas saved money, and in 1972 purchased controlling interest in the Miller-Johnson Circus. The show was small to start, but grew. Circus Vargas at its peak was using the largest circus tent, the size of a football field, which took thirty men seven hours to raise.
After the death of Clifford Vargas in 1989, the show management went to Jack Bailey, longtime vice president of the company; and Joseph Muscarello, the show's general manager. Bailey sold his interest to concession manager Roland Kaiser. Kaiser and Muscarello, both longtime friends of Vargas and management executives with the show, began managing the circus. Faced with rising costs and declining attendance, Kaiser and Muscarello changed the circus into a more intimate one-ring 'European style' circus. They ran the circus until retiring in 2003. Circus Vargas then went on hiatus while looking for a buyer. In 2005, Roland Kaiser's stepdaughter, Katya Arata Quiroga (née Arata) and husband Nelson Quiroga bought Circus Vargas. In 2010, Circus Vargas discontinued its animal acts.
Circus Vargas History
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As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Circus Vargas closed to the public in 2020, but resumed their circus production in 2021.
Television and movie appearances
''Note: this list is not exhaustive.''
* '' Water for Elephants'' (2010)
* MTV "True Life" (2008)
* ''La Feria de Los Ninos'' (Univision)
* ''The Nick Cannon Show'' (2002)
* '' Dismissed'' (MTV, 2001)
* ''Primera Edicion'' (Univision)
* '' Quantum Leap'', "Leaping In Without a Net" (1990)
* Kidsongs "A Day at the Circus" (1987)
References
{{reflist
External links
Official site
Internet Movie Database Circus Vargas
Circuses