THE BALLOON MAN

Circus coming to town Leominster this weekend

A poster for the Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars, which will put on seven shows over three days this weekend in Leominster. 

From: sentinelandenterprise.com

By Jack Minch

08/17/14

LEOMINSTER -- Take a step back in time to 1884 this weekend, when the 130th anniversary edition of the Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars comes to town.

The show is bringing elephants, tigers and trapeze artists to perform under the big top, circus spokesman Tom Renesto said.

"If people of this age want to see how the traditional circus was run, they have to see our show," he said.

The one-ring circus is scheduled to perform Friday through Sunday at The Mall at Whitney Field in a parking lot adjacent to Market Basket. The event is not expected to interfere with mall shoppers or the flow of traffic, mall General Manager Elizabeth Kelley said.

"Anything that we can do to support the community and help give the folks some entertainment is always something we're interested in doing," Kelley said. "It also brings families to the mall, maybe some who haven't been here for a while."

In the age of video games and high-definition television, the circus remains popular, Renesto said.

"It's the way circuses used to be under the big top," he said. "They don't make a game like that for kids."

People can get up close to the sights, sounds and smells of the event.

"We've got motorcycles this year, we've got clowns this year, face-painting," Renesto said. "We've got it all."

It even has a human cannonball.

"We've still got the world's largest cannon," Renesto said. "We set that cannon up one end of the tent and shoot a guy across the tent."

The tent is scheduled to go up Friday morning, but in a concession to modern times, elephants will not be used.

Shows are scheduled for Friday at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m.

Each show is about two hours, Renesto said

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_25977908/circus-coming-town-leominster-this-weekend#ixzz3512H3BVx