The circus is coming to town!
By CYNTHIA AUKERMAN
News-Gazette reporter
The circus is coming, the circus is coming! Kelly Miller Brothers Circus, which is celebrating its 69th year, will be offering two shows at Harter Park in Union City on Friday, May 18.
In the past, the Chamber of Commerce has sponsored the circus. This year the circus is coming to town on what a spokesman said was a "lot and license" operation - not sponsored by any organization, and on its own by paying a fee for the lot.
City officials said the circus is paying $500 to use Harter Park.
The fun begins much earlier than the 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. performances with the unloading and feeding of the animals and the raising of the Big Top early on circus day. The circus will provide guides for any people, including school groups, who want to see the action. There is no charge for watching the circus set up.
Circus day begins about 9 a.m. with the elephants erecting the Big Top. As if their stately movements have been choreographed, the elephants do their work with precision and grace.
Kelly Miller Brothers Circus was founded during the Depression (1938) by Obert Miller and his sons, Kelly and Dores. It is one of the few remaining traditional, old-fashioned circuses still traveling the country.
With a complement of 72 people on the road and an additional 15 support personnel in the home office, the Kelly Miller Brothers Circus will travel nearly 10,000 miles to give performances in more than 200 cities and towns. The season lasts from March through October.
The road cast includes a cook, a school teacher and even a former mayor - Kelly Miller's president, David Rawls, was once mayor of Hugo, Okla. There are 24 animals hauled on 15 trucks and vehicles. Staff and performers bring 18 of their own vehicles.
The Big Top encompasses 11,824 square feet. The elephants that do the work are Viola (9,450 pounds), Libby (7,820 pounds) and Nina (6,520 pounds).
The featured acts include: Chinese acrobats bungee jumping from "unbelievable" new heights; a canine revue; jugglers; the weighty pachyderms; a contortionist John Ringling North II reportedly called the "eighth wonder of the world"; camels, llamas and horses all working in unison; giant mythical Chinese lions; aerial trapeze; and, of course, the circus clown.
Discount tickets ($9 adults, $5 children) are available at the circus box office from 9 a.m. to noon on circus day or at the Union City, Ind. City Building now. Ticket prices at show time are $12 for adults and $6 for children.
