CFA News
Two Circus World icons are calling it a career at the Baraboo attraction, leaving legacies that span multiple decades.
Executive director Scott O’Donnell is stepping down Sept. 27, and former ringmaster Dave SaLoutos is retiring Sept. 13.
SaLoutos held 16 positions during his 40 with Circus World, and O’Donnell has done two stints, from 2003 to 2005, and since 2013. Both plan to remain in Baraboo and are open to being consultants with the Wisconsin Historical Society after their departures.
‘Part of the DNA of Baraboo’
“Circus World provided the opportunity to learn about circus as an art form, and I became fascinated by the logistical details that brought the circus to life,” said SaLoutos, 67, who spent his last two years as marketing and performance director.
“All of this is part of the DNA of Baraboo,” he said. “I have no regrets. The work was all-consuming and demanded everything I had to give … and I loved every minute!”
SaLoutos, 67, began at Circus World in 1973 as a concessions employee, where he said he helped increase department sales by 500%. He also helped coordinate repairs and restoration efforts for The Great Circus Train and led efforts to transport circus wagons to Milwaukee via rail for the Great Circus Parade, which ended after 2009.
He worked three summer seasons at Circus World in 1973, 1978 and 1985. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in communications arts from UW-Madison, he worked in the hotel industry in Madison and Atlanta, Georgia, before returning to Circus World full time at the beginning of 1986. SaLoutos worked as a ringmaster in 1978.
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