THE BALLOON MAN

Shrine Circus comes to town this weekend

 

Special to the Ledger-Enquirer Elephants are a popular part of the Shrine Circus, which comes to the Columbus Civic Center this weekend.
from:  ledger-enquirer.com
By SONYA SORICH — ssorich@ledger-enquirer.com
September 13, 2012
Columbus, GA--Guests at this weekend's Shrine Circus don't need to worry about where they'll sit.

"There's not a bad seat in the house. It's a full-blown, three-ring circus. That's a big deal right there," said Mark Cantrell, circus chairman and director for the Columbus-Fort Benning Shrine Club.

The circus comes to the Columbus Civic Center Saturday and Sunday. It will feature a wide assortment of animals, death-defying acts and more.

While you can usually expect crowd favorites like elephants, tigers and lions, Cantrell said the Shrine Circus is anything but predictable.

"They change the show each and every year," Cantrell said.

Special to the Ledger-Enquirer A bear performs at a previous Shrine Circus.

He calls the event a clean, safe opportunity for family fun. "That's our No. 1 priority: people feeling good," Cantrell said. The local Shrine Club gave away 60,000 free tickets to students at local schools.
"It's a souvenir ticket that they can feel proud of," Cantrell said.

The organization will also give away two bikes per show this weekend. There are two ways to win. Children can enter a general random drawing. There's also a junior Shrine clown contest. Children dressed as clowns will be entered in a random drawing.

Proceeds from the circus will support the Columbus-Fort Benning Shrine Club and its projects. The group gives back to the community in multiple ways.

The Columbus-Fort Benning Shrine Club is giving five local high school marching bands the chance to showcase their skills at circus performances this weekend. The club will donate $500 to each band that performs.

"It's a memory they will never forget," Cantrell said of the musicians.

Of course, the local Shrine Club remains committed to helping patients at Shriners Hospitals for Children as well.

The circus will support a transportation fund that focuses largely on taking local patients to a Shriners Hospital in South Carolina.

Shriners Hospitals provide orthopedic, burn, spinal cord injury and cleft lip and palate care to children under 18.

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/09/13/2199388/shrine-circus-comes-to-town-this.html#storylink=cpy