Under the big tops

BONNERS FERRY — Cotton candy and clowns. Tigers and trapeze artists. These are among the first things to come to mind when hearing the word “circus.” This year, Bonners Ferry was host to not one, but two circuses, only days apart.

In the 1700s, Philip Astley, known as the father of the modern circus, took his skills as a horse trainer — honed in the Seven Years’ War as part of Colonel Elliott’s 15th Light Dragons regiment — and turned them toward trick-riding performances. He implemented a circular arena that used centrifugal force to aid riders in standing on the horses at a canter. He called it the circle, or circus in Latin, and it would later be known as the ring, or circus ring.

Around 1770, Astley had garnered much success in London. He wanted to expand on his performances, so he brought in other acts, such as acrobats, rope-dancers and jugglers. Borrowing from the Elizabethan theater, Astley added clowns to the performances, to fill the spaces between acts, bringing forth the birth of the modern circus.

The Jordan World Circus, a North American traveling circus, owned and produced by Jody and Patsy Jordan of Las Vegas, Nev., was the first to set up its three rings in the arena at the Boundary County Fairground on June 11.

They opened the gates at 4 p.m. and offered pony, elephant and camel rides, along with face painting and photos with a performer dressed as Spider-Man. The children flocked to the rides, happily running all around the arena. “Yeah, it was real good, it was so good,” said little Megan Young about her elephant ride.

Although the large stadium was not packed to capacity, there was a good turnout for the one show that they performed. The three rings kept the flow quick, with one ring performing while the other broke down or set up the next act. Some performances, such as the aerialists, performed in all three rings simultaneously.

Bekbolsun Kozugulov, known as “Bekish,” is a Kazak Trick Rider for the Jordan circus. Instead of performing on horseback, Kozugulov performed acrobatics on two vertical poles. He has been traveling with the Jordan circus since 2009. “My favorite part is seeing new places, meeting different people, and the different cultures,” he said.

John Belko, the Ringmaster for the Jordan circus show, started out as a clown at age 6. He began clowning professionally in 2008, even running his own Family Circus out of his garage that he turned into a theater, performing for up to 100 people at a time. A year ago, he joined the Jordan circus family.

“What got me involved in the business is from Ringling Brothers,” said Belko. “After watching Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus, and seeing the clowns in the show, I always said, ‘I want to travel with the show and make the kids laugh, and make the kids smile’.”

Three days after the Jordan World Circus performed, the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus came to town, setting up their traditional big top in the field, even inviting audience to come at 9:30 a.m. to watch the raising of the tent and get a free tour of the animals used in the acts.

Many people showed up for the event, despite the windy morning. Leo Acton, host of the morning tour and performing clown, described the whole process of setting up a traveling circus.

“Every day we drive between 10 to 200 miles, we set up the big top, put on two spectacular shows, tear it all down, get a little rest, then start again the next day,” said Acton.

The C&M circus travels eight months, performing almost every day. Acton told the crowd not to feel sorry for them, as they get all their days off at once. The down time applies to the animals, as well. The big cats spend their four months in the luxury of an animal sanctuary, with plenty of room to roam and other cats to mingle with, and the ponies vacation out at pasture, with a miniature donkey named Finn, to guard them.

“We put Finn with the ponies and he protects them from wild dogs, coyotes, and bobcats. Herd animals like cattle and horses and ponies run away from predators. Donkeys actually stand their ground and fight,” Acton explained to the audience.

The C&M circus morning tour placed a great amount of emphasis on the care given to its animal performers. They offered detailed descriptions of the veterinary and feeding procedures, as well as training methods, and the housing of each animal. Acton welcomed questions from the audience, happy to further their education.

“That’s a territorial bark, that’s not a roar,” Acton said when the 14-year-old male lion, Francis, became quite vocal. “Roars are really aggressive and dangerous and angry. He wouldn’t make that sound unless he was really threatened.”

Francis the lion, and the two Golden Tabby Tigers, Solomon and Delilah, were rescued from a roadside zoo in northeastern Texas that was shut down for not taking care of their animals. Trey Key, the trainer and general manager of the circus, spent two years rehabilitating, working with, and bonding with the big cats.

“Like your house cats, they can be sweet and cuddly and playful, but also like your house cats, they can change in a moments notice and scratch at you, or chase your ankles. If our cats chase your ankles, they can catch them... and they can keep them,” Acton explained to the audience, evoking much laughter.

The attention to detail on the care of the animals was extensive. As Acton educated the audience, the three cats lounged in the background, obviously content, relaxed, and well fed. Acton explained that the cats are fed a premixed diet of ground red meat, fortified with essential vitamins.

“If all you ate was mushy meat every day, it would be a little boring for you, too,” Acton said, eliciting giggles from the watching children. “So we add beef and chicken from the grocery stores for the bones. The whole muscle fiber is better for their digestion and the bones are crunchy. It also gives them more calcium and helps keep their teeth scraped naturally clean.”

He explained that the trainer gives treats to the cats during the show. “That is pretty much the standard modus operandi with these big cats. It’s all repetition and reward. You can’t really use discipline on an animal like this. Physical escalation goes beyond what we are ever capable of. If you start getting physical with this guy, he is going to end it,” he said pointing to Francis.

With so many stories circulating about the cruelty to animal performers in circuses, the early morning presentation, with close up viewing of the animals in their relaxed state, comforted many of the audience members. One attendee, Stephanie Alexander, said she had been on a previous tour and said this one was much better. When Acton explained that Leo got a special mat because male lions spend so much time laying down, Alexander remarked, “I think it is sweet that he has the little orthopedic mat.”

The C&M circus had two showings on June 14, at 5 and 7:30 p.m. The cozy feel inside the big top, with the smell of fresh cut grass for a carpet, evoked a feeling of nostalgia. The benches circled the solitary ring, created an intimate interplay of audience and performers. Acton, returned this time as Leo The Clown, furthering the interaction by pulling out random audience members and bringing them into the ring to take part in his act.

“I think the circus is awesome,” said Justin Gibbons, who brought his family to watch. “It’s cool to have something like this in our town for the kids to enjoy.”

“Her favorite part was the horses,” said Chelsea Banning, translating for her three year old daughter Rhea Banning. Rhea and her sister, Tayeleigh, sat in the front row, watching the excitement unfold and waving a pink unicorn balloon.

Both circuses appeared happy to interact with the audience after the show, sharing their experiences of circus life.

Paulina Dykes is a third generation performer, who began her career with her family on a unicycle. She has spent her whole life with the circus. She branched out with a “big and little” act, featuring Wyatt, a 17.2 hand Shire/ Friesian cross gelding, and Jasmine, a miniature horse mare.

“I got them around seven years ago,” said Dykes. “I’ve wanted horses since I was little and my mom always said, if you save up your money, then you can get one. They are my first horses and I treat them like they are my babies. I love them.”

“A lot of people don’t get to see what we get to see, so it is a privilege to get to travel like this,” said Dyke, showcasing the enthusiasm between performers and audience.

Belko, from the Jordan circus, talked about the old adage, “I want to run away with the circus.”

“I actually did it,” said Belko. “I actually ran away with the circus. I said this is what I want to do, this is what I want to become, is a circus performer… and I literally ran away with the circus. Came to my hometown in September of last year and I ran away with them.”

Acton told the families that they start taking application to join the C&M circus in November. To the mock disappointment of some parents, he did inform them that they could no longer accept kids without their parents. That practice is apparently now frowned upon.

Although there was confusion over the two circuses, especially with people accidentally buying tickets for the one show, intending on going to the other, the general mood at both, was one of joy and fun. Many people held out for the C&M circus, because a portion of those proceeds went to benefit the Rotary Club of Bonners Ferry.

Rotary Club of Bonners Ferry President Dave Walter, said, “We use the proceeds to support our scholarship program for the high school students. So the proceeds from the sales, that we get from the circus — and we just get a portion of those — go toward our scholarship activities.

It’s something that’s good for the children to enjoy, to see, and have the circus come, so it fits with our support of youth activities.”

Both circuses have been in operation for over 30 years, and it was evident in the acts and overall smoothness of the operation. They both brought their own unique flair to Bonners Ferry, and the audience responded appropriately: with gasps of awe, smiles, and laughter while snacking on cotton candy and snow cones.