The Midwinter Circus Comes to Armory Hall
Whitman College students and local bands transform the Armory into a big-top spectacle for a week of performances.
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A large force of carpenters and decorators are at work in arranging Armory Hall for the midwinter circus that will be given this week under the auspices of Whitman College and the Walla Walla Military band. The interior of the hall has been transformed into a huge circus tent. Canvas has been draped from the ceilings and walls to represent as nearly as possible a tented inclosure. The seats have been arranged around the room in regular circus style and the entire hall will have a very unique appearance. The opening will be Wednesday evening and a performance will be given every night during the remainder of the week. A splendid program of athletic turns has been arranged, including trapeze and bar work, tumbling, pyramid posing, and wrestling matches. One of the important acts will be the stunts by trained elephants. Over 100 students of the college will take part in the performances, and in addition, the service of the Leonder brothers, noted athletes now in Portland, have been secured for the week. As is the rule of all big shows, a concert will be given after the main circus performance is concluded, featuring the girls' and boys' glee clubs of Whitman College.
“The interior of the hall has been transformed into a huge circus tent. Canvas has been draped from the ceilings and wall to represent as nearly as possible a tented inclosure.”
While the Armory on Alder Street has long since been repurposed and evolved, this 1903 event captures a moment when community theater and collegiate life blended seamlessly in Walla Walla. It reflects a time when public assembly halls served as the true center of civic social life, long before the digital distractions of the modern era.
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