Circus to stop in North Bend
Published 1:59 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
NORTH BEND – Have a hankering for cotton candy? Is the song “Entry of the Gladiators” stuck in your head? If so, you’re in luck because the circus is coming to town.
The Carson and Barnes traveling circus is stopping in North Bend on Wednesday, Aug. 29. The circus will put on two performances under one big tent, set up at the corner of State Route 202 and Boalch Avenue.
“It’s a good circus,” said Burl Greer, advance coordinator for Carson and Barnes. “A lot of the performers have been born and bred in the circus. The kids come right up and join the parents.”
The five-ring spectacle will feature just about everything the mind can conjure up when the word “circus” is mentioned. Greer said Carson and Barnes will bring all the exotic animals, magic and mayhem that make up the sights, sounds and tastes of a real circus. Clowns, acrobats and the only performing Friesian horses will all be featured under what Greer described as “the single biggest circus tent in the world.”
Self-described as a “$5 million nomadic city on wheels,” the Carson and Barnes Circus is home and workplace to more than 180 people from 12 countries for 34 weeks out of the year.
Both Greer and Ringmaster Jim Royal said only half of the show takes place underneath the big tent. The circus, which is packed into more than 80 semi trucks and transport vehicles, often sets up the very morning of the performances and is torn down shortly after the finale.
The tent, which seats 2,500 people, is erected with the help of elephants and everyone helps in set-up and break down. The whole circus cycle – from raising the tent, to performing, to packing all the equipment – is less than 24 hours. And then it’s on to the next town.
“Looking out and seeing the looks of wonder, amazement and joy is why we can do this every night,” Royal said. “It’s the same look of expression everywhere we go.”
