ELKHART -- Asian elephants, flying ballerinas and special attraction Alex the Clown will wow audiences with extraordinary feats during two shows today.
The Carson & Barnes Circus of Hugo, Okla., with its singular tent and requisite traveling zoo, will perform at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the American Countryside Farmers Market. The troupe has visited Elkhart before, most recently offering a show at Concord Mall in 2007.
Tickets at the door are $8 for children 12 and younger, $18 to $24 for adults. Buy-one-get-one-free coupons are available at all Elkhart County McDonald's.
BIG-TOP CHALLENGES
Keeping the art of the traveling circus alive is a challenge these days, said public relations spokesperson Mal Knopf. Admissions are down and fuel prices are up. Direct competition from sports and other, mainly digital, forms of entertainment, pull audiences several ways.
But the circus continues to hold its own, said Circus Hall of Fame volunteer John Fugate. For example, Sunday in Indianapolis, where the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus went up against the Colts' game, more than 20,000 people headed to Conseco Fieldhouse to see the circus.
"It's the last venue that's not mechanical or done with visual effects. It's real people doing real things with real animals," Fugate said.
Knopf said that smaller cities seem to have more people who appreciate wholesome, live entertainment than the larger, more cosmopolitan locations.
"You don't have to put your hand in front of the kids' eyes, turn down the sound or use that thing that blocks channels. It's something we who are involved can be proud of," Fugate said.
Carson & Barnes offers an old-style circus with a patriotic slant. The show's forte is its Asian elephants, which come from its own breeding facility in Oklahoma.
ANIMAL CARE
Although People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals targets circuses with accusations of inhumane treatment, Fugate and Knopf agree that's rubbish.
Circuses around the country have spent millions of dollars on breeding, pampering and even providing retirement refuges for their animals, Fugate said. He said that circus animals actually live longer than their counterparts in the wild, due to the veterinary care and vitamin regimens provided them.
Carson & Barnes operates a breeding facility in conjunction with Texas A & M University and local zoos to repopulate the Asian elephant breed in the United States, as well as an endangered animal refuge.
"Really, think about it," Knopf said. "You don't stay in business for 75 years by abusing animals."
LOCAL ECONOMY
The circus can provide financial gain for municipalities.
The first thing a circus will do when it arrives is make a local purchase of diesel fuel for its many semi tractor-trailers. Hay and feed for the animals often have to be obtained, as does food for the performers. Sometimes costumes need supplies to repair them, or tools need to be replaced.
Additionally, Carson & Barnes performs primarily in locations where a local host might use a circus as a fundraiser. That way, a portion of the money taken in from performances stays in the area.
IF YOU GO
Spectators are welcome to watch the activities any time after the semi trailers arrive ths morning. The tentative schedule is:
7 a.m. -- Arrival at American Countryside Farmers Market. Animals are unloaded immediately and fed. A free petting zoo including domestic animals will be set up for the public.
8:30 a.m. -- Begin putting up the big top tent with help from the elephants
2 p.m. -- Bathe the elephants
4:30 p.m. -- First show
7:30 p.m. -- Second show
9:30 p.m. -- Teardown