THE BALLOON MAN

Circus brings more than 9,000 to Show Me Center for six shows

Elephants take the stage during the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which performed six shows over the weekend at the Show Me Center.(Fred Lynch)
Monday, April 25, 2011
By Erin Hevern ~ Southeast Missourian
A mixture of comedy, magic, musical and daring acts with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus charmed crowds at six different shows at the Show Me Center this weekend, drawing 9,314 to the venue on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. Shannon Buford, marketing director for the Show Me Center, said it was an entertaining weekend.
"It's live, so not every show is the same," Buford said.
"Zing Zang Zoom -- Gold Edition," drew crowds of all ages, but Sunday's show was made up mostly of families and young children.
James Nance of Sikeston, Mo., and his three children -- Victoria, Remington and Austin -- got their tickets to the circus three months in advance. They celebrated the Easter holiday Saturday to make it to the 3 p.m. show Sunday.
"My favorite part was when they hung from the high wire," said Victoria, as she ripped open her bag of cotton candy during intermission.
The show featured Ramon Esqueda and his Asian elephants -- Susie, Bonnie and Mini -- magician David DaVinci and his rare collection of birds, and Hans Klose, whose 10 dogs performed tricks in the show's first 60-minute half.
Khristine Hussein of Jackson said the animals dazzled her 20-month-old daughter, Laila.
"She loves animals so much, they've kept her content the whole show," said Hussein, who with her husband and three other children attended their first circus at the Show Me Center.
Five-year-old Sami and 7-year-old Amina enjoyed meeting Susie the elephant at the preshow Sunday, although debated during the intermission whether the pachyderm was a boy or a girl.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey show also featured performers who hung by their hair more than 30 feet in the air, a family who rode motorcycles a high speeds in a steel globe and trapeze artists who rode their own motorcycle along a high wire.
Hussein said overall, the show was child-friendly and she was happy to be spending the holiday with her whole family.
"It's some way to celebrate and be together on Easter because we couldn't be [in Chicago] with our whole family," she said.
ehevern@semissourian.com