Dec
13
Woodlawn Cemetery, in Forest Park, on the outskirts of Chicago, is home to Showman's Rest. In the spring of 1918, Hagenback-Wallace Circus, one of the premier circuses of the time, was decimated when the circus train was in an accident on it's way to Hammond, Indiana. News of the accident quickly spread and The Showmen's League of America provide a last resting place for the victims at Woodlawn Cemetery. Because some of the dead had been hired just hours or days before the accident, and because many performers were often known only by nicknames, there are many gravestones at Showman's rest that are labelled "Unknown Male" followed by a number, or nicknames, such as "Baldy". Most of the left side of Showman's Rest has the burial sites of those killed in the 1918 tragedy. The other half is used for other circus performers, up to the present.
Years after the 1918 burial, five elephant markers were placed around the plot. Each elephant has one foot resting on a small ball, with their trunks lowered (raised trunks are a symbol of joy and excitement; lowered trunks symbolise mourning). The central, and largest elephant has the inscription "Showmen's League of America", while the four smaller ones say "Showmen's Rest".
Local legend has it that the elephant statues are to commemorate the elephants killed in the wreck and buried here; some even say that the elephants sacrificed their lives, as they rescued trapped performers from the burning train wreck. Sometimes, the haunting cry of elephants can be heard in the distance. In reality, there were no elephants in this circus train, no animals killed in the crash, and the sound of elephants trumpeting may be explained by the nearby Brookfield Zoo.
For nearly a decade now, a festive remembrance of deceased circus performers has been held the first Sunday of August at the cemetery. Besides customary grave site practices such as laying of flowers, there are speakers and circus activities for children, entertainment and contests with prizes, snacks and drinks, and many many many clowns. This prayer was posted at the last memorial (author unknown):
Clown's Prayer
Lord, as I stumble through this life help me to create more laughter than tears, spread more happiness than gloom, dispense more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent that that I fail to see the wonder in the eyes of a child, or the twinkle in the eyes of the elderly. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, to make them happy, and to help them forget, if only for a moment, all the unpleasant things in their lives. And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper, "When you made My people smile, you made Me smile."
The following photos were taken December of 2007. I have written before about grave votives, objects left at grave sites for the souls of the deceased. What is more appropriate in this case, than a tub of cotton candy?
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