The Kinsey's Tent Show. For me those words meant a small family size circus - a few animals, maybe a juggling act, popcorn, peanuts, the smell of straw and sawdust. I guess I dated myself as being a youngster because the talk was about turn of the century family entertainment in Fostoria. The tent was there on the corner of S. Poplar and E. Crocker St. The smell of popcorn was in the air. Patrons sat on bleachers and waited for the show to begin. There were no animal acts, the show was theater with a different performance every night and Toby's slap stick comedy as a main stay. The season always began and ended in Fostoria, Ohio. Why? Pat Beeson isn't sure, but many of the Kinsey's cast and crew became Fostorians.

These pages contain some of the memorabilia preserved by Pat (Kinsey-Travis) Beeson. Pat is the youngest decendent of the founder Morris Lewis Kinsey to perform in the tent show. In a recent conversation with Pat, she shared some of her memories with my mother and me as well as permission to publish her family's history on our website.

Your memories of the Kinsey's show are important to this website. If you have memories of attending a Kinsey or another tent show, stories told by your family of attending a show, or photo, etc. that could be included, please send them to me by e-mail cwangler@noguska.net or snail mail them to: Noguska, 741 N. Countyline St., Fostoria, OH 44830 Attn: Carol Wangler. I would like to include any comments or memorabilia you have in this site.