THE BALLOON MAN

Big-top circus returns to DFW


 

Photo Courtesy of Carson & Barnes - Asian elephants Isa, Bennie and Bunny move into place during their floor routine at a recent Carson & Barnes Circus show. The 76-year circus returns to DFW this weekend with seven shows at the Millennium Business Park in Allen.
By Chris Beattie
From:  scntx.com
Thursday, March 22, 2012 
Big-top thrills are not just for movies and memories. Circuses have dwindled since their mid-20th century prime, but they haven't vanished.
And the "biggest" indicator is in town.
"It's more of a circus feel because, in our opinion, if you don't have a tent and an elephant, you're not really a circus," said Barbara Miller-Byrd, third-generation owner of Carson & Barnes Circus, self-proclaimed the world's biggest big-top show. "We definitely have a beautiful tent, we definitely have elephants and you're about 50 feet away from the action."


 

Photo Courtesy of Carson & Barnes - The famous Aerial Bamboo act, which originates from China, is a constant feature in Carson & Barnes Circus shows. Performers entertain on a metal pole that dangles from a chain 30 feet above audiences.
Carson & Barnes Circus returns to the DFW area with a three-day stint at the Millennium Business Park in Allen. The 76-year-old circus will pitch its 142-feet-by-131-feet tent Friday for seven weekend shows.


The circus, which every year travels to about 15 states around the nation from March through November, entertains spectators with a tradition that lives on through trapeze acts, clowns and cotton candy.
"We've just got a well-rounded circus that features all the things that you would think of when you think of a circus," Byrd said. "We welcome [guests] from age 2 to 102, and we think that we can entertain many generations at the same time."


That generational approach stems from the circus's evolution over the years. Now stationed out of its winter quarters in Hugo, Okla., Carson & Barnes began as a small-time "dog-and-pony" show in 1937 in Smith Center, Kansas.


Byrd's grandfather, Obert Miller, father D.R. Miller, and uncle founded the Al G. Kelly & Miller Bros. Circus. When D.R. entered into a partnership with a man named Moore in the 1960s, they changed the name because D.R. "just liked the way it sounded," Byrd said.


The central circus crew, including the animals, has lived in Hugo since 1941. This year, the circus will present more than 200 performances around the country, moving close to 200 members and 70 vehicles about 50 miles every day to the next destination.


"When it turns spring and starts to get green, we get itchy feet, we're ready to get on the road again and travel all over the U.S. and entertain people," Byrd said, referencing meal trucks, mechanical trucks and the rest of the Carson & Barnes troupe. "It's like a little city moving down the road."
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