"Children Of All Ages!"

  We overloaded our minivan just a bit
as the wife and I,our four grand kids,
a niece and her son headed out to see
the circus!
 We probably looked like those clowns
in the old days who were jammed into
the little Volkswagen. Everybody
wondered how they did it.
 Some wondered why.,
 Maybe they, like us, were facing a ten
dollar a car parking fee!
 That's plenty good reason for crowding
a lot of clowns, or family, into one car!
 The show was in a big arena rather
than under the "Big Top."
  You see there are all kinds of circuses
these days! 
 This one was the 'Cirque Du Soleil.'
 It's a tremendous show with extremely
talented acrobats,and a cast of very
entertaining performers.
 And ,though it's very different from
the circus I remember, it took me back
to the days when my Dad worked
spotlight for Ringling Brothers,Barnum,
and Bailey at the old Madison Square
Garden in New York City.
 That was especially nice with Father's
Day at hand.
 My Mom and I would go to visit Dad while
he worked a few weeks away from his job
as a motion picture projectionist.
 I can still see the famous three
ring set up and remember the
excitement of ' The Greatest Show
On Earth!'
 There was always a little booth of
seats set up for the circus owners.
 But they almost never came so my
Dad's union buddies would have my
Mom and I sit there.
 Just before the show started Dad
would aim his spotlight on our
seats and everyone in the
audience wondered who we were.
 Maybe that's where I learned to
enjoy being in the spotlight!
 I remember the smell of the circus
too!
 Of course Ringling Brothers had
Animal Acts.
 With apologies to those who oppose
the idea, I loved seeing the animals!
 I think most kids did. And still do.
 I won't pretend to know how they
were treated when out of my sight. But
I spent plenty of time behind the
scenes where the ones I saw were all
well cared for as part of the circus family.
 Cirque Du Soleil presented a great
show. But it doesn't use any
animals. Maybe they heard the popcorn
was going for six dollars a bag and
decided to leave them at home.
 The circus, animals or not is still
a lot of fun for children of all
ages. But you might consider filling
them with food before you go!
  I really enjoyed the acts, the clowns
and the music. I especially liked
watching the beams from the
spotlights trained on the performers.
  It made me think of my Dad who
always made me feel like I was in the
Center Ring!
 Hope your life is spent there too
and that all your NEWS is good!