Sandpoint, ID

My husband called me from work the other morning. What are we doing tonight? he asked. Nothing, why? I replied. Well, I think there’s something Miranda might want to see. Oh? What’s that? I asked, intrigued. Elephants was his reply.

Here we are out on the western edges of the Rockies, which happens to not be prime elephant habitat. So how exactly would we go about showing our 2 year old daughter pachyderms? Turns out the circus had come to town! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

There was very little advertising, or at least we didn’t notice any, so we heard about it mostly through word of mouth. Plus, on his bike ride into work that morning, my husband had seen the big tent being raised. But after a little time spent making some phone calls we learned the following: (1) the circus was in town for one day only, (2) there were two shows being offered (4:30 pm or 7:30 pm) and (3) tickets were available at Bonner Mall stores, such as Yokes, Sears, and Wonderland Studios.

Because of my husband’s work schedule we decided to attend the 7:30 show. He tried to procure tickets from the business’ named above, but to no avail. He did learn that tickets were also available at the front booth of the circus, so he stopped by on his way home to make our purchase. The cost for us was $16.00 each, with our not-quite-2 year old daughter being free. Tickets that had gone on sale previously at the Bonner Mall shops were $12.00 for adults and $6.00 for kids.

We were a little concerned about a few things. Mainly, we weren’t sure what our daughter was going to think of the circus, what with all the loud noises and chaotic commotion. Plus, it started a half-hour before her bedtime. But, we figured what the heck, you’re only a kid once!

We arrived shortly after 7 pm at the Bonner Mall, where the circus was pitched. We parked in the Yoke’s parking area, as the entire parking lot was well packed. We headed towards the big top, which was smack dab in the middle of the lot by the Horizon Credit Union. As we walked into the area we immediately noticed little ponies available for youngsters to ride on. We stood and watched those guys run circles – okay, they lollygagged along – until we spied something even bigger! Elephants!!! There they were! Three elephants in the middle of the parking lot, separated from us only by a rickety portable fence and the commanding voice of a trainer. It was amazing to watch our daughter’s eyes light up as she watched these huge beasts walk back and forth in front of us (the elephants were providing rides to customers.) After a while we moved on to see more animals, like goats, camels, zebras, and even a hippo! Other than the few animal rides and a bounce house “ride,” we didn’t see any other amusement rides. Nor did we partake in any of these activities, so I’m not sure what the cost was. Instead we headed into the Big Top.

We got inside the tent just as the show was starting. Our eyes took a minute to adjust to the darkness, and we quickly scrambled to find seats. We ended up taking the first thing we saw, which was at the very end of the bleacher seating. This was disappointing because we didn’t have the best view and the sounds form the speaker system sounded distorted. But, we were glad to have sat where we did because of a few things that happened during the circus.

The show begin with the usual novelty attractions. There was a boy who was incredibly flexible and put himself in a box. There were the hula hoop girls who swiveled and swayed and hula-hooped like there was no tomorrow. There were the circus ponies and the circus dogs, all doing cute little tricks. Then the show increased it’s pace with bigger attractions, like the quartet on the centrifuge wheel, and the tightrope walkers. And our daughter’s favorite: the motorcyle riding on a high wire. This was the first “good thing we sat here!” thing, as motorcycles fascinate our daughter and the motorcycle was parked – well, hung – right in front of us the whole evening. She loved it!

After about an hour there was an intermission. The ponies were brought in to give rides as were the elephants. The second “good thing we sat here!” thing occurred: the elephants gave their rides right in front of us. For fifteen minutes we got to enjoy watching our daughters face break into smiles, then fold back into awe, as she pointed and squealed and clapped for the elephants.

After the 15+ minute intermission (plenty of time to use the restroom, purchase snacks, snap pictures) the circus resumed. The second half of the show looked promising, with even bigger events about to take place. I suspect the trapeze artists were warming up, and perhaps there was a tiger or two waiting in the wings. We’ll never know for sure, as we decided to head home. It was well over an hour past our daughter’s bedtime, and we weren’t sure how much longer the circus would go on. Sitting were we sat…closest to the tent entrance…provided us with a quick escape.

Once outside we were treated to a bit of a surprise. The three elephants were standing in their pen getting a bath in preparation for their show. We stood and watched as they walked in a line – trunk holding the tail in front – to one corner of their space. They each had a turn with the hose, getting sprayed down all over. It was amazing to stand there, so small next to these mammals, and listen to their trainer utter just a few words and watch as the elephants raised one leg, then another to get rinsed. Then, when bathtime was over, they walked in a line – again, trunk to tail – off to the show.

The elephants were definitely the highlight of the event for our daughter, but we were impressed with the circus overall. I’ll admit, I thought it would be a little hokey. It was in a parking lot, for goodness sakes!! But, it was surprisingly decent. I know we’ll go again next year, but probably to the earlier show. We may even attend the tent raising, which is free to watch. We’re planning on keeping our eyes and ears open for the big event next year, as there seemed to be very little advertising for this circus, and it was only in town one day, so it seemed easy to miss. Additional information about this circus, including tour dates, is available at their website.