SEND IN THE CLOWNS

It takes more than clown makeup, frilly costumes and dancing elephants to put on a circus.

It's a centuries-old show of amusement and entertainment that requires planning and organization prior to any performance.

The setup takes twice as long as the show and usually begins five to six hours prior to the first performance. Putting on a circus is organized chaos, said Dutch Crawford, show manager for the Sterling and Reid Brothers Circus.

It takes about two hours to get the basic equipment off the 22 trailers, "and then it's just screams and hollers and hassles," Crawford said.

"The army came to the circus to get logistics down," he said.

Everyone on the crew has a job to be done and only a certain amount of time to do it, he said.

"As we get closer to the show, the intensity grows," said J. Sandy Swanson, ringmaster.

Sterling and Reid Brothers Circus, based in Sarasota, Fla., gave two performances Jan. 14 at the Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau. Several hundred people attended each show.

For every dancing bear, high wire act or antics of a clown, there's twice as much happening behind the scenes.

Early morning

It's 8 a.m. With a thick layer of fog blanketing the hilltops and a light mist falling, the first crew members enter the Show Me Center. They will unload a tractor trailer filled with rolls of floor mats, carpeting and the components of the circus' three rings.

Coffee is brewing and performers, awakened after a short night's rest, enter the building with their steaming Styrofoam cups of java to see the layout.

The high wire artists begin searching for a place to set up their gear and anchor their platforms. Riggers check the rafters and catwalk to see where ropes will be hung for the flying acts.

By 9:30 a.m., breakfast is served. The kitchen is inside a small truck and comes complete with sink and stove and storage space for about three days of supplies. The circus crews start the day with oatmeal, served with butter and honey, and plenty of hot coffee. Lunch is usually sandwiches served between noon and 2 p.m., while dinner consists of meat, beans and salads.

At 10 a.m., concession crews are hard at work setting up their stands near the building entrance. They've got carts of inflatable elephants and aliens and other toys spread across the floor waiting to be aired up, buckets of popcorn to pop and bags to fill with pink and blue cotton candy before the show.

At 11 a.m., the click of a ratchet wrench echoes through the arena as crews tighten cables onto a semi truck cab to make a base for the high wire platforms.

Children race around the floor on a scooter, killing time before the show.

Outside in the parking lot, horses and ponies have been fed and are wearing blankets to keep their freshly-groomed coats from getting wet.

The elephants are getting fed but don't come outside yet because of the cool weather.

Around 12:30 p.m., performers begin getting ready. The clowns put on their makeup while other performers get into costume and check their gear one last time.

By 1 p.m., doors are open and people begin drifting in to find seats. The elephant waits in the center ring for children interested in taking rides. Ponies circle the floor in a side ring, also awaiting riders. And those interested in something more exotic can have their picture taken with a giant python in the farthest ring.

A clown sits near the bleachers and offers face-painting. Vendors walk the aisles hawking snow cones, cotton candy and toys.

Music blares from a loudspeaker and the ringmaster takes the microphone at 1:40 p.m. to begin the show.

Children watched with wide eyes as a high wire performer rides a unicycle across the thin wire, balancing a woman on his shoulders. A father-son clown act elicits laughter from both the adults and children in the audience.

"You'll see adults who haven't seen a circus in 30 years and you'll see kids who have never come before," Swanson said of the crowd. "We are families entertaining families."

Another town

Most of the circus shows take place in a new city every day. About three hours after the last show ends, the circus begins packing up, ready to head out of town.

"It leaves precious little time to work on the show," Crawford said.

The circus moved from Cape Girardeau to Owensboro, Ky. before making its way up the East Coast.

And when you join the circus crew, it means being away from home for 11 months of the year. The circus travels with 100 people on its winter tour, including both crew members and performers, three elephants, two tigers, several horses and ponies, two bears and some dogs. Another dozen people or more will join this troupe in March when the outdoor tent goes up in Baton Rouge, La.