The Circus Is In Town
GREAT BARRINGTON – Hurry, hurry, hurry… to the LE Barnes Circus at Butternut Basin. A big tent, 3-ring extravaganza, it features wildcats leaping through fire, a human cannonball, a handsome, golden-throated ring master, and everything in between – gymnasts, clowns, jugglers, acrobats. At $10, and $3 for kids, it’s an affordable treat, but tickets must be purchased in advance, at Tom’s Toys, Lee Bank or the Chamber of Commerce for this price, or it’s more at the door. Preferred seating, in front of the middle ring, is $13. After Friday, July 20, it moves to The American Legion Field on Route 9 in Dalton for shows on Monday and Tuesday. Shows are at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Barnes Circus hails from Florida, and it’s ringmaster, John Moss, from Knoxville, Tenn. How did he get his stellar voice? “Someone once said it was some special medicine I must have taken,†he grins. Moss’ father was a variety performer who had friends who worked for the circus, and got his son front row seats every time the circus came. “I remember going to the Ringling Circus and waking up the next day wondering if it had been a dream. I was captivated by the show.†The circus has an eight-month season, beginning in early March, and ending the weekend before Thanksgiving. “We do two shows a day and three or four towns a week. We start in the south in the spring and work north, and then head south again in the fall.†A special feature of this circus is the human cannonball. Veselina Gencheva is a former Bulgarian Olympic contender in gymnastics. At 19, she is now known as “The Silver Eagle.†At intermission, kids can take a camel ride, have their face painted or go on the Titanic slide outside. The circus was brought to town by the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and underwritten by Berkshire Bank, KBToys and First Mass Bank. “I’m thrilled that they’re here,†said Sharon Palma, Director of the SBCC. It’s affordable for everybody, which is a good thing.†In previous years, the Chamber had invited the Big Apple Circus, which had higher ticket prices that Palma says prohibited many families from going. The chamber considered this when inviting the Barnes Circus this year. Dalton circus sponsors are the Berkshire Mall, the Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, Burger King and BFI Waste Systems. fax - (413) 394-9673 See more pictures here
