When the 'Circus' Came to Town
You gotta love “The Family Circus” cartoon, right? Remember the collection of “Family Circus” paperbacks at The Paper Peddler? And you could follow the comic every day in newspapers across the country, including The Press of Atlantic City right here in Avalon. But did you ever get the feeling that sometimes, Bil Keane, the artist who created this comedic treasure, might have been eavesdropping on life in your house?
Well, maybe this is why. His life might have been closer to yours than you ever knew. Back in June 1980, Keane published an oversized paperback filled with his family’s vacation adventures called “On Vacation with the Family Circus.” In his introduction, he writes: “My family and I lived through every incident depicted here. Backgrounds and ideas were inspired by our vacations through the years in such varied locations as Wildwood, N.J., Laguna Beach, Calif., the White Mountains, Ariz., Mission Beach, Calif., Lake Powell, Utah, and Avalon, N.J.”
Yes, THIS Avalon, N.J.! Keane was born and raised in Philadelphia. He was a graduate of Northeast Catholic High School. His first cartoon was published in the Philadelphia Daily News in 1936. After he and his wife Thel married, they settled in Roslyn, Pa. Bil worked from 1946-59 for the Philadelphia Bulletin, where he created the comic strip “Silly Philly.” The Keanes moved to Paradise Valley, Ariz., in 1959.
Danny Lopriore, who often writes for Seven Mile Times, reached out to Bil’s son Jeff, who confirmed the book’s introduction. Makes sense now that sprinkled among his family’s diverse vacation destinations are Wildwood and Avalon – after all, the family lived for a time in Montgomery County. Especially in the 1950s, who didn’t vacation at the Shore?
Bil died in 2011, but Jeff continues to pen the comic strip and keeps up the amazing family tradition. If you haven’t already, check out the comics page of your daily newspaper. And if you’d like to get a nice, long laugh about family vacations, stop by the Avalon Free Public Library. It has a copy of “On Vacation with the Family Circus” in its collection available for loan.
It’s a quick, fun read for anyone in the family. Reading it might also help prepare you for your current vacation since Bil finishes by warning: “If you have not yet experienced most of these situations, you probably will. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”
All images are c 1980 The Register and Tribune Syndicate Inc.