FROM TRAVELROADS.COM

THE BERNUDEZ CLOWNS OF THE COLE BROS. CIRCUS NOW ON TOUR THROUGHOUT THE U.S. by GLENN ARNETTE

ON THE ROAD WITH COLE BROS. CIRCUS
WHAT IS NEXT?I am mad as hell! What next? First, no fur coats, no lights for the turtles on the beach, no boats because of the manatee, now NO ELEPHANTS in the Circus because a small group of people don’t like it! PLEASE! What are we trying to do to ourselves. How is a kid suppose to grow up? Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the Cole Brothers Circus now touring the United States. I was not fortunate enough to see the elephants Tina and Jewel because some stupid organization refused to let them go on. Even the signage out front of the big tent showed elephants. Some towns will see them and some will not. Just my luck, I lost out. Why take the enjoyment out of a live circus?We all know that the anchors of a circus are the clowns and elephants. At least Dan Baltulois thinks so and he is the Director of Marketing for Cole Bros. Circus. I like his way of thinking!Regardless, the show must go on and it certainly did. This three ring extravaganza started with the ThunderDome. There were three cycles and they drove into a metal sphere which seemed barley large enough for one cycle. It was a race to the finish. How they kept from crashing into each other is the thrill!There were poodles decorated in pink, blue and green. Abuhadba’s Fantasy Poodle Review presented dogs riding in a car, dancing and even riding scooters around the ring.
The Ponce Family Flyers, trapeze artists from Guatemala, delighted the audience with their aerial acrobatics. It was a very exciting performance from ribbons of chiffon to an effortlessness demonstration of strength. From the air to the ground they certainly amazed the audience. The high wire act brought cheers from the crowd. Spectacular! Of course the clowns brought great comic relief to the crowd. The Bermudez Clowns provided laughter with Brazil’s Amazing Andrey, the world’s wackiest acrobat.Then the highlight of the night (should have been the elephants) was the woman being shot out of the cannon. That still excites me! With the BOOM, out she came and landed in a net at the far end of the tent. YEA!The Cole Bros. Circus is now starting it annual tour. It is still the real circus, under the big, Big, BIG tent, right on the grass with all the cotton candy, hot dogs, popcorn and much more including the dust! There is something about the real thing! It brings out the kid in you. I am still amazed how much we all love the Circus.By-the-way I was the Ringmaster of the Cole Brothers Circus for one day over 30 years ago and I was in the lion cage with the whip working the lions for three minutes. Later I had the adventure of eating in the circus mess tent on the metal trays with the performers. Have you done that?From the moment you hear the Ringmaster, Chris Connors, say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Circus", you have chills and know you are about to be entertained for the next two hours.Check your local newspapers and be sure to take a crowd and enjoy the circus. It is the best family entertainment and the best price you will find. Every seat under the Big Top is good, but the reserve seats put you in the center of the show. Kids, don’t forget to have your face painted by the professional clowns. It is something to leave on for days! Go to their web site and see what you might miss!www.colebroscircus.comUntil next time, enjoy the national website at www.travelstorymagazine.com or email me with your travel thoughts to VGArnette3@aol.com.Remember to protest the protesters to protest that no elephants can be used in the circus. We have a voice too!