Wednesday, April 16, 2014

An Evening At The Shrine Circus


 One of the things about having a writing gig and working from home is that I can schedule special events where we don't have to go out in the evenings. A trip to the zoo? We head out when the zoo opens at 9am. A trip to the movies? We are there for the first showing of the day at 10:30am. A trip to the Barnum & Bailey Circus? We are in our seats before 11am.



 So why did we go to the Shrine Circus at 7pm? It was opening night and the seats were less expensive. They were only playing a 3-night gig. If we showed up on the second or third night, it would have cost twice as much for the same seats. But the only show available was the 7pm one. So that is when we ventured into downtown Pittsburgh.

There were clowns everywhere. The Overlord was nervous about meeting them, yet then again she is still shy of people as she places her face into my shirt. Yet, we walked up to almost every clown. And every clown who asked for a "high-five" from the Overlord received one from her.


Perhaps the one thing different about the Shrine Circus from other events is the really high pressure selling. You couldn't get anything cheap, not even the programs that were 4 bucks each. Before the show, during the admission, and after the show they set up rides. Kids could get their face painted, ride on a small train, jump on a bouncy slide, go on a camel/pony/elephant ride (I'm talking about the ACTUAL animals -- not on plastic ones) for a price. I guess this is how the Shrine Circus funds its trips across the country and pays the actors. Yet they could have skipped asking the audience, during the show, to buy the overpriced trinkets hocked by the sellers going up and down the aisles. That was a bit too much.


The acts were amazing. Lions -- and house cats -- doing tricks. People doing acrobatics in the air. Bears dancing Gangnum style. And a gigantic crossbow that launched a flaming guy through the air. We had front row seats, and it was worth the price. The only downside was the two boys sitting behind us who fidgeted and rolled about in their seats. They were there to see Spiderman. They didn't want to see anything else. But overall, it was a fun time. Got there at 7pm and got home a little after 11pm.

12 comments:

  1. Wow, and I thought ballgames were expensive. I can imagine paying for bucks for a program, because I would expect it to be free. Silly me!
    Right now I am your newest follower, and I am enjoying your blog.
    Deb@ http://debioneille.blogspot.com

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    1. Welcome, Debi! Thanks for stopping by and following. I'm trying to make posts more often, so I hope you enjoy them!

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  2. I've been to both circuses.....Barnum and Bailey and the Shrine Circus. Honestly, I prefer the Shrine Circus.
    Shriners do such an awesome and amazing job helping children with their hospitals across the nation. I supported the Shrine Circus every chance I could. I hope that the smile on the face of your precious one will stay in her heart forever.

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    1. I have to agree. While Barnum & Bailey always holds a place in my heart due to my childhood, it has changed drastically over time. It isn't a bad show. It just has more of a theme to their shows to make it more of a stage performance event. The Shrine Circus is just that -- a circus... with tons of animal acts. It even smells like a circus.

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  3. You actually made me remember circuses still exist! I haven't been to one since childhood, and you made me reflect on what it would feel like if I were there.

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  4. I loved the circus when I was a kid. And my favorite part? Always the clowns. Unfortunately, I married a woman with frolicphobia (that's not the real psychological term for it, but I think it's better; it's a fear of clowns. She made it up and I think it should be adopted as the actual term.)

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    1. She might like Barnum & Bailey Better. The clowns were less.... "clowny?" there and didn't interact with the people outside of the show. They focused more on the show's theme (it was dragons) then on slapdashery antics.

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  5. When my kids were little we went the the Shriners circus a few times...I remember how expensive it was too! The best part was how much fun my kids had at those events.
    ~I don't enjoy clowns so much anymore after reading "It" by Stephen King. Pennywise was a truly creepy clown.....

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    1. Of course, when comparing the Shriner Circus costs with Disney on Ice, it was practically a steal. I would definitely take her there again when they come rolling through.

      Jim (Suldog) has been trying to get me to read the book "IT" for a long time now. Simply haven't done it yet.

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  6. Michelle,

    Hi. It's been a while. I haven't been online much.

    But anyway, seems like you guys has a great time! Thanks for sharing the photos.

    How old is the Overlord now? :)

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  7. Sorry I didn't get your message until now. The Overlord turned 3 in February. It's so hard to keep up with blogging nowadays. I'm online a lot, due to my writing work. But as for blogging, it sits on the back burner too much. Hope you are doing well :)

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