Belle Bennett's parents were William and Mary Bendon (stage name Bennett). They appeared in "Billy Bennett's Big Shows" which were traveling shows appearing in tents and local 'opera' houses. The shows presented vaudeville acts and melodramas. Belle was headlining in her teens before moving on to stage and film in her twenties. Dozens of advertisements and articles appeared in the local paper "The Mille Lacs Co. Times." None refer to a circus but to the above mentioned 'shows'.