The Amazing Dingle Brothers Circus

By E.B. Sohmers

Come one come all, to the Amazing Dingle Brothers Circus! Set in the 1900s fictional town of Centerville, the story is centered around the traveling circus, its performers, and their encounter with the evil Sinister Brothers. What heinous plan have the wicked pair concocted to draw more attention to their side show? Find out if their “sinister” strategy succeeds in this captivating anti-bullying story!

• Language: English
• Publisher: E.B. Sohmers
• Release date: Oct 17, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370888122

E.B. Sohmers

A Texas native, Ed Sohmers has since lived in nine states and has enjoyed traveling abroad to more than thirty countries. Ed has been married for more than 60 years, helped raise three perfect children and is the proud grandfather of one grandson.Sohmers came up with the idea for the Amazing Dingle Brothers Circus in the 1960s when he created the music and lyrics. He developed it into a musical play in the 1980s when he wrote the screenplay. Thirty years later Sohmers turned the story into a children’s book with the hope for it to become an animated movie in the future.Experimenting with painting was also a form of recreation for this self-taught artist during his 50 year career in marketing and management. After settling in Cocoa, FL upon retirement, Sohmers took up painting as a full-time avocation.Truly a renaissance man, Ed Sohmers has used his creative talents throughout his life – from writing and painting to designing jewelry, mosaics and women’s accessories. Everything he produces expresses joy and delight through his words, color and technique.The original oil paintings he creates feature vibrant colors and fine detail work in a traditional style. Aside from the joy he receives from the creation itself, his greatest satisfaction comes from seeing someone moved enough by one of his paintings to want it permanently displayed in their home or office.Sohmers has shown in juried art shows in Florida and has exhibited in the Artists Forum at the Brevard Museum of Art and Science, Brevard Community College Library and the Harry T and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center at Viera.

Book preview

The Amazing Dingle Brothers Circus

By E.B. Sohmers

Distributed by Smashwords

Copyright 2012 E.B. Sohmers

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

The Amazing Dingle Brothers Circus was an idea in the 1960s.

It developed into a musical play in the 1980s.

Today it is a book.

Who knows what it will become tomorrow.

Dedicated to my amazing family, who kept the

Dingle Brothers Circus alive for fifty years.

This eBook contains audio files of the songs featured in this story. The files should appear before each song’s lyrics within the context of the book, and contain the songs that the characters are singing during their adventure. If for any reason the files do not appear in your version of this book, please visit www.dinglebrotherscircus.com to listen to the songs, and to read more about how this captivating tale came to be.

Chapter 1: Something Wonderful Comes To Centerville

The girls in their pastel dresses are jumping rope, playing hopscotch or just giggling with each other. The boys, in their knickers who are not playing hide and seek, leap frog or mumbly peg are wrestling with anyone who wants to.

Everyone is having a wonderful time. Everyone but Henry.

There doesn’t seem to be any children Henry’s age and the big kids say he gets in their way, so he just stands next to the bench where his mother is sitting, chatting with another mother.

That’s the way it is in the city square park on this beautiful spring morning in 1904 Centerville.

Across Main Street from the park, men, young and old, are busy opening their places of business. Some are cleaning windows or sweeping the sidewalks, while others are lowering the awnings to keep their stores cool.

Henry is not happy at all. He is almost seven and he is sure he can play the games just as good as the big kids, maybe even better than some of them.

A light breeze blows across his face and as he looks around he spies a beautiful orange and black butterfly. Henry watches as it flutters back and forth until it lands softly on the back of the bench. The butterfly seems to be looking straight at Henry – daring him to try and catch it. Accepting the challenge, the 6 3/4 year old boy slowly moves his hand toward the insect.

Henry believes that he, and only he, can capture this wild animal and he intends to show everyone he can. At the very last moment he is surprised as the Monarch seems to fly away right between his fingers. Twice more he fails to grab his elusive prey in mid air. As the butterfly seems to be bored with the game, it gently flies away. But Henry refuses to give up so easily. So off he runs as fast as his little legs will carry him in pursuit of his nemesis, the light brown hair that his mother carefully brushed this morning, is tossing in all directions.

Keeping his eyes peeled directly on his brightly colored enemy that seems to be getting farther away. Henry runs right into a group of boys playing leap frog. Although he messes up their game, he quickly resumes his pursuit, not really paying attention to what the boys yell at him. It is now too important that he does not fail in his quest.

He quickly finds himself all tangled up in the rope his sister Brenda is jumping while two of her friends hold the ends. Henry struggles to release himself from the trap he believes is put there to keep him from succeeding in his chase.

Brenda shakes her head and begs Henry to be more careful or you will really hurt someone. Of course Henry can’t be bothered by what she is saying because as he looks in all directions, he no longer sees the beautiful orange and black butterfly.

Henry is almost ready to cry over his loss when something else catches his attention. It is a very strange sound from far away, and as Henry strains to hear what it is, the sound keeps getting louder. Soon all the children are up and listening to what is beginning to sound like music.

Pointing down Main Street, Henry yells, Look! I see it. Immediately, everyone is looking at something they had never seen before. It is some wondrous kind of parade.

Of course, they all remember the Fourth of July parades, where a few old men walked in their decorated civil war uniforms and their fathers marched in the uniforms they wore in Cuba during the Spanish American War. Henry’s father always marches in that one.

But this parade is very different.

Everyone rushes to the curb as fast as they can, maneuvering to get the best view. To Henry, it seems like a thousand kids are in front of him. Across the street, everyone is leaving their stores vacant as they watch the spectacle. Mr. Schultz, who was being shaved by Mr. Mitchell the barber, is there with his face covered with foam. Even the tellers and managers of the bank are outside watching.

In the front of the parade they see two ladies in shimmering costumes marching with a large banner between them that reads, The Dingle Brothers Circus.

The