Circus Ready to Go; Two Shows Friday at Sandburg

The big top was raised at Friday morning in preparation for two same-day performances of the , at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.

As part of Special Kids Day, dedicated to providing fun events for children with disabilities and their families, lots of kids were on hand to watch the tent raising and enjoy a special, 20-minute performance designed just for them, free of charge.

A circus hawker with a megaphone shared some of the details of the circus, while kids awaited the official tent-raising.

Kelly Miller Circus travels with a fleet of 25 vehicles and requires about 90,000 square feet of space to set up. It has its own electrical supply; some 2 miles of cable must be laid before each show to power the trailers, ticket office and big top, which seats about 1,500 people.

The circus travels with its own chefs, who prepare two meals a day for 85 people. Of the 19 families that travel with the circus, eight are school children who take classes in the traveling school house.

The acts hail from all over the world: Australia, Argentina, Peru, Italy, Spain, Iraq, Iran, the U.S. and Mexico. In addition to Lisa, Tracey and Becky, the Asian elephants, the circus travels with four llamas, seven dogs, three Bengal tigers and a variety of horses and ponies.

Becky the elephant raised the big top's center "king poles" as the circus crews scurried around to get everything else ready.

Tickets, available at the gate, are $16 for adults, $10 for kids ages 2 to 11. Proceeds will go to the Elmhurst District 205 Foundation.