Readers of a certain age-those who grew up in the Twin Cities before the advent of cable television-will remember how exciting it was when the circus came to town.
Usually the venue was Spring Lake Park near the fairgrounds. The tents would be set up. The Midway opened. And then the show would begin,
There were high-wire acts and acrobats. A variety of clowns. Animal acts including a lion tamer with his whip and big cats, daredevils on horseback and chimpanzees who delighted the audience, especially the younger members.
The circus was a big deal back then. But as entertainment options grew more varied and our collective sensitivity became more keen, the big top started on a long decline.
First to go were sideshows such as the geek-often a poor drunk hired to bite the heads off chickens or perform some other atrocity. Then what were called "freak" shows. Many objected to the exhibition of humans who did not fit what society considered the "norm," whether by birth or through their own inventiveness. Then animal acts were targeted. Activists saw them as cruel and waged a long campaign to end their use as entertainment. It took a while but they largely succeeded.
The public, too, found other ways to entertain themselves over the years. Running a circus takes a lot of mone. And as revenue decreased, so did the number of traveling shows.
Now the biggest and most storied of all-indeed, "The Greatest Show on Earth"-will soon be no more.
On Saturday, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus announced it would be shutting down in May.
The show traces it roots back to the late 1800s and has been entertaining generation after generation ever since. But declining attendance, animal rights protests and rising costs made the big show unsustainable.
There are still a few circuses touring the U.S. (One is set for Texarkana next month.) But for how long is the question. There may well come a time when the circus is just a memory.
Some will no doubt cheer. But for those who us who can recall how exciting it was to spend a day under the big top, it's the loss of an iconic tradition, a piece of our youth.
Something that once gone can never really be replaced.
