The Circus, the circus, I love the circus!

Last weekend, we took Maggie to the Shrine Circus. We had gone to see the elephants a few days earlier when they took them downtown. When I got Maggie there, they were giving pony and elephant rides. Maggie was very concerned that there was a pony without a rider and graciously volunteered to be the one to ride that pony. We decided later that week to take Maggie Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, we didn’t plan ahead enough and buy tickets, so we ended up in line for the 1 p.m. show and bought tickets for the 4 p.m. We spent our down time doing a little shopping and playing at a playground. I can only remember going to the circus once as a child (and never in my adult life). I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, though I did know they would be selling souvenirs, which may or may not have much to do with the actual circus. The food was actually reasonably priced ($2 for just about everything they brought around to the crowd), but the toys were not. Their big sale item was a saber that lights up. We told Maggie we were only buying food and got a sno-cone, cotton candy and pop. Maggie also got her pony ride (see video below) and it was her very favorite part of the circus.

The first act was the best: trained tigers! There were 2 white Siberian tigers who were gorgeous! One was a bit feisty and we half expected her to take a piece out of the trainer! We did see an acrobat take a spill. The first half was about an hour long and at intermission, it was painfully obvious that Maggie was very tired. The ring master was certain to tell the kids that the light sabers were for sale and Maggie decided she “needed” one and attempted to wave down one of the guys walking around selling them. Rocky told her several times we weren’t going to get one. Then she started asking for an elephant ride again (after her pony ride, she told us she “needed” an elephant ride). Another no and the tears started flowing and it was time to go home. She cried most of the way home, until she found her new finger paints. She fell asleep early and even took a nap Sunday afternoon.