The Sunshine Express
An independent, local and
regional news, arts, and entertainment monthly, with a focus on good news,
fun happenings, business promotion, and positive energy. Serving 33+ communities in
over 11 Southwest counties on the western slope of Colorado.
World’s Biggest Big Top Circus Is Coming!
Get Ready For The World’s
Biggest Big Top Show!
This is the Big One! The Carson & Barnes Circus, The World’s Biggest Big
Top, with two hours of fun, excitement and pageantry for children of all
ages, and it is coming to Southwestern Colorado this month!
See elephants, horses, ponies and dogs perform amazing tricks in the center
ring. Be amazed and thrilled by the High-Wire Motorcycle and the
Death-Defying Dual Wheel of Destiny! This is the circus you remember from
your childhood. Every seat is just feet from the action! Come early, the
Midway opens one hour before showtime with a Free Petting Zoo, plus Elephant
and Camel rides.
Carson & Barnes Circus the Biggest of the Big Top shows brings its all-new
show for 2012 to over 200 towns in eight states from March through October
this year.
Celebrating its 76th year the Carson & Barnes Circus has been traveling the
nation since 1937. While the show has changed over the decades, the
traditional big top tent traveling circus gives a solid 2-hour show,
sometimes as many three times a day, 7 days a week. This season features
high-wire daredevils, high-IQ dogs and ponies, acrobats, spectacular
pageantry, and dozens of clowns including “Alex the Clown” and his
anti-gravity antics. The grand finale is a colorful high-energy musical
salute to America with more than 100 flags in the procession.
Of course, the true star of the show has to be the magnificent Asian
elephants. For many years Carson & Barnes has operated one of the most
successful breeding programs for the endangered Asian elephant at a massive
facility in southeastern Oklahoma at Hugo. D.R. and Isla Miller, founders of
Carson & Barnes, dedicated much of their lives to preserving the vanishing
Asian elephant breed. Now, their daughter and circus owner Barbara
Miller-Byrd continues the tradition.
Tickets may be purchased at the gate on Circus Day, or in advance online or
at local ticket outlets. Affordable prices range from $16 Adult, $8 Child at
the gate on the day of the performance to as little as $10 Adult, $6 Child
when purchased in advance using a discount coupon. Tickets for every
performance and instant coupon savings are available online at
BigTopShow.com.
General Admission tickets are unreserved. First come, first seated. Reserved
Seats have bleacher seats with backs. Box Seats are closest to the center
ring and have folding chairs. Child tickets are for children ages 2 to 11.
Lap children under the age of 2 are free in all sections.
The Carson & Barnes Circus will be performing in May at these area
locations:
- Pagosa Springs - Wednesday, May 9, 4:30p and 7:30p, Hot Springs Blvd &
Spring St. Sponsor: Town of Pagosa Springs.
- Ignacio - Thursday, May 10, 4:30p and 7:30p, Sky Ute Fairgrounds, 200 E
Hwy 151
- Monticello, UT - Friday, May 11, 4:30p and 7:30p, San Juan County
Fairgrounds, E Highway 491. Sponsor: Monticello Chamber of Commerce.
- Grand Junction - Saturday, May 12, 2:00p and 7:00p; Sunday, May 13, 1:30p
and 4:30p, Rimrock Adventures Rodeo Arena, 927 Colorado 340. Sponsor:
Rimrock Adventures.
For four generations the Carson & Barnes Circus family has toured North
America with our most traditional of American Big Top Circuses.
Barbara Miller Byrd and Geary Byrd own and manage Carson & Barnes Circus on
a day to day basis. Their daughters, Kristin Byrd Parra and her husband,
Gustavo; Traci Byrd Cavallini and her husband Julio, fill various managerial
functions as the family’s continuing legacy of ownership.
Carson & Barnes brings first class family entertainment to all parts of
America, small towns to big cities, urban America and Native America, border
to border and coast to coast. Each year they search for the best acts from
around the globe and they present them along with their world famous animal
acts, to produce the World’s Biggest Big Top show.
When the Circus comes to your town make every effort to see it. The American
tradition of traveling big top circuses is disappearing and it is difficult
to foresee the future for large traveling shows. A live circus performance
with its rich history, thrilling feats, color and excitement is a
one-of-a-kind experience. For info visit www.carsonbarnescircus.com
