Under the Big Top
“I’m afraid that 10 years from now, there won’t be any circuses any more. They are a dying art.”— Skeeter the Clown
Lions and tigers and clowns, oh my!
It’s hard not to get excited when the circus comes to town.
The town of DeKalb, Texas, enjoyed the old-fashioned entertainment this weekend when the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus hoisted its big top tent.
Fans of the old-time show were in for a real treat with acts including acrobats, unicycles, clowns, a lion and tigers, highwire walker, beautiful horses, a trapeze artist, a contortionist, trained dogs, a balancing act, and the death-defying wheels spinning around the center ring.
“This is the best,” said one little girl who was getting her face painted. “I like Leo.”
Leo the Clown kept the audience entertained in between acts and held his own with his own show too. The children loved him. His family-friendly comedy was a big hit with young and old alike.
It was really refreshing to see families enjoying a day out together, and what better way to spend the day other than going to a circus. It takes one back to one’s youth when circuses were more common and traveled through towns on a regular basis year after year.
What is sad is that circuses are dying away. There are fewer of them almost every year.
“I’m afraid that 10 years from now, there won’t be any circuses any more,” Skeeter the Clown said. “They are a dying art. Generations of families have known nothing else but the circus life. I don’t know what we will all do.”
One thing—and it’s a big thing—we can all do is continue to go to them. We should continue to introduce our children to the amazing acts, the funny clowns, the roasted peanuts and the animals they may never otherwise get to see live.
Circuses and traveling shows have been around for hundreds of years. But technology today is turning people’s attention away from the thrill of seeing live acts.
One noticeable thing at this circus last weekend was the lack of people pulling their phones out to record the show. They were so involved in the entertainment aspect, it’s almost like they forgot they even had phones. It was wonderful actually.
The children were squealing with delight when Leo the Clown was entertaining everyone with his corny, but perfectly apropos jokes. Their eyes were wide with fascination when the tigers and lion entered the ring. They loved seeing the trained dogs. In fact, they seemed to really enjoy the whole experience.
And their parents were beaming like little kids themselves.
“Come on, let’s go see Leo the Clown. Hurry up,” said one father after his daughter had her face painted. It was questionable as to who was more excited.
The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus starts their annual trek across the country in March. This last Saturday in DeKalb was the last day of their performances for this year.
They will all head up to Hugo, Okla., for the winter. Hugo, known as Circus City USA is one of the largest circus towns in the country. Several circuses winter there during their off-season.
It’s not unusual to see circus trailers parked next to pickups and sedans in the driveways in town.
Hugo caters to them. They even have their own cemetery. And that is a story all on its own.
Showmen’s Rest is one of the nation’s most well-known cemeteries for circus performers and workers. It has a monument stating that it is a “Tribute to all showmen under God’s big top.”
Hugo has a lot to offer in the entertainment industry of circuses and would be worth a day’s trip to visit.
For now, Culpepper and Merriweather performers and workers will spend their winter in Hugo until March rolls around again and they will begin their next trek across the country to the entertainment of all who love the circus.