THE BALLOON MAN

Circus, circus

November 3, 2010
By Staff reports
The Charleston,W.VA. Gazette Advertiser

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The circus comes to the area this weekend -- two, actually, one small-ish, one big-ish. The small one is on Sunday as the Beni Kedem Shrine Circus comes to the Civic Center for shows at 1 and 5 p.m., with clowns, miniature car merriment and more. All seats are general admission, and tickets cost $15 adults and $10 children 12 and under. Tickets are only on sale at the box office the day of the show

At Huntington's Big Sandy Superstore Arena, the big circus unfolds as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents "Illuscination" today through Sunday. Described as "a fantasy-filled world," it's hosted by David DaVinci, who set a world-record in 2007 with a free diving card trick.

Other acts includes Viktoriya and Widny, the Empresses of the Air, who execute "a never-before-seen extreme hair hang," which should be fun, and the KungFu Kings who combine mixed martial arts and sheer strength to twist solid metal poles around their bodies and dive through hoops of razor-sharp sabers -- blindfolded, no less.

Shows are 7 p.m. today and Friday; 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $30 (VIP Floor Seats), $20 or $14 at www.ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000. There's an all-access pre-show an hour before the start time, free to ticket holders, where you can meet Ringling Bros. performers and animals and learn circus skills.