THE BALLOON MAN

"The Real Circus" Is Coming To Town March 18

As part of their 78th consecutive year of touring the USA, Carson & Barnes Circus, the largest traveling big top tent circus in America will visit Teague, TX on Tuesday, March 18 at Jefferson Park. The Teague Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the circus to help raise money for the group’s various community projects.

Show times are scheduled on Tuesday, March 18 at 4:30 & 7:30 PM. Advance tickets purchased at local ticket outlets offer the best value. You can buy tickets locally up to 24 hours before the first show at Teague Chronicle, Teague Insurance Company, Withrow Furniture Company, Prosperity Bank, or Citizens State Bank.

For the best value, fans should buy their advance tickets from local outlets: Adult/$12, Child/$6; or at the gate on Circus Day, Adult/$16, Child/$10. Tickets can also be purchased online at the Circus website at www.BigTopShow.com. Tickets bought online incur a per-ticket charge of $1.50.

Circus fans can get free discount tickets at area retailers or them from the Circus website at www.BigTopShow.com get a child in free with the purchase of an adult ticket at the gate, from local outlets, or when buying online.

Carson & Barnes is “The Real Circus,” with everything patrons expect to see under the big top: clowns, acrobats, aerial daredevils, spectacular pageantry, and a cast of amazing performing animals led by the biggest stars of the show—the Carson & Barnes Asian elephants.

Carson & Barnes owner Barbara Miller-Byrd is the third generation of her  her family to run the circus. Her daughters, Traci and Kristin, who also travel with the show, will be the fourth generation to run the nation’s largest touring tent circus. Even after more than 60 years on the road as a performer and owner, Barbara is still in awe at the thrill of it all and is still the number one fan of the traditional American circus.

“I remember getting on my first pony shortly after I started walking,” she said. “Seriously, I never considered doing anything other than being a part of the family business, but in those early days no one imagined a woman would ever be the boss in a male-dominated business, like ours.”

One of the most popular attractions at the Circus is before the show. The Circus travels with a menagerie of exotic animals including a rare Sicilian donkey, two llamas, a miniature zebra and a standard-sized zebra, an alpaca, two camels, a half-dozen pygmy goats, and Katy, the pygmy hippo. Kids delight in the chance to get up close and pet these unusual creatures. Small bags of dry food can be purchased and are guaranteed to get the furry friends’ attention.

Also on the Circus midway the little tykes can ride a miniature train or saddle-up for a Shetland pony ride. For older kids there’s the SuperSlide. Towering above all along the midway are those magnificent Asian elephants and the camels. Both can be ridden with the right ticket in hand.

With a cast of dozens and twenty-five vehicles loaded with everything from popcorn bags to grandstands, exotic animals, hundreds of costumes and tons of equipment for the performers, and even the big top tent itself, every day is an adventure.

For the nearly one million guests who will gather under the tent this year for the thrills and excitement that are the hallmark of the greatest of all family entertainments, it all comes down to the center ring where the outside world yields to the fantasy world under the big top — an American icon.

Find a complete tour schedule, show information, and how to buy tickets visit the circus website at www.BigTopShow.com.