The Great Circus Parade will return to Milwaukee next weekend - following a six-year absence - and Jeanette and Terry Downes of Racine can't wait for its arrival. The Downeses are not only avid fans of the spectacular circus celebration that was a staple of Milwaukee's summertime off-and-on from 1963 to 2003, they are a part of it.

For 12 years, Jeanette and Terry devoted two weeks of vacation time from their jobs here to working on the crew of the Great Circus Parade and its accompanying festival. They started out as volunteers, doing basic tasks such as directing parking, and worked their way up to official posts. Terry was part of the train crew, which loaded the ornate circus wagons from Baraboo's Circus World Museum onto train cars for their trip to Milwaukee (and later unloaded them at the festival grounds). And Jeannette led the workers in the cook house, where three meals a day were served to more than 200 people throughout the festival run. Like all of the parade workers, they also performed a variety of other tasks along the way.

"Everybody does whatever needs to be done," said Jeanette.

"I always tell people 'It's the hardest job you'll ever love,' " said Terry.

The couple loves the circus parade life so much, that they lived on the show grounds in a renovated bus during the run of the festival.

"Some people stay in hotels, but we wanted to be right there," said Terry.

"There's nothing like going to bed and waking up with the circus," said Jeanette.

"The sounds, the sights," said Terry. "The smell," his wife chimed in.

During those two weeks each year, the Downeses got to know everything and everybody involved in the Great Circus Parade. They spent time with actor Ernest Borgnine, who rode in the parade many times, and they met Gunther Gebel-Williams, the famous animal trainer from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

"He was a very soft-spoken, gentle man," Jeanette said of Williams.

They also became friends with the late Charles "Chappie" Fox who, as first director of the Circus World Museum, co-founded the Great Circus Parade with Milwaukee businessman Ben Barkin

in 1963.

"We have fond memories of sitting at a wagon-wheel table in Chappie's house in Baraboo," said Jeanette. "He called me The Duchess."

The Downeses even got married during the 2000 Circus Parade festival, with the man who played Buffalo Bill in the parade officiating on the show grounds. In his other life, "Bill" was a justice of the peace.

"The cookhouse crew played 'Here Comes the Bride' on kazoos," Jeanette said, smiling at the thought.

Some of their favorite memories are of the parade itself - and the excitement on their faces when they tell stories of the Sparrows 40-horse hitch, or the clowns riding atop the historic wagons - speaks to the fact that the Great Circus Parade can entertain people of all ages.

One of the nation's largest parades, it is a feast for the eyes and ears that pays tribute to the lavish street pageants which took place during the golden era of the American circus. It's two-hour run features 50 authentic circus wagons, drawn by more than 300 horses; 30 musical bands and novelties; 150 clowns, more than 450 riding and walking performers dressed in lavish circus attire and plenty of exotic animals. There are also high wheel bikes, antique fire-fighting equipment and automobiles, and political dignitaries.

And the Downeses, who have missed the parade during its recent hiatus due to lack of funds, are looking forward to seeing all of it again. They won't be able to do the full festival run this time around, but they plan to help out for several days.

"We have to be there," said Terry. "There are just so many good memories," said Jeanette.

More memories

Other readers also shared their memories of attending the Great Circus Parade through the years.

Wild West band

After I was separated from the Air Force in 1964, I rejoined the South Milwaukee Municipal Band. We marched as the "101 Wild West Band" from 1964-1966. Circus World provided western style uniforms consisting of hats, bandanas and chaps, as I recall.

It was usually hot on parade day, the route was rather long and we had to try to dodge the land mines left by the animals that preceded us in the lineup. At that time, the parade was sponsored by Schlitz and was probably the biggest draw to downtown Milwaukee. The sidewalks were packed from beginning to end.

My favorite parade units were Dick Sparrow's 40 horse hitch, from Zearing, Iowa and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police unit.

- Lynn Doe, Mount Pleasant

Mr. Barrett's driver

In 1995 I worked for Wally Rank of Rank and Son Buick in Milwaukee. Wally was very involved in the Circus Parade and he asked me if I would like to drive one of his cars in the Parade (quite an honor for an employee). Of course, I accepted. My son Jordan (4 years old at the time) joined me.

The car Wally chose for me to drive was a 1929 Pierce Arrow. None of the other managers wanted to drive it. I thought that was strange, until I actually drove it. No power steering and a clutch like a garbage truck. All of the other guys knew better. We drove the cars from the dealership to the Art Museum, where we lined up with all of the other old cars. Dignitaries then got to walk up and down the line of cars and choose which one they liked best.

Jordan and I ended up with Congressman Tom Barrett, his wife Kris and kids Tommy and Annie. Mr. Barrett asked if I would zig-zag down the parade route so he could get closer to the people. After the first half of the parade he let me off the hook, he could see how hard it was too do that.

Jordan and I had a wonderful time. We wore straw hats and he waved at everyone on the right side of the car. I'm not sure how many people were there that year, it seamed like a million. We haven't been back since. That was 14 years ago. Mr. Barrett is now Mayor Barrett, Wally has passed on, and I hope that I get there again this year. The Circus Parade will always bring back great memories for my family.

- Chris and Jordan Catapano, Racine

Keeping clean

I was a member of the Racine Kilties Drum and Bugle Corps and we marched in the Circus Parade in Milwaukee in 1963 or 1964. I remember we were marching behind a herd of elephants. We all wore pristine white spats and were having trouble avoiding the elephant dung in the street. The atmosphere was a Big Circus on the Street!

- John Muehr, Racine

Gentle giants

I saw the very first parade in 1963. We lived in Milwaukee at the time, and through the years we took the kids to a number of them. The most interesting one was when the Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales were here, with their great, huge hitch. They were just marvelous to watch.

We had the opportunity to stand next to the Clydesdales before the parade and I'll never forget being near those incredible giant horses. They are huge, yet gentle and very well trained.

It was also an exciting thing to walk among the wagons along the lake shore. The Cinderella wagon is one that I will never forget.

- Don Rintz, Racine

Clown town

I was a flute/piccolo player in the Racine Elks Youth Band in what I believe was the summer of 1969. That year, the band, under the direction of Allen Gaulke, won a national band championship. For the Circus Parade, our whole band dressed up as clowns and marched the parade route on one of the hottest days of the summer.

My parents, Georgia and Wally Hansen, served as chaperones that day. I remember them wearing clown costumes and carrying water bottles to spray band members down with water as we sweated our way through the streets of Milwaukee. It was a great time being part of the spectacle of the Great Circus Parade!

- Rae Guth, Burlington