Photos: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus through the years

Historic Ringling Bros. railroad cars, refurbished in silver with red and gold trim and colorful graphics, house several new attractions at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus World theme park in central Florida in 1977. This train car carried the Ringling Circus and its famous performers on tours across the U.S. for more than 20 years before being added to the theme park.

The "Bell Wagon," or "Chimes Wagon," is one of many parade wagons in the collection at the Ringling Museum of the Circus, Sarasota, Fla. Built in 1891 by Moeller Bros. in Baraboo, Wis., the wagon has nine bronze bells, which are still playable today. It was used for parades by the Ringling Bros. Circus from 1892 until 1919 and then put in storage for a period of time. Its last parade appearance was in the 1940s.

Elephants lumbered along Wisconsin Ave., past street cars, autos and buggies, when the circus came to Milwaukee around 1910.

The streets of Milwaukee were filled with nostalgia as the Great Circus Parade wove through downtown Milwaukee in 1988.

A camel took advantage of a stop in a parade to recline on the asphalt and rest its feet in July 1964. The camels and many of the other parade animals were from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, which performed at the Milwaukee Arena.

The Ringling Bros. Circus Parade marches along Wisconsin Ave. in August 1908.

The Mighty Hercules takes on the kids in the preshow festivities at the Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Hometown Edition Circus at the U.S. Cellular Arena, on Sept. 29, 2004.

Katlynn Palmer, 8, of Oak Creek, participates in the interactive circus with Mnir Bikthentaev (left) and Gueorgui Rostadinov at the Bradley Center before the start of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1997.

Dennis Goldsmith wasn't dreaming of running away to join the circus partly because he was already there, resting up after driving all night from Toledo, Ohio. He is a driver of one of the wagons that will be used in the Circus Parade. The Ringling Bros. Snake Wagon and it's horses were trotted out along Lake Michigan on July 13th, 2001.

Cecil B. DeMille at the State Fair Park grounds in West Allis in 1949 with the circus.

Thousands lined Baraboo streets in 1984 for a parade celebrating the 100th birthday of the original Ringling Bros. circus.

Elephants walk in line across a bridge cautioning a weight requirement as they make their way to the Bradley Center in September 1997. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was in town.

Bill the Clown shows more than 50 students at the United Community Center the difficulty he has in simply sitting in a chair during a show in August 1997. His real name is Bill Olbrisch and he is in town promoting the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Aleah Van Horne, 5, of Menomonee Falls, tries to get her balance on the Rolling Globe at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Three Ring Adventure in July 1998, held at Veterans Park. Helping Aleah are Eddie Del Moral (left) and Michelle the Clown, both with Ringling Bros.

Photos show the Ringling brothers at the Irving Feld Exhibit Hall and Visitor Center in Baraboo.