Circus Circus - Not

Sometimes I yearn for the "good old days" my folks so often spoke of in their later years. As I'm entering my own I understand where those those wistful moments were coming from.

Like the anticipation of the circus coming to town. The clowns, the acrobats and trapeze artists, balloons and music. The ring master in top hat and tails. The lion tamer, the elephants, silly little dogs dressed in tutus doing silly little tricks The midway with the Ferris wheel and games galore, hot pretzels and cotton candy. People being lured into the fortune teller's tent or to see the bearded lady. Little boys dreamed of running away to join the circus and sometimes did.

Wow. It was so exciting. Even as an adult I can remember going to watch the parade from the circus trucks or trains to the arenas. The excitement I felt one time when we had seats in the very front row and the clowns would tease us and the animal trainer would let us give a loaf of bread to an elephant. I was a kid all over again. Ah, what memories. Those were the "good old days".

Too bad the local kids won't be so fortunate. Carson and Barnes , a travelling circus that has been around for 70 years wanted to bring their show to Hayden. Claiming to be "G" rated - no gambling nor booze wasn't good enough for Hayden's city fathers. Nor was the promise to clean up it's own garbage and pay for it's own electricity and water.

Nope. Not good enough. According to the city council member, as reported in the CDA Press, Anson Gable, "They're not good quality people; they're carnival people!"

Wow. This in a city that had a neo Nazi win 5% of the vote while sitting in jail just a few years ago. Life on the road is not an easy one. Sure there may some undesirables running from whatever now and then but they're not moving in next door. They come to town, set up, do a few shows, take it down and move on to the next small town thirsting for some good wholesome entertainment.

For the kids here, go to the web site and watch the video. It may be as close as you'll ever get to actually witnessing a piece of Americana.

That the chamber too declined to partner with them? Have they paid off the fiasco of their air show yet? They couldn't have partnered if they had wanted to!

So your mayor says. "I don't think we're interested." Maybe you did you're homework. Did you? I visited the web site, as can you by following the link. They've been around for a good long while and have some pretty interesting tie-ins - all of which I'm sure are verifiable. Did you check?

Or is it because they're "carnival" people. Just like the ones who are at the County Fair just down Government a ways - every year. Maybe if the circus had looked into Hayden they too would have had a change of heart - after all - it's home to all those neo-Nazi types. Don't like that analogy?

Why?