Under the Big Top
By Melinda L. Lucas
The circus is coming to town, and despite the fact that there is an out-of-town varsity football game that same night, good crowds of elementary students and their parents are expected to attend the two performances.
The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, sponsored by the Albany Lions Club, will raise its big top on the Nancy Smith Elementary School grounds on Friday morning, Oct. 7 at 9:30 a.m., with the public invited to watch.
Later on, there will be two showtimes – 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. The midway opens at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Circus tickets are available in advance or at the door. However, Lions Club member and event organizer Janna Ledbetter encouraged locals to buy beforehand if possible.
“Tickets purchased at the gate cost more, and the Lions Club does not get any proceeds from those,” she said. “Please buy from club members or at one of the two Albany locations.”
Tickets bought in advance are $12 for adults and $7 for children from two to 12 years of age, and for seniors over 65. On show day, tickets will be $15 for adults and $8 for seniors and children. Children under two years old are admitted for free.
Enough children’s tickets have been donated for every student in NSES classes up through fourth grade, Ledbetter said.
Advance ticket sales benefit the Lions Club. Tickets can be purchased at the Shackelford County Library or First Financial Bank in Albany.
“We use fundraising money to work toward our Lions Club Glasses for Children and other local causes,” Ledbetter said. “All the funds that we raise stay in our local area.”
Online ticket purchases can be made at cmcircus.com.
Billed as “America’s last traditional Big Top Circus,” the troupe will feature 90 minutes of action including animal acts and high-flying aerials, according to the company’s website.
“The Lions Club did not have a choice of dates,” said club president Bob Skelton. “We would have preferred a Saturday or Sunday for the event, but the circus will be coming from Graham the night before and will travel to Coleman for performances the following day.”
