A TRIBUTE TO FRANK J.
BARTHEN
Life
as a donkey man required that Barthen be equal parts loving animal caretaker
and outlandish carnival barker.
He
said hour upon hour on the road driving to donkey ball games gave him time to
think up slogans and promotions.
“The
wheels were always turning,” said Kitty, Barthen’s wife of 50 years.
While
Barthen was on the road for weeks at a time, Kitty was back at the ranch,
raising their eight children and rounding up stray donkeys who wandered out of
their pens.
On
bright red burro transport trucks, Barthen billed the burro act as “Funnier
Than a Circus” and “Wilder than a Rodeo.”
The
trucks featured loudspeakers for Barthen and his crew to herald the arrival of
his donkey show.
“I’d
say `see Honey Pot – world famous comedy donkey. One of the roughest, toughest
little donkeys in captivity.’ I tried to make it sound like Ringling Brothers
was coming to town,” he said with a twinkle in his green eyes.
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