CARSON & BARNES CIRCUS IN PORTAGE, OHIO

Ringing in the weekend: Plenty of fun with circus, horse show in Portage

A Habitat For Humanity family, Millie Shlusher and kids Tracie and Dakota, rides an elephant into the circus ring.
By Mike Sever
Record-Courier staff writer
Horses and elephants, aerialists and riders were the stars of entertainment this weekend.
Children young and old got a rare experience Friday as the Carson & Barnes Circus presented two performances at the Randolph Fairgrounds.
And the 51st annual Charity Horse Show started Friday and continues today and Sunday at Sunbeau Valley Farm in Ravenna Township with hundreds of horses and riders.
The first Carson & Barnes trucks rolled into the Randolph Fairgrounds before daylight Friday, loaded with equipment and animals.
By 8 a.m. the four framework piers for the massive 50-foot-tall big top were up and local residents were arriving to watch the action.
“We’ve been to a circus before, but we never saw one set up,” said Jamie Bristau of Aurora. She and her daughter Emma, 2 1/2, were watching the elephants, and later pet a camel.
“It’s so cool. We got to see a hippo,” said Michaela Wise. She was watching the action with friends Ashley Smithberger, Anna DeAngelis and Rylie Clause, all of Randolph.
Gianni Damicone, 3, watched intently as the red-and-blue big top went up.
“He’s been to the circus before, but this is his first big top,” said his grandmother, Diane Damicone.
When the show opened, children of all ages watched wide-eyed as the Fernandez family performed death-defying feats on the “Double Wheels of Fate” and “Franchesca” spun masses of hula hoops.
Performing dogs, high-wire aerialists and “Alex” the clown kept audience members smiling and on the edge of their seats.
Carson & Barnes, one of the last circuses to perform under a big top tent, is marking its 74th anniversary. The family-owned circus is based in Oklahoma and includes performing artists from around the world.
Friday’s two performances by the Carson & Barnes Circus were sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of Portage County. Proceeds go to support Habitat’s mission of building affordable housing for families.
Guest ringmaster for the early show was Janet Esposito, Portage County auditor and a Habitat board member.
The early show opened with Lindsay Durdel, 16, of Aurora singing “God Bless the USA.” Durdel is a member of the Singing Angels, a Cleveland-area youth chorus with some 250 members.
Others pitched in to help Habitat put on the circus, from Southeast High School football players directing parking to the Portage County-Randolph Fair Board donating use of the fairgrounds parking lot.
“The community has really supported us,” said Barbara Oswick, Habitat circus co-chair. This is the third time Habitat has sponsored the circus appearance.
The horse show continues at noon today and 11 a.m. on Sunday at Sunbeau Valley Farm west of Ravenna.
Admission is $5. Children age 12 and younger enter free.There is no charge for parking.
The event raises money for the Hattie Larlham Foundation, Ravenna Lions and the Questor 4-H group.