It is with heavy hearts and tear-filled eyes we bid farewell to The Greatest Show on Earth. For over a century, the Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Baily Circus has been a mainstay in wholesome family fun. We live in an age where it is practically impossible to take our kids to a movie without being inundated with violence and sexual situations. The circus was a positive oasis in that dark desert.
Dazzling Dreams
Children were amazed by the animals and the acrobats. Every little girl wanted to be a trapeze artist when she grew up, and every little boy dreamed of being a lion tamer. Not a jump-rope, cat, or dog was exempt from service for days after we got home.
Bright Beginnings
Ringling Brothers Circus was founded in 1884 by five out of seven brothers. It began life with the brothers performing juggling acts in a wandering minstrel style from a wagon but soon grew to a single ring act with a bear and a trick horse. In 1907 they purchased the Barnum and Bailey Circus. They combined the two shows in 1910, sporting the traditional three rings, and a train full of elephants, camels, horses and more.
Arriving in Style
The arrival of the circus was a show unto itself. In 1905, the circus arrived in a town with a parade down main streets through many towns led by 12 elephants. Spectators were treated to an up-close look at the performers, animals, and the clowns as adults and children alike would line the street in absolute amazement and wonder.
With the elephants going to the Ringling Brothers Conservation Center in Central Florida, and the others finding homes with other sanctuaries around the country, interest in the circus has fallen and the tents will finally fall silent. The confetti buckets are stored away, and the clown tears are real. Thomasville, Georgia along with the rest of the country, bids a sorrowful goodbye to the Greatest Show on Earth!
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