Pre-Boomer Musings

How can pre-boomers forget the excitement you felt when the circus came to town?  Your first trip to the circus was different from anything you experienced before or since.  Remember how your senses were on overload from the moment you stepped onto the midway?  From the feel of sawdust under your feet, to the continuing sound of calliope music and the occasional roar of wild animals, from the musty smell of the canvas to fresh popcorn and hot dogs.  You knew this day would be special.

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Big city or small, there was magic in the air the day the circus train pulled into a siding and unloaded its cargo of people, animals and equipment.  Then the big top was erected by the roustabouts as the animals were getting acclimated to their new surroundings and the performers settled in to yet another set of temporary quarters.  All this happened with amazing speed before the public started crowding on to the grounds.  But you didn’t give these behind-the-scenes activities a thought as you crossed the threshold into the surreal domain known as the circus.

The first visit to the midway was probably with dad.  You had to hold his hand and stay close, because there were big crowds and lots of distractions.  There was the sideshow barker and the various acts either on a stage in front of the tent or on huge posters displaying the strange goings on inside.  These acts were not for young kids, so you made your way to the display of caged animals in brightly painted wagons.  Most of them didn’t look too wild; in fact, they seemed rather bored.  And clowns performed their antics everywhere.

After a bite to eat, it was off to the big top to catch the show.  With luck, your initial exposure to this unique form of entertainment was The Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus.  This was the one with three rings.  Before the show started, the acts paraded around the floor to give the audience a glimpse of what was coming.  The excitement level increased as the circus band played the National Anthem. 

Then the ringmaster stood in the center ring and introduced each act and provided a brief history of the participants.  There was so much going on in the rings and overhead you could hardly follow it all.  Trained horses, acrobats, knife throwers, dancing bears, elephants, lion tamers, jugglers, tightrope walkers, trapeze artists and more.  And, of course, clowns performed before and after each act.  Sometimes they were the act.  To close out the show there was a blockbuster finale such as the world’s greatest wild animal trainer, or an aerial act performing without a net or someone being shot from a cannon. 

The circus still comes to town each year.  But it performs in buildings rather than in tents.  The sideshows are gone as is most of the sawdust.  And the acts are not the same, or they don’t seem to be.  Maybe this is true or it could be that you only remember what you want to remember.  Somehow the circus, like so many things in life, is meant to be enjoyed as a rerun in your mind rather than trying to recapture the excitement it offered when you were young.  Be quiet and listen.  You can almost hear the roar of the crowd.   

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