THE BALLOON MAN

Kenny & the Kids Step right up for showmanship at Kosair Circus

Karoly Zeman’s BMX bicycle stunts are designed to dazzle. He is said to have pedaled his way to the top of his class at the Hungarian Circus School. He’s performing this weekend in the Kosair Shrine Circus.
Feb. 11, 2011
Written byKen Neuhauserkneuhauser@courier-journal.com
Once again Bo is in town and ready for the tusk — err, task — at hand.
Bo, “The All American Elephant,” is the star of the 86th annual Kosair Shrine Circus, which opened Thursday at the Kentucky Exposition Center.Remaining performances of the traditional three-ring circus are at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. today; and 10 a.m., 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Broadbent Arena. The doors will open one hour before each show. Pony rides will be available before each performance and at intermission.Marvel's main man, Spider-Man, will greet fans 30 minutes before each show and during intermission.In addition to clowns, jugglers, hula-hoop razzler-dazzlers, acrobats, high-wire artists and captivating canines, there are all sorts of specialty acts, including the Extreme Riders' Motorcycle Madness featuring daredevil riders zooming at crazy speeds inside a metal globe.Other attractions include Ms. Vincenta Pages and her all-white tiger troupe; the “awesomely agile” aerialist Miss Luisa, “The Lady on the Moon”; and the BMX bicycle stunts performed by Karoly Zeman, who pedaled his way to the top of his class at the Hungarian Circus School.As always with circuses, promoters like to embellish the descriptions of their acts with all sorts of hyperbole, but I'll accept the promoter's word that Zeman is the only active world champion bicycle rider today who performs a double somersault on the bike.The “stunning” Miss Audrey Michelle is the ringmistress.The circus is produced by George Carden Circus International. Carden, a fifth-generation showman, has been in the circus business all of his life. His son, Larry Carden, is Bo's trainer. Larry Carden has taught the Asian elephant more than 60 maneuvers, including playing the drums, trumpet and harmonica, dancing like a ballerina and skipping.Tickets are $16 and $18; a limited number of floor-seating tickets cost $22. They are available at the box office and through TicketMaster. For more information, call (502) 585-5497 or (800) 745-3000 or visit www.kosaircircus.com.From THE LOUISVILLE COURIER-JOURNAL