Kelly Miller

The CIRCUS came to town

The Kelly Miller circus came to Howard County.

Circus in Howard County

They must have crept in over night and put up the big top in the dark because one day there was nothing out of the ordinary and then the next, on the commute to work down I70, there was a huge red and blue tent at the Howard County Fairgrounds.



I must admit that the last time I went to the circus was when I was seven years old and I don't remember much about it. Now I am blessed to have a 1 ¾ year old who is tickled pink to see such theatre.

Not that I am an "over-achiever" Mother, maybe more of an "over compensating full time Realtor" Mother, but I arrived at the fairground at 8.50am to "get in line" for my early bird tickets for the 4pm show.

There was not much fanfare about getting my seats, I didn't have to wait in line with folk who had camped out over night- in fact most of the people I asked at that early hour had no idea where the ticket box was!

The price per head was more than acceptable- my son was essentially free, but I bought a seat anyway just in case. I also upgraded all of our seats to "Ringside" for a mere $2



So how was the circus?



It was excellent fun. We sat ringside- although the draw of the camel and the horses outside kept us from getting the best seats in the house. (Try dragging a pre-two inquisitive boy away from live animals with reason and suggestion alone in a timely manner!)

A little too far to the left, but able to see everything close up albeit the back of their heads.

They started the show with big Bengal tigers, followed by juggling, performing dogs, high wire performances and spectacular acrobats.



Drew was star struck by the lights, action and music. He bounced around and was talking and pointing the entire time





At the interval we rode on the big elephant for a mere $5. It was worth every penny to see the joy and amazement in my sons face.

Susan and Wyatt on the elephant

Susan and Wyatt rode too



The final act of the evening was the three performing elephants. We were so close it was almost intimidating with their huge stature. We may have regressed in potty training when my son pointed to the big pile left by the elephant and said "Mommy-Poop!"

Elephants in Howard County



We had a wonderful evening- it was wholesome simplistic fun where the ticket collector doubled as the high wire performer. But how long will it last for?



The ticket prices were nominal, it was 2.5 hours of entertainment yet the 4pm show was almost empty. The local advertising was non existent and only by default did we hear about this.



How do they continue to afford to stay in business? The gas prices alone to drive from one City to another must be crippling. Imagine the cost of feeding 3 elephants in this economy too! Soon the only circus to be seen will be in large impersonal arenas.



To protect the future interests of my child and many others, please support these businesses.



Next year if they come back I plan to offer my services for free to help market and increase their attendance in my area. Maybe you could do the same.

6 days and counting