Five years before the Great Circus Parade roamed Milwaukee streets in 1963, the Christiani Brothers Circus held a massive promotional parade to over 100,000 people on Wisconsin Ave.
In 1958, the Christiani Brothers Circus hosted shows at State Fair Park in West Allis and wanted to drive more traffic over to their show. However, in order to parade a menagerie of animals, clowns and oddities – they needed to pay for a special permit that cost $750 ($8,667 in 2026).
News broke on May 29 that the Milwaukee Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees) would sponsor a circus parade, only if, the Milwaukee Common Council waived or reduced the parade permit fee. Jaycees president Rod Lanser said profits from the circus shows would go towards funding their civic and youth efforts…