- [Jim Kirchherr] From our LSL favorites, a story that sounds like a broken record.

- Ruth Ezell] Guinness World Record for simultaneous Hulu hoop spinning is 105.

Alesya Gulevich is attempting 107.

- [Jim Kirchherr] Also an uplifting circus story, but it don't come easy.

- Put that grind on.

- 1, 2, 3, go.

- [Jim Kirchherr] And a visit to a local neighborhood that came together piece by piece.

- [Rose Thornton] And they included a 75 page instruction book with the house, so you'd know how to put all those pieces of house together.

- [Jim Kirchherr] It's all next.

As our summer of favorites continues on 'Living St.

Louis.'

(upbeat intro music) I'm Jim Kirchherr.

It's not every city that has its own circus.

So we're pretty lucky to have Circus Flora for a lot of reasons, including the fact that it's been a source of some pretty interesting stories for Living St. Louis over our 19 seasons.

As we continue our summer of LSL favorites, This story from Ruth Ezell in 2009.

- {Ruth Ezell] Those of us who grew up with hula hoops can appreciate the elegant gyrations of Alesya Gulevich.

(audience applauding) Gulevich was one of the featured performers during Circus Flora's 2009 Season in Grand Center.

And while she was here in St. Louis Gulevich decided to try and reclaim the world record for most hula hoops spun simultaneously.

The person on the left, heading toward the Circus Flora big top is Carlos Martinez.

He's an adjudicator for the Guinness Book of World Records, and he's come to witness Gulevich's attempt and certify the results.

- She's broken this record twice.

And the difference, it's not that much.

I really think that we could bet for this record to be successful, but you never know till the last moment, because at some point this record will become, or will reach its limit.

And that's not going to be physically possible to charge or to hold more hula hoops at the same time.

- [Ruth Ezell] The Guinness world record for simultaneous hulu hoop spinning is 105.

Alesya Gulevich is attempting 107, but before she begins, the hoops must be counted and measured by Martinez.

- We needed to be sure that these were commercially standard or available hula hoops.

We need to measure the diameter of them because they need to be at least 33 inches wide.

And we needed us, first of all, to count them.

We need to be sure how many of them are there just in case she takes the strategy of putting them all together in one row.

So we needed as well for her sake or for her interest to know how many hula hoops we were counting.

(quirky music) (audience applauding) - [Ruth Ezell] Alesya Gulevich is a native of Russia and grew up performing in circuses with her parents.

She developed her first hula hoop act at the age of 14, by which time she was already an accomplished acrobat, juggler, uni-cyclist and visual comedienne but it was Gulevich's determination to break the record set by a Hulu hoop artist from China that brought the Guinness Book judge to St. Louis.

With the big moment upon her and her mother on hand for support Gulevich must take all 107 hula hoops and spin them simultaneously for at least three full rotations.

(hula hoops clattering) (cheering) (clapping) If you are counting, there was no room for doubt.

Gulevich, who's held this record twice before captured it once again.

- Today is not only that Alesya Gulevich is the new Guinness World Record holder.

It's also Jin LinLin in China has lost her title.

So of course from this moment on, she can claim the title back.

- I thought positively.

That's what I'm, you know, just that I'm gonna make it, you know, just there.

My head was at the final point that I'm gonna do it.

So I was there.

But of course I went through with my mind, how I have to lift them up, how I have to push it, how I have to turn it.

And do you know what I'm saying?

Like a technique wise and power wise.

So this is what went through my head.

- [Ruth Ezell] So until the next challenge from a hula hoop rival Alesya Gulevich can claim bragging rights, is a Guinness world record holder, and it's one more fond memory she can add to her time at Circus Flora in the summer of 2009.

- [Alesya Gulevich] I love it.

Love it, love it, love it, love it, love it, love it.

Great show.

Great people, Great surrounding, everything.

(audience clapping) (fast tempo music) - Patrick Murphy that year also did a circus story, but it wasn't about the performers.

This was a behind the scene story, a big top howto story.

(comedic music) (audience cheering) - [Patrick Murphy] Whether you choose to run away and join the circus or just come and visit, life beneath the big top is a world of its own.

(comedic music) Setting up a tent big enough to house a circus requires the services of a tent master.

For St. Louis's Circus Flora that's Eric Jaeger who's been setting up circus tents around the world for almost 40 years.

When working in St. Louis, Eric stores his tent on a flatbed parked in an industrial side on the east side.

[Eric] - Let's just lay it out right here on the grass.

Keep it outta the mud there.

That's good right there.

- [Patrick Murphy] About a week before the first performance, he and his crew conduct a general inspection and make sure all the parts are ready for assembly.

Circus tents have come a long way from the days of canvas and wooden poles.

This tent was manufactured in Italy by one of the world's premier tent makers and setting it up is a major engineering feat.

With the first performance just days away, Eric and his crew hauled the whole package across the river to the site of Circus Flora in the heart of Grand Center, where they will turn a parking lot into a world of circus.

- How could I have any worries ?

Sun shining.

Equipment's here.

My crews here, good guys.

I'm having a great day.

- [Patrick Murphy] Eric might not be the worrying type, but the keys to being one of the world's top tent masters is to stay focused and well organized.

After unpacking the tent, laying out the parts and marking the blacktop.

It's time to unload the air conditioning units, hook up to electrical power and drive in the tent stakes.

There isn't anything about this tent that isn't big and heavy.

So Eric's major concern is... - Safety.

Making sure everything's attached properly, just safety, keeping an eye on everybody.

Every cable, every shackle, every tier floor safety, safety, safety.

- [Patrick Murphy } The tent is suspended from four king poles, which are more than 100 feet long.

After cables are attached to them, they're connected to winches and the slow process begins of pulling them up to their full height.

- Andrew, ready?

Alan, go ahead guys.

Stay together.

- 200 feet of cable, an inch and a half at a time.

(comedic music) - [Patrick Murphy] With four winching crews pulling up the king poles coordination and timing are everything.

No team can get ahead of the other.

And each pole has to be perfectly vertical before it's locked into place.

- Where are you at?

Hold it.

That's good.

Not real tight, just snug up a little.

Hold it right there.

- Today's the fun day.

Yesterday, we put the masts up and that was a lot of cranking.

Today we're gonna put the cupola up.

That's even more cranking.

(comedic music) - [Patrick Murphy] The cupola, a circular grid with a 40 foot diameter is the tent's roof.

And like everything else has to be assembled and then hoisted.

- Like the four main supports hold this up, which holds up the entire tent and the walls and everything.

So this is like the main structured part of it.

- [Patrick Murphy] But before the crew can actually crank up the cupola, the sides of the tent have to be attached.

- The guys here are just finishing up the lacing.

Once they get to that lace line finished, all of us will climb inside.

We'll go in there.

We have four main winches and four auxiliary winches that are hand cranked.

The guys will get on them.

We'll lift all eight together.

We'll bring the coupler centerpiece up.

The only downside is it's gonna be very warm in there.

Probably I would say around 110 degrees till we get it up.

Lifted up a little bit where the air starts to get under it.

And it's a bit tough on the guys.

We take water bottles in there for 'em so we can stay hydrated, but it's a hard job.

- Put that grind on, pump it, ah !

Finish line.

That's all that you want, gotta get teamwork.

That's what it's all about.

Teamwork.

- It's backbreaking work, but it's very rewarding.

You get to see something go up and you get to see the fruits of your labor right there.

You get build a tent, you put a show on, take it all down and you do it again next year.

- [Patrick Murphy] Hard work?

Definitely.

But the crew still manages to find some time to squeeze in a little circus fun.

- [Group] One, two, three.

- I never thought it took that much work to put up a tent or take it down.

I thought it was just as much, stake in the ground, couple of ropes.

And that's it.

I'm starting to see that it's more than what you think, you know, but I'll be prepared next year when I come back.

[Other Worker] Oh, no, no, no.

- 1, 2, 3 go.

- [Patrick Murphy] Finally, the side poles are put in place.

The circus ring and bleachers are brought in and it's circus time!

(comedic music) - [Circus Employee] Hi there, welcome to Circus Flora.

- [Patrick Murphy] So bring in the crowds, the clowns, the high wire acts and the jugglers.

It's Circus Flora beneath the big top.

(audience cheering) (comedic music) - [Eric] I genuinely love doing the tent.

I have fun with it.

And that's, you know, it's more than a job.

It's a lifestyle.

(comedic music) - Many years ago, I traveled across the Poplar Street bridge, which I know doesn't sound very interesting, but I wasn't on the bridge.

I was actually traveling under the bridge.

And when we started talking about showing some of our favorite LSL stories this summer, well, this one was pretty much at the top of my list.

- [Jim Kirchherr] The Poplar Street bridge is probably the most functional, but least spectacular downtown bridge.

And that was actually intended.

It was built in the sixties to handle huge amounts of interstate traffic.

And nobody wanted a big super structure that would block the view of the brand new Gateway Arch.

It also wasn't supposed to compete visually with the landmark Eads Bridge.

Now I learned all this from watching a film about the building of the Poplar Street bridge, about how they did it and all the problems they had getting it finished, but it was a little part at the end that really piqued my interest.

- [Original Narrator] The Missouri highway department, resident engineer on the job happily and with understandable relief and pride takes highway officials for a ride on a unique trolley the public will never see.

Hanging under the bridge on a series of rails, the battery powered car will be used in regular inspections of the bridge and for river soundings by the US Coast... - [Jim Kirchherr] Watching this decades later, I figured if this thing were still there and running, I would try to get a ride.

For me, it would be a once in a lifetime experience.

But it's all in a day's work for the guys who take the river readings for the US geological survey.

- Wait a minute.

- And as Willie Easterling gets this little tin chariot ready for the trip, his partner, Hugh Edwards meets us down below.

- This is where I was broken into this job.

- Is that right?

- Yes.

- What'd you think the first time you went up?

- I never wanted to get back on it.

- Okay, just what I wanted to hear.

- Yeah.

- Now we're going actually inside, - I guess the support of the Poplar Street bridge.

- That's right.

(bridge squeaking) - So that's the bridge up there right ?

That's the bridge.

- Gee.

- That squeaking?

That's the expansion joint I was telling about.

- Is this the throttle here or ?

- That's exactly what that is.

- Okay.

- This is a break.

When it's in this position, it's locked.

Probably won't go anywhere.

But pull it forward this way and there's a switch here and we can actually tell it to run forward about.... - And now this is actually then attached to this rail?

- That's correct.

- Under all of these.

(bridge squeaking) - Okay.

- Okay, brace yourself.

- Yeah, I'm ready.

(engine whirring) - [Jim Kirchherr] This little car was put in when the bridge was built so the highway people could inspect things from below.

The tram could be moved to any one of several rails that run under the length of the bridge.

But these days it's the US geological survey that makes the most use of it to regularly measure the river's depth, speed and volume, and to take samples.

(whirring noises) When you're in the little car, you can only see upstream.

So the first thing they do when they stop to take their readings is to lower a small video camera pointing downstream.

This is their rear view mirror because you can't go lowering 200 pound weights right into oncoming traffic.

- Well do what we can here.

We can try to change places, - All right.

- Guess you gotta get along with whoever you're working with up here, don't you?

- Oh, you sure do.

Sure do.

(engine whirring) - From bank to bank, the current varies plus the depth will vary.

Every fifth time it turns around it sends electrical impulses.

- And then you would mark those.

And that gives your current.

[Jim Kirchherr] They will take their readings at may be 35 different spots from bank to bank.

That means the crew will spend two or three hours in this little car.

- You like this part of the job?

- Oh, I love it.

- Do you?

- I love it, yes Some people don't like it, but to me it's peaceful.

I mean, the balancing doesn't bother me and the noise, you know, but you know, you get out here and it's very peaceful.

(whirring noises) - Brace yourself.

- Okay.

- [ Jim Kirchherr } All this information is important to those agencies that deal with barge traffic, flood control, and pollution control.

They all need to know this river inside out.

(engine whirring) (bridge squeaking) - Thanks for the ride.

- Alrighty thanks, thanks Jim.

(bridge squeaking) - Finally, in our first season of Living St. Louis Anne Marie Berger went house hunting, not looking to buy, but looking for houses with a very interesting story.

(jaunty music) - [Anne Marie Berger] Many people have a passion for houses, for the architecture, the materials.

Old homes, new homes, small houses, big houses, but these homes all varying in size and style and location have something in common.

They were ordered from a catalog.

(jaunty music) - In 1908.

Sears started offering entire kit homes through these catalogs.

You could purchase a kit home out of a catalog, and it would come to you in about 30,000 pieces of house.

And they included a 75 page instruction book with the house so you'd know how to put all those pieces of house together.

- [Anne Marie Berger] What these kits didn't come with was the person who put the homes together, giving a whole new meaning to the term, 'some assembly required.'

- Sears promised a man of average abilities could assemble one of these homes in about 90 days.

- [Anne Marie Berger] Typically it took a little longer than that for your average kit home owner.

Most people recruited their family and friends to work nights and weekends.

And for many, it was more like 9 months than 90 days.

But for some, it took even longer.

- I got another great letter from somebody who said they had a Sears kit home.

They moved in 1946.

I said, well, that's interesting, but Sears actually stopped selling these in 1940.

She said, "Oh, you don't understand, I bought it in 39, we finished in 46."

Well the kit included everything.... - [Anne Marie Berger] Rosemary Thornton knows everything and anything you ever wanted to know about Sears homes.

- It included 750 pounds of nails, 27 gallons of paint and varnish, 10 pounds of wood putty 460 pounds of window wood, 72 coat hooks.

Let's see, a lot of lumber and 1 doorbell.

- [Anne Marie Berger] But that's just a fraction of what she knows.

When Rose discovered what a Sears house was, it was love at first sight.

- About 5, 6 years ago, somebody asked me to write an article about the Sears homes in Carlinville.

Carlinville, Illinois has 152 Sears homes in a 12 block area.

So I drove over there expecting to, you know, dash off 1 quick article and get my check as most freelancers do.

And I went over there and I drove the 12 blocks of these Sears homes.

And I was smitten.

I was completely in love.

And then as I researched the story, I was just ever more enamored of the whole affair because these came in boxcars.

They came in pieces and bits and people build them.

- [Anne Marie Berger] In the past couple of years, Rose has written 2 books about these homes and has devoted herself pretty much full time to these historic structures.

Rose is attracted to these homes because of how they came to be.

Customers thumb through Sears catalogs, like they were shopping for tools or furniture.

And well, they ordered themselves a house.

- Richard Warren Sears is one of my heroes in history.

I mean, he was an absolute genius at merchandising and his catalog at its peak had 1400 pages, 100,000 items and weighed 4 pounds.

He suspected that getting more people into a home of their own was a way to sell more of the stuff in his catalog.

So that I think that was a driving part of why he started selling kit homes.

- [Anne Marie Berger] So why buy a kit home?

Why not buy a prebuilt house that's ready to be lived in?

Well, why do we do most of the things we do?

To save money.

- By building your own kit home you'd save about one third of the cost, compared to a traditional stick-built home, which you know, and at any time is a very significant saving.

So you'd end up with maybe a one third equity in your home.

You could get precisely what you wanted.

You could peruse the pages of their catalogs.

They offered 370 different designs, and it was a broad range from bungalows to kind of trailing edge Victorians to colonials.

You could pick just about any popular housing style of the day.

- [Anne Marie Berger] And price range?

- And price range.

The prices range from about $500 to $5,000, depending on which kit home you picked.

- [Anne Marie Berger] We're surrounded by Sears homes.

- Yes, (indistinct) Sears homes, 24 of the little beauties in a row.

- [Anne Marie Berger] Rose gave a walking tour of Wood River, Illinois, where Standard Oil built neighborhood of kit homes for its workers.

Sears offered 370 different styles and Rose can name each and every one by sight.

- Dreaming and talking about Sears homes.

- Okay, so name this house.

- The Whitehall.

- Name that house.

- Langston.

- Name that house.

- Fullerton, Carlin, Roanoke.

Can't see, it looks like Langston and then another Whitehall.

- (laughing) Wow.

- (laughing) (upbeat piano music) - So you have 30,000 pieces, delivered to your house.

- Well, actually it was delivered to the train station and.. - Then people had to move it themselves?

- People would take their horse and wagon or maybe a little model T truck... - A 100 times.

- The train station and pick up all those pieces.

- [Anne Marie Berger] It's for this reason that Sears homes are often located within 1 to 2 miles of railroad tracks.

After all, it was an entire house from roofing shingles to framing lumber, to doorknobs.

When you've got all that stuff how, how easy is it, you know, to get a piece of piece of lumber and say, okay, I know exactly where this goes?

- Well, that was one of the beautiful parts of how Sears did this.

All of the lumber had a stamp on it.

This one says A119, and the stamp is typically in a blue or black font, a little less than an inch tall.

And this stamp together with that 75 page instruction book told you how all the pieces went together.

And one misnomer, a lot of people say Sears homes are prefab.

They were not prefabricated.

This was a true kit home, but all of the lumber was precut.

One of their best advertisements said, "Hang your saw on a nail all day."

So you didn't even need a saw to build your Sears home.

You would take the framing members.

You'd look at the stamp, look at your instruction book and start nailing.

It was really an ingenious system.

- [Anne Marie Berger] One misconception about Sears homes is that since most of them weren't constructed by professional builders, they lack quality and sturdiness.

- These houses almost without exception were built by homeowners for their families and Sears specified in the blueprints things down to the details of the spacing of the nails.

So if you follow the directions, you probably weren't gonna make a mistake.

So I imagine when people were building a home for their own family, they were very thorough, very conscientious and very careful.

So I do think that's part of the reason they endure.

- [Anne Marie Berger] And they were also built to last because these houses were constructed with first grade lumber, Southern yellow pine, and cypress siding So how does one know what's a Sears home and what isn't?

- On this model, the Whitehall, it has the double bays.

One of the bays is hidden under that porch, but you see, it's got the first and second floor bay and then a top that it has little gable in that little tiny window inside in the gable.

Those are very distinctive features that catch my eye when I'm out and about looking.

- [Anne Marie Berger] Many Sears homes are almost a hundred years old and they've had facelifts.

- That is the challenge these many years later, because these aren't museums, these are homes, but it is like a treasure hunt because most of the people, even in these homes, don't realize what they have.

And almost invariably I'll knock on the door.

And I'll say, "My name's Rose, I'm doing a survey of Sears homes, And I think you might have a Sears home."

And they always say the same thing.

They always say, "No, no I don't."

And then they say, "What is a Sears home?

- (laughing) I think it's interesting that people let you come in their home.

- (laughing) - Well, I get pretty excited - You knock on their door and you say, I know something about your house, can I come in?

- But I will share with them some info.

And maybe I often have little brochures in my car that I share with people and it never ceases to amaze me, 3 or 4 weeks they'll drop me an email.

And they'll say, "I can't stop learning about Sears homes, this is fascinating."

- [Anne Marie Berger] Sears quit selling kit homes in 1940, because houses were becoming more and more complex with increased plumbing and electrical necessities.

But today you'll find Sears homes standing strong in communities throughout the St. Louis region.

And you never know, one day you might find Rosemary Thornton knocking at your door, "I think you have a Sears home!"

(laughing) - And from the archives, that's Living St. Louis.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Jim Kirchherr and we'll see you next time.

- [Announcer] Living St. Louis is made possible by the support of the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation, the Mary Ranken Jordan and Ettie A Jordan Charitable Trust and by the members of Nine PBS.

(upbeat music)