THE BALLOON MAN

Big Apple Circus cancels visit to Stone Mountain

The Big Apple Circus isn’t coming to town this year.

Feb 1, 2011 Reporter: By Heather Darenberg, Staff Writer

STONE MOUNTAIN — The Big Apple Circus isn’t coming to town this year.
Because of operating deficits, the circus canceled this season’s engagements in Stone Mountain and Dulles, Va., executive director Gary Dunning said.
“The last two seasons have been challenging for everyone, and the Big Apple Circus is not exempt from feeling the effects of the recession,” Dunning said in a released statement. “The general decline in fundraising and ticket sales has led to operating deficits that diminish the company’s cash reserves. When combined with the general trend of financial institutions reducing the availability of credit, the company’s cash flow has been constrained.”
To address the changes in the economic climate, the circus implemented layoffs and wage reductions and re-engineered its business model to decrease operations from $22 million to $17 million, Dunning said.
“Simply put, the company cannot afford to underwrite the losses incurred in these engagements (in Stone Mountain and Virginia) this year,” he said
Dunning said the company will seek to return to both markets in the future.
For those who still want to see a circus, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “FUNundrum” will be at the Arena at Gwinnett Center from Feb. 24 to 27. For more information, visit www.ringling.com.