THE BALLOON MAN

Circus coming to NLA next week

June 10, 2014

By Steve Schulwitz - News Staff Writer 

from:thealpenanews.com

June 10, 2014

ALPENA,MICH. - Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages will be entertained by a circus at the Northern Lights Arena on June 19. There have been circuses at the rink in past years but a new show operator has been hired for a pair of performances and promises to have more animals and many tricks up its sleeve to wow ticket holders.

Arena Manager Meg Richey said the circus that visited Alpena in the past - Fantazia - is not coming to Michigan this year and recommended this year's attraction which is operated by Circus Pages. She said people can expect a lot of wild animals, clowns and stuntmen.

"There will be the white tigers, elephants, camels and acrobatic dogs, and I have heard they may bring the large cage that the stunt motorcycle drivers will perform in. From what I understand though, there are going to be a lot of animals," Richey said. "It will be full of fun, excitement and I believe they have some really neat attractions people will love and it is going to be a great time for families."

Before hiring Circus Pages, Richey used the Internet to learn more about what would be provided in the circus. She said there will be two shows, one at 4:30 p.m. and another at 7:30 p.m. Richey said she believes tickets will be in high demand and is expecting large crowds for both shows.

"Ticket are only $15 for an adult and each adult gets to bring a child who will be able to get in for free," Richey said. "There will be circus concessions available in the rink and we will have our concession stand open so people can get a bite to eat or a cold beverage."

Richey said there is a lot of work involved in setting up for a circus, caring for the animals and handling the crowd. She said most of the work is going to be done by Circus Pages.

"We will be around to answer any questions for them, or get them anything they may need, but really they come in and set everything up and when they are done, tear everything down and load up," Richey said. "We don't really have anything to worry about except to have a good time and make sure the customers are being taken care of," Richey said.

Besides the circus there are several other events that will be taking place this summer. There is a special kids day event that will focus on fitness and recreation. Kids day will be held on June 25 from 2-5 p.m. Glo-skating will take place Wednesday and again on June 27, July 3 and July 23 and Aug. 27.

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