The Sells Brothers Circus: A History

The Sells Bros. Circus (1870s-early 1900s) wintered just southeast of today’s Upper Arlington. Bill Moose, buried in UA’s Wyandot Park and recognized as the last full-blooded Wyandot in this region, appeared in their show for nine years.
Presenter Fred Pfening’s interest in things sawdust began at age five when he rode an elephant in his father’s circus. Since then, he has written over 50 articles on the history of the circus, has appeared on numerous documentaries, and given presentations at many conferences. He is a former president of the Circus Historical Society and at one time edited its journal Bandwagon. He is currently on the board of directors of the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Florida.
He has extensively studied the history of the Sells Bros. Circus that was headquartered in the Grandview area from the 1870s until 1907. The Sells brothers had one of the most important traveling railroad circuses from the late 1870s to the early 1900s. He will share his knowledge about the colorful history of this local amusement institution.
In real life Pfening is a life-long resident of Upper Arlington. He is the retired president of a family business that engineers and manufacturers ingredient conveying equipment for the wholesale bakery industry. He characterizes his fascinating with the circus as “a hobby that got out of hand.”