Photo

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The roots of the Menlo Circus Club go back to the early 1920s when some Fair Oaks girls decided to use their ponies in a circus and charge admission with the proceeds benefiting charity.

The event grew quickly and raised $10,000 or more a year from ticket sales and other activities.

At first called the "Riding and Driving Club," the group became the Menlo Circus Club that still exists today in Atherton.

Photo: Here Rowena Dunphy performs for an early Circus Club audience. Photo courtesy of the Atherton Historical Association.

■ 2012 Menlo Charity Horse Show now at the Circus Club

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