Come one. Come all. Under the big top. It’s circus time!
I love a circus. And what’s not to love? Admittedly, I haven’t been to one in years, but I can vividly recall the excitement that this kid had at the opportunity to see a real, live circus.
Those memories were brought back to life this week when I edited an upcoming story about a local Shriner and his involvement with the Za-Ga-Zig Shrine Circus, which is going on this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. If you are up for attending a circus, be sure to check it out — and look to the February issue of CITYVIEW for the story on the local Shriner.
I remember going on a fifth-grade class trip to what I believe was the Abu Bekr Shrine Circus in Sioux City, where my classmates from the public and private schools in my hometown of Algona were bused 120 miles each way to see the clowns, the acrobats, the trained animals, the trapeze acts, the tightrope walkers and more. It was sensory overload, but it was amazing. And, if I remember correctly, our tickets were paid for by the Shriners of Kossuth County. What a deal!
The circus was amazing, but getting there (and back) was half the fun. If you’ve been on a school bus recently with elementary-aged kids, you might envision what this was like. Now imagine going on a 2.5-hour bus trip each way — without cell phones. We packed our sack lunches, our decks of cards, our Mad magazines and our handheld Mattel Electronic Football games (with a spare 9-volt battery, if we planned properly). One guy even brought a black-and-white portable TV with a 5-inch screen and rabbit ears (which ran on nine — yes, nine — D batteries). The boys typically sat in the back of the bus, and the girls gathered in the front. A few courageous ones may have actually met in the middle and sat next to each other. Yes, we all actually talked to each other.
Oh, and there was a circus, too. Clowns, tigers, trapeze artists and… did I mention that black-and-white portable TV with a 5-inch screen?
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 |
