The Circus Makes A Stop In M.V.

By JENNA RHUDE

Moapa Valley Progress

“The noblest art is that of making others happy”
-PT Barnum

After seeing the Garden Brother’s Circus last week, local attendees understood why the circus makes one happy. Despite the heat, the circus music was booming from inside the Glen Hardy Large Animal Pavilion at the Clark County Fairgrounds.

It was a wonderland for kids. There were kiosks with light up toys and goodies for sale. You could get your face painted, take a turn in the bounce house or ride one of the many animals available. These included pony, camel and elephant rides.
“Riding the elephants was so fun!” exclaimed youngster Sophia Cordova.

Then the show began. Attention was immediately drawn to the motorcycle globe, known to most as The Globe of Death. In this metal sphere 4 men around on dirt bikes in a very small space. One motorcycle would be dangerous in there. But four motorcycles at the same time was mesmerizing. Many youngsters turned away, fearing an accident was approaching. But, all the men exited unharmed.

Meanwhile, there were women doing tricks high above the ground on ropes.
Next up was a unicycle spectacular. The star of the show was the young boy who was able to ride his unicycle while carrying his young sister. He also rode a unicycle with no seat and a 3 wheel tall unicycle. This young one could jump rope and juggle while riding.

A musical act followed, provided by the clowns and select members of the crowd. This performance was comical to say the least. Somehow clowns can bring out the inner child in everyone.

What happened next was incredible. Horses then entered the ring. Their riders performed some amazing acrobatics, all while the horses were riding the ring. This is called Cossacks or trick riding. The men and women, bounced from, swung around, rode under, laid over and many more tricks from these horses, all while moving at a steady pace.

One of the more startling acts was that of the hair hang. Two women and one man were suspended from their hair. They were drawn into the sky, by just a ponytail and a ring. They were beautiful. They looked as though they were flying. The women balanced plates, juggled and did a streamer dance. All three performers spun very quickly in the air.

Popular opinion as to the most anticipated event seemed to favor the elephant act. When these majestic animals entered the ring one child was heard to say that they look as though they are smiling with their eyes.

Being performed in such a small area, audience members felt as though they were in the ring with these amazing creatures. To see these extremely large animals climbing onto a small stand, dancing, laying down and sitting up like a panda bear was definitely worth the heat.

Nearly 1,000 people from as far as Las Vegas and St. George came to Logandale to see the Garden Brother’s Circus over the two days.

Garden Brothers is the longest running circus in the United States. For 100 years the same family has owned the circus. They are a proud group of performers.
“Watching them work together is like watching a well crafted machine,” said one of the show’s security guards. “They can set up, perform and tear down in a single day.”

“They put on a good show,” said local parent Shane Hickman. “My kids were mesmerized.”