Ghetto Circus and the County Fair

Last weekend, since it was 103-plus degrees out, we decided to trade in our 3-person camping tent for the joys of the big top. We thought the circus would be a cooler option, but a large, 3-ring tent becomes just as sweltering when you add a few thousand people without the benefit of adequate circulation or air conditioning. Thank goodness for overpriced snow cones!

This is a behind-the-scenes picture of some entertainers. You'd think a clown would be a little happier; of course, he's probably working illegally and making less than minimum wage. The only performer who was truly identifiable as being American was the ringmaster. This was no Barnum and Bailey. This was the great and venerable Carson and Barnes Circus, being presented live in our local mall parking lot. Luckily, we didn't have super-high expectations when we walked in, because we found plenty of things to make fun of. Although we probably won't attend a parking lot circus again, we did enjoy our evening foray into ghettolandia.

Ally loved the flashing lights and watching the different acts, especially the people flying high on the "Weeeeee!" They also had goats, miniature horses, a miniature zebra, a miniature hippo, 2 llamas, 2 one-humped camels, a big python, and "36,000 pounds of elephant" (somehow that translated into 3 small pachyderms; either they were very dense, or that advertising math is wrong). We are both cheap and a little germaphobic when it comes to low-budget animal displays, so Ally wasn't allowed to ride or touch any of them. Thank goodness she's still small enough to be content with just observing. I sure do miss being near a zoo.

On Tuesday night we went to the Benton-Franklin County Fair. It was a definite improvement over the Moore County Fair, but not as grand as the North Carolina State Fair. Unfortunately, they don't sell deep-fried
candy bars or cheeseburgers here, but we still managed to enjoy ourselves. We saw more animals, a lot of 4-H exhibits, and some fair rides that got Ally pretty excited.

We also sat on a blanket and listened to the band Chicago play their new stuff. In some ways, Ally was more entertaining than the band. As Chris' coworker pointed out, we should charge admission for people to watch her. Click on the videos and have a look . . .



Shake your moneymaker and dance to the music!