End of great era with loss of circus

Thanks for the memories: The circus is coming to town, and I can imagine the excitement of young and old. Coming from a circus family and seeing the excitement in people’s faces never gets old.

I can imagine the children watching the roustabouts and elephants setting up the big top. The roar of the animals that smell and the midway smell mixed in. That type of high we won’t experience again.

Bringing the whole family to the circus and seeing the enormity of it gives you goose bumps. To see the Spec (the animals and performing artists and the web girls swinging from above) all parading around the three rings to the sound of the live band and the ringmaster of ceremony leading the way.

Then the marvelous show begins with excitement in all three rings: acrobats, animals and, of course, the clowns. Absolute live entertainment by those performers in their costumes, and acts walking over your head on a thread or flying from a trapeze. Continuous excitement.

If that’s not enough wait till you get to the midway and savor the sight and smell of the food and listening to the barker trying to entice you into his side show. You would see some amazing things.

That is how I see it not from the audience but looking from the inside. The countless hours of preparation for the acts, the unknown about the weather ahead. Will the people come, will the acts and animals stay healthy through the season. The absolute hard work from set-up to tear down in so many towns to allow as many people as possible hear “The circus is coming to town,” soon to be no more; what an end to one of the greatest institutions this country had.

This story was originally published February 4, 2017 at 2:24 PM with the headline "End of great era with loss of circus."