THE BALLOON MAN

'It's like one big family' at the circus

Claire Redding, a 13-year veteran with the circus, talks about her lifestyle on the road

FROM: tallahassee.com

by Jordan Culver, Democrat staff writer

Jan 20, 2013

 

The circus is full of surprises.

When I first sat down with Claire Redding, tour coordinator for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I guess I originally thought a mother of two who traveled with the circus for 11 months out of the year would be a little more tired.

Needless to say I was wrong. Redding was extremely energetic and more than willing to answer questions about raising kids on the road. We sat down for about 10 minutes Thursday in the Civic Center while others prepared for the circus. During that time I gained some pretty hilarious insight into the mind of a mom who takes her kids to a new grocery store every week.

Redding’s boys — Caton and Ashton, both of whom are under 10 — enjoy the travel as much as she does, which actually also surprised me. I know plenty of people in this city that take pride in being “home-grown” Tallahasseans. I doubt Redding’s kids would like sticking around for more than a couple weeks.

Schooling isn’t an issue because the circus has a teacher who travels with them. While the performers are rehearsing for a show, the kids get to go to school, which is set up away from the performance.

To hear her tell it, Redding lives the best life in the world. She and her kids will hit the road again after the final “Fully Charged” performance tonight in the Civic Center.

read more:

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20130120/LIVING04/301200027/-s-like-one-big-family-circus?nclick_check=1