The traveling circus was before my time. I only knew State Fair midways and carnivals, like weeds, popping up once a year in shopping center parking lots. Wasn’t nearly the same, I imagine, as when the whole community heard the circus was coming to town¬—the opening parade of wild animals, stunning high wire performers, elephants, clowns and human cannon balls, not to mention trained seals and women riding bare-back ponies plus the excitement of tent raising fringed by sideshows of Siamese twins and conjoined siblings along the midway mingled with cotton candy, bell-ringing power challenges, games of accuracy and chance with rifles and balls. In otherwise boring and predictable rural America lives, the circus coming to town must have provided a blast of color, variety and stimulation. A real focus, upon occasion.
It may be a bit forced, but there is a modern parallel in play that’s less dramatic, more personal and self-absorbing…Facebook. We don’t have the smell of the midway, brass bands and caged animals of earlier times, but there is still the simple appeal to our curiosity for the exotic and unknown. Of course, the context is defined and shaped by the producers of the cellular world floating in cyber space. Still, there’s the midway’s insatiable appeal for exotic information like: how do lions and alligators pounce on their prey (with sub-titles written in foreign languages)? To satisfy our urge for international exploration, some of the scenes are set in exotic lands as natives fish and carve and cook. There are sporting scenes like surfers dropping down life-threatening mountains of roaring water and boats crashing into, through (and sometimes not) walls of water. And just in case the daring events get too intense, the pacing is moderated by placid, hands-on crafts like farriers shaving and fitting horseshoes on ill-shaped hooves. Not to mention artisans doing wood carving and metal sculpting and folks trying out acrobatic stunts off cliff tops and eagles snatching fish out of streams…and…and…and.
Admittedly, there is no longer a comparison to the once-a-year communal excitement of the circus coming to town (along with the bearded lady). However, there is the same basic hunger for exciting and exotic facts and information. Albeit, we are more sedate, stationed at our desktops, controlling remotes at the ready.
Maybe the circus was a more social and vivid event. What have we lost?
Retired trainer, and writing instructor, Joe Novara lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Writings include novels, short stories, a memoir and various poems, plays, anthologies and articles. Read more at https://freefloatingstories.wordpress.com/
