On April 25 at 10 a.m. there will be a memorial service for the five people who lost their lives in the Walter L. Main Circus Train Wreck of 1893.
The service will be held at the wreck site in Vail, four miles north of Tyrone (on the old Van Scoyoc road) near the Tyrone Sportsmen’s Club.
This will be the sixth memorial service held since the one held 1958 at the Grandview Cemetery with employees of a circus doing a presentation of the honor of the Ring of Fame to the two canvas-men.
A monument was dedicated at the wreck site in May of 1975 with local dignitaries and residents present; a small tribute was performed at this time. This year’s memorial service is near the 114th anniversary of this wreck which occurred on May 30, 1893.
The Tyrone Area Historical Society and the Adam Forepaugh-Barry Lubin “Grandma” Tent No. 2 Circus Fans Assoc. of America will be working jointly for this service.
The program will consist of a welcome to all present with an introduction of special guests. Some of the guests asked to be present for this event are representatives of the Tyrone Masonic Lodge No. 494, Tyrone Elks Lodge No. 212, Tyrone Sportsmen Club, Snyder Township office and local dignitaries.
William Fink, candidate for Blair County Commissioner, is scheduled to speak.
Susie O’Brien will give a brief history of this memorial event of 1893.
Rev. Norman E. Huff will perform the memorial service with a “special” tribute.
Don Curtis, CFA National President/Tent No. 2 President, will place a memorial wreath at the monument donated yearly by a local florist “Alice’s Garden”.
This year a special dedication will be noted in memory of the Tent No. 2 Historian, Ken Mclaughlin.
The event this year has been moved to April due to the National Circus Fans of America Convention being held in Hershey, PA on May 20 – 26.
Next year the memorial will be held again in May on the 28th.
This event is planned to be a yearly memorial service.
