So on our annual pilgrimage to our special place of beach, biking, sunsets and serenity, we stopped at the Ringling Circus Museum. It was an amazing glimpse back to the days when the Ringling Bros., Barnum & Bailey Circus was truly the greatest show on earth.
The highlight, to me, was the 44,000 piece, small-scale replica of the circus in its heyday, including the trains that transported everything, tiny figures depicting the performers and animals and customers, and of course the big top. The main tent was massive, featuring the famed three show rings with the trapeze high above and capable of seating some 10,000 people. The scale model provided some insight into just what a complicated, sprawling, awe-inspiring undertaking it was to transport, set up and put on a show of that size.
I got to see the Ringling Brothers Circus years ago, but it was in an arena and not the tent. Nor did I get to see the parade of performers led by the elephants (yes, I know one of the reasons the circus closed was because of pressure to eliminate the animal acts, particularly the elephants). But it was still spectacular.
Thinking about all this makes me appreciate all the entertainment I have enjoyed through the years, and reminds me that it’s awfully hard to beat live entertainment. We are fortunate to have an endless variety of entertainment at our fingertips with our TV remotes, but it just doesn’t compare to live stage shows, live musical performances, or real live circuses.
And live entertainment comes in many forms – if we just take the time to enjoy it. So now I sit here at our aforementioned special place and I realize that, with all due respect to Messrs. Ringling, Barnum and Bailey, for my money, this is the greatest show on earth:
