THE BALLOON MAN

Circus brings big top fun to Redford

Aug 18, 2011

By Pat Murphy

Observer Staff Writer

Deanna Lee and her 3-year-old daughter, Bethany, were up early Monday, and with good reason. They were among dozens of residents on hand to welcome the Kelly Miller Circus, which made a one-day appearance at Bell Creek Park.We wanted to see them raise the big top,” said Lee.“And I wanted to see the tigers,” said Bethany.The 38-truck circus convoy rolled in shortly after 6:30 a.m.“The crews were like clockwork,” said Jay Johnson, president of the Redford Township Jaycees, which sponsored the show. “Each person had a specific job and by 9 a.m., the elephants were pulling up the big top.”By early Wednesday, the troupe was packed and ready to move to its next performance in Westland.Shows were at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., but people were waiting when the circus arrived. They were welcome to mill about the grounds for much of the day, watching the animals, occasionally chatting with workers and enjoying the atmosphere.Some were experiencing their very first circus, said Doreen Arwood, chair of the Jaycee circus committee, “But for others, it was a family tradition.”Big appetitesEach of the three elephants eats five bales of hay and 30 pounds of grain every day, spokesman Lucky Eddie Straeffer told a group of early risers, and each drinks 30 gallons of water.“Tigers eat 10 pounds of raw meat daily,” he said.Official attendance was 983 people, said Johnson, “And I think everyone had a good time.”Sandy Benson of Livonia certainly had a great time.“I just happened to be driving by and saw the signs,” she said. Later inthe day, she returned with her three daughters, two nieces and a couple youngsters from the neighborhood.“We're glad we did,” she said. “This is fabulous. It has such a local feel. This must have been what circuses were like in the early 1900s — really cool.”For Terry Vanover, a student at Hilbert Middle School, this was his first circus, but certainly not his last. Asked if he would come next year he said, “Definitely. I liked everything, especially the tigers.”It was the third circus for Wendy Anderson and her niece, Ava Moore, who had her face painted. Ava said she enjoyed the clowns and jugglers, but she also liked the tigers. Others enjoyed riding the elephants or camels.The circus was the beginning of National Jaycee Week.