Editorial

CIRCUS COMES TO TOWN WITH A GRAND ENTRANCE

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It's called "The Greatest Show on Earth," and local residents are hoping the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus lives up to its reputation. If past performances are any indication, local audiences should not be disappointed.

The circus comes to town today in typical show-business style with a grand animal parade through the streets of Cape Girardeau. Elephants, camels, llamas, horses and a host of other animals will parade on Broadway and Sprigg streets, beginning at 5 p.m. The nearly 50 animals will be led from the circus' 44-car train in the downtown area to the Show Me Center. Several of the performers and clowns will also join the colorful walk.

The Show Me Center will host a total of four performances on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Unique to the show is its splashy menagerie, which includes 17 elephants, 6 tigers, 2 lions, 39 horses, 1 wolf, 14 baboons, 2 bears, 2 hyenas, 4 llamas, 3 camels, 5 leopards, 1 rhinoceros, 1 chicken, 1 skunk, and 3 goats. The circus will include spectacular feats involving acrobats, tight-rope walkers, exotic animal acts, and trapeze artists.

It's taken some doing to bring this gigantic circus to Cape Girardeau. Most of its performances are held in much larger communities. Show Me Center Director David Ross has been working to book the prestigious circus since 1987.

The Show Me Center facilities should prove a fitting home for the four performances. This is just the kind of entertainment that the Show Me Center staff promised to bring to town when the center opened in August of 1987. The Show Me Center continues to deliver on that pledge.

The Show Me Center also continues to offer a real mix of entertainment, from the circus this week to three hard-rock bands on June 21.

The circus follows in the tradition of other top family entertainment such as "Disney on Ice" and "Sesame Street Live." This marks only the fifth time the circus has performed in Cape Girardeau. Previous performance dates were 1898, 1912, 1931, and 1969. That means they perform here about once every generation.

That makes the arrival of the 120th anniversary edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus all the more special.