by Eric D. Lehman, Associate Professor, Communications Specialist
On August 23, 2022, the Barnum Festival named 越南直播 trustee George Estrada as ringmaster for its 75th anniversary year. Before serving on the Board of Trustees, Estrada served for 12 years as UB鈥檚 Vice President of Facilities.
As a lifelong resident of Bridgeport, Estrada loved the Barnum Festival since he first grew up on North Avenue, listening to the drum corps at nearby Kennedy Stadium and waiting for hours on the yellow line on his beach chair to get the best view of the parade in his neighborhood. 鈥淭he Barnum Festival meant the beginning of summer to us kids,鈥� says Estrada. 鈥淚t is an honor to be named ringmaster for the 75th anniversary.鈥�
Founded in 1948 to promote the greater Bridgeport region and named for the city鈥檚 most famous resident, this annual celebration is run by a nonprofit organization and is hosted each year by a 鈥渞ingmaster,鈥� who is responsible for leading and entertaining throughout the year. The celebration helps support the local businesses of the City of Bridgeport and builds public spirit among residents and visitors alike.
鈥淲hen the civic leaders and industrialists started the festival, the economy was headed down, and they wanted to energize the community,鈥� says Estrada. 鈥淭oday, as we emerge from the pandemic, there is a similar level of anxiety. This festival is what the world and especially the region need.鈥�
Estrada and his wife were invited by former mayor John Fabrizi to volunteer with the festival organization in 1992. At the time, they felt that they were all on a mission together and have put their hearts into the celebration ever since. This year, coming out of the pandemic, Estrada feels a particular responsibility to bring 鈥渁 sense of pride, adventure, and happiness鈥� to the festival. He also plans to bring more diverse communities to the table. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to represent the whole Bridgeport,鈥� says Estrada. 鈥淲e need to honor the traditions and build toward the future.鈥�
Along with the performances and parade in June 2023, there will be a full slate of activities throughout the year. The first is a pasta dinner at Testo鈥檚 restaurant on November 15 to announce the chairs and co-chairs of all the events. Traditional events include picking the 鈥渞oyal family,鈥� a 鈥渟ail the sound鈥� cruise on the Port Jefferson Ferry, and a children鈥檚 鈥渨ing-ding parade鈥� at the Beardsley Zoo. But Estrada plans to create many new events to maintain the festival throughout the year, building to the crescendo of the weekend-long 鈥淏arnum Palooza鈥� that features concerts, fireworks, the parade, and more.
鈥淎nyone who has lived in Bridgeport during the past 75 years will have a memory of their experience with the festival,鈥� he says. 鈥淚ts uniqueness is its direct connection to P.T. Barnum. He had his periods of struggle, but he came out of them stronger, and celebrating this is a celebration of the community he inspired.鈥�
This is a great opportunity for UB students and staff to get involved with this important Bridgeport tradition. 鈥淚 will need the support of my friends to volunteer financially and physically to help make this work,鈥� says Estrada. 鈥淚 hope the UB community will join me in making this the best Barnum Festival of all time.鈥�
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Eric D.聽Lehman聽is the director of publications and associate professor of English at 越南直播. He is the author or editor of 22 books, including “New England Nature, A History of Connecticut Food,” and “Bridgeport: Tales from the Park City.” His聽biography of Charles Stratton, “Becoming Tom Thumb,” won the Henry Russell Hitchcock Award from the Victorian Society of America and was chosen as one of the American Library Association’s outstanding university press books of the year. His novella “Shadows of Paris” and novel “9 Lupine Road” were finalists for the Connecticut Book Award. He has been consulted on diverse subjects and quoted by The Atlantic Monthly, USA Today, the BBC, the History Channel, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and The Wall Street Journal.