Under the Big Top

The circus came to Maquoketa!  The Carson and Barnes Circus was in town, so I took Eli to see the show.  It was quite the set up; besides the huge circus tent, they had a petting zoo, a train ride, pony rides, a bounce house, and even offered elephant and camel rides.   

While the show started off a bit slow with some simple dog tricks, it soon picked up the pace with lots of acrobatics, my favorite part of the circus.  There was a variety of entertainment.  The only animals featured, though, were the dogs, horses, and elephants.  Acrobats, trapeze artists, and clown skits comprised the rest of the show.  

Eli really seemed to enjoy the show and sat mesmerized during the entire 2 hours, even joining in by dancing to the music and applauding with the crowd.  

 These two guys were amazingly strong; 

lifting each other in all sorts of poses.

 This girl balanced on a ball while 

hula hooping with multiple parts of her body.

 Eli loved this donkey at the petting zoo.

 Elephants waiting for riders

 Checking out the goats

Camels and llamas

 The stars of the show

 A little hard to see with the blinding light

but this was my favorite part - the trapeze artists.

    This also reminded me of watching "Circus of the Stars" as a kid.  

I used to love that show, which was on just once a year.