The circus is special for Don Erlenbush.
When he was younger, the bright lights and funny music coming from the big top fascinated him, like they would any child. But as he grew older, it all held another meaning. The show reminded him of his family and the innocence of being a kid again.
For the past 55 years, Erlenbush has been a model circus and train builder. Since 2005, he has brought his display to the Saratoga County Fair, often allowing children to have a turn operating his tiny trains. This year he is one of the main attractions at the Saratoga Festival of Trees.
“My great uncle and father were both circus fans,” he said. “They started building when they were kids and so I just sort of grew up doing it, too.”
For a time, Erlenbush helped his uncle and father build the models while growing up in Illinois. When he turned 18 he started making them himself.
Erlenbush can’t remember which piece of the display is the oldest. He knows his family began building the models around 1935, concentrating on the train that transported the animals and the circus itself. His uncle built the meal circus wagon placed toward the end of the display.
Over the years, the Ballston Spa resident has added the tents, individual acts and even carnival rides.
“My dad went into the carnival business for a few years, so that’s how that all got added,” said Erlenbush, acknowledging the difference between the carnival and the circus.
His father joined a traveling carnival in the late 1940s, when Erlenbush was around 10 years old. He traveled with his father, and when he became of age, got a job at an amusement park. Soon rides were added to the display, like a Ferris Wheel, Merry-Go-Round, and swinging Pirate Ship, all of which move.
Erlenbush is unsure how much the now 8-by-10 foot display is worth or how much money has been put into the project over the years. At first most of the pieces were hand crafted. Now, model kits are used or bits of material are formed to make the smaller details, like people.
“There are some items you can’t find anymore,” he said. “But I look at it this way: almost anything can be fixed.”
For three years now, Erlenbush has allowed children to drive the trains on his display when he shows it in public. There have been some accidents, but he explained it’s all worth it just to see the enjoyment on a child’s face.
“I was skeptical at first, but I have gotten nothing but great compliments for the past six years, even from teens,” he said, explaining how each year he likes to add a new element to the display. “Last year, more people came to talk to me about it than ever before. People of all ages seem to enjoy it.”
The display takes about two and a half days to set up every time it’s shown.
At the City Center on Dec.1, the night of the city’s Victorian Street Walk, children and their parents crowded around the display outside of the Festival of Trees. For nearly eight hours, the 73-year-old helped smiling kids run the small trains. Erlenbush said he hopes it might get kids into the hobby of making models.
“I don’t expect them to start tomorrow, but I hope I put the spark there for later,” he said.
One day he hopes to pass the display on to one of his granddaughters to continue building. He has four of them, but they are currently too young to care about the models.
People of all ages seemed mesmerized by the display.
Cheryl Cross of South Glens Falls said her neighbors were in the circus when she was a little girl and the models brought back memories from when she was a kid.
“I wish was little again so I could go play with it, too,” she said.
Debbie Weddell, who just moved to Saratoga with her family from Glasgow, Scotland, called the detail “amazing.” She looked on while her 4-year-old son Jay operated the trains.
All of the proceeds from the Festival of Trees go to help fund Catholic Charities for Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. The money goes towards the organization’s human service agencies, counseling programs and shelters.
Catholic Charities Executive Director Sister Charla Commins said Erlenbush’s display helped to draw in the crowds as the event’s newest attraction.
In its 16th year, the Festival of Trees usually helps raise nearly $100,000 through corporate sponsorships and groups who pay to decorate a Christmas tree. The artificial trees are then sold to the public to decorate their homes for years to come.
“I was happy to lend a hand,” said Erlenbush. “I enjoy just sitting and watching the kids have a good time, but of course the parents always do too.”
