Five rings of fun

Published 12:00 am Thursday, October 27, 2005

Tigers jumping through hoops, jugglers throwing fiery objects into the air, and people flying through the air.

Sounds like a circus? Well it was.

The Carson and Barnes Five-Ring circus was welcomed into Demopolis yesterday and it was a show for all ages as they performed two shows Wednesday night at the Demopolis High School football field.

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As children laughed at the clowns and were amazed by the animals, adults were in awe at the dangerous feats performed by acrobats, trapeze artists and contortionists.

“I liked whenever the clowns came out,” 8-year-old Katelyn Price said. “I liked when they played ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ and were dancing.”

Even 2-year-old Aerial Irby said her favorite part was the clowns.

Brothers Anthony, 8, and Antoine Collier, 7, both enjoyed the tigers.

They described one tiger as “sleepy” because it would lie down on its side when the wrangler didn’t give it the order.

Destiny Honeycutt, 7, said she enjoyed the tigers the most because they had “pretty colors.”

Between shows, spectators had the opportunity to ride elephants and camels, or they could visit the trailer where four snakes, weighing about 250 pounds each, were featured if they were feeling daring enough.

There was also a petting zoo so visitors could get up close and personal with the more docile creatures.

Between the games, circus, food and toys, there was enough to keep the average parents reaching into their pockets.

Parents especially had to dig deep when children had one minute during a brief intermission to purchase a bag of roasted circus peanuts that could include a winning ticket for an extra large balloon.

According to the event program, various acts were being performed for the first time in America.

Hernando, an aerialist, completed the aerial loop-the-loop, the Cardenas Brothers performed hand balancing and the Quina Brothers from Colombia did their high wire act all for the first time in the states.

With dogs riding on horses and elephants carrying women in their mouths, this circus was a site to be seen.

Featuring performers from Chile, Moscow, Brazil, and Argentina, the Carson and Barnes Circus brought them all together for a night of enjoyment for families in the Black Belt.