Thalia Bowen talks about upcoming performances for the Gamma Phi Circus Day-to-day life in the third decade of the 20th century was challenging. Modern conveniences — like air conditioning during the hot, humid months of summer — existed mostly in people’s minds (or dreams). Nevertheless, most households had running water and heat whenever needed.
These were unavailable luxuries for those employed by circuses. Most performers tasked with entertaining thousands while doing seemingly impossible feats under acres of canvas in insufferably hot, cold, rainy, and/or windy conditions, cherished the experience. Antoinette Concello both loved and gave her all to the role she played in the circus.
Antoinette’s early life was chaotic at best, traumatic at worst. Born Marie Antoinette Comeau in Sutton, Quebec, Canada in 1910, both of her parents abandoned her in Vermont at the age of 11. Her educational promise landed her in a Catholic boarding school where she was set on a path for a life spent in service to the Church.
Antoinette and Art Concello strike a powerful pose in 1930s New York. “Antoinette Concello ..
. in the Spotlight” will be presented at the McLean County Museum of History at 2 p.m.
Aug. 10. Lured by her older sister, Mickey King, Antoinette traded life with the Sisters of Mercy for a life under the Big Top.
Mickey, an aerialist performer working for Eddie Ward, begged him to let Antoinette accompany his act. Seeing her potential, he agreed. And at the end of t.