EVERY CROWD HAS A SILVER LINING: KIDS ENJOY CIRCUS; SOME PARENTS UNHAPPY WITH SALES PITCH

One adult circus ticket to accompany your children, who got free tickets at school: $16.

Three pineapple snow cones: $9.

Watching your children ride Ohka the elephant: $5.

Spending a Sunday afternoon watching dancing bears and a human cannonball: pricey.

Hundreds of gleeful children and their parents turned out at the Show Me Center Sunday to watch the Sterling and Reid Brothers Circus, a show the ringmaster promised to be "three rings of fun, fantasy and fabulous flying."

Audience members were delighted by two hours of circus performances, featuring elephants, acrobats, clowns, tightrope walkers, dancing bears, plumed horses, a parade and a human cannonball.

"I liked where the elephants were holding onto each other and walking around," said 8-year-old Kaitlyn Dannenmueller of Sikeston, Mo., adding that she liked all the circus animals.

Sisters Marissa, 5, and Brittany Purcell, 3, differed on their favorite performers. Marissa liked the elephants and the horses; Brittany enjoyed the human cannonball.

Their grandmother, Cathy Rawlings of Cape Girardeau, said they all had a good time.

"I thought it was nice," she said. "This is the second time we've come to the circus."

Before and after the show, many children had their photos taken holding King George, a Burmese python; riding Ohka the elephant or taking a pony ride. Getting up close and personal with the animals cost about $5 each.

Hawking toys upsetting

Many parents were stunned by what seemed to be blatant attempts to hawk plastic blow-up toys, pony rides, balloons and refreshments. About halfway through the show, racks of plastic, blow-up aliens were carted into the circus rings, as parents and children were encouraged to purchase the toys, which, for a few minutes, would be sold for $6 instead of $12.

Monica Dannenmueller, Kaitlyn's mother, said she didn't mind the cost of other items, but she was taken aback by that attempt to sell toys.

"I didn't like that at all," she said, "but the kids enjoyed the show. It was their first time to the circus."

As Samantha Farrow, 10, of Millersville, Mo., and her cousin, Robbie Farrow, 5, of Cape Girardeau, waited in line for their chance to hop aboard Ohka, both said they were having a good time.

Samantha said she chose to ride Ohka over holding King George the python.

"I hate snakes," she said. "They're slimy and gross. I always liked elephants since I watched a movie about them before."

Although Robbie Farrow was shy about describing his interest in riding Ohka, Samantha said she was hoping for a good ride.

"I don't know," she said, "I hope it's not bad. I'm kind of nervous though."

The circus grand finale was a man dressed in blue tights, a gold cape and a set of goggles ceremoniously shot out of a cannon.

As the ringmaster counted down, a loud boom sounded, and the man was shot from the end of the cannon into an inflated cushion of air, much to the crowd's delight.

Heather Pullen, 8, of Sikeston said she had fun at the circus.

"I liked where he jumped out of the cannon," she said. "I also liked the bears riding the horses. I liked it all."