Big top circus to come to Marseilles

There’s nothing better for conjuring old memories or for creating new ones than a circus coming to town, and that’s what’s headed to Marseilles.

The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus will be making its third appearance in Marseilles on Friday, Aug. 9, thanks to the sponsorship of the Marseilles Rotary Club

The touring one-ring circus, which has been providing family fun for more than 38 years, will feature trapeze acts, acrobats, lion taming, bareback horse riding and clowns, among other acts geared to families.

It has been featured on the A&E Special: “Under the Big Top,” as well as on Nick News: “On the Road with Circus Kids” and “Big Top Town” on the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority.

“Absolutely, it’s a very well-thought circus,” Marseilles Rotary member Kent Terry said. “People that have come to see it have loved it and we as a Rotary Club can’t say enough good things about them and the relationship we have with them.”

“If you watch TV shows like ‘America’s Got Talent,’ you’ll see acts that really just blow you away and that’s the case here, plus the classic circus things. You wonder how you do a trapeze act in a small venue, but they do it very well. How do you do a lion act in a small venue, but they do it very well. They’ve been very impressive. We’ve had them twice before and we’ve been very pleased both times.”

The appearance at the city’s Eagle Park will kick off Friday when Sleeter the Clown comes to Marseilles and Ottawa to preview the circus show. She will present a program 7 a.m. Friday at the Ottawa Sunrise Rotary, then provide a program for children at 9 a.m. at the old Ottawa YMCA.

Activity on the actual day of the circus will begin at 11 a.m. with the raising of the big top. There also will be tours available at this time, where people can get a behind-the-scenes look at the care for the animals and what it’s like working for the circus and living on the road for 32 weeks out of the year.

The circus’ midway will open at 4 p.m. with pony rides, bounce houses, a grand slide and face painting available, not to mention concessions.

The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus show, a 90-minute event will get underway at 5 p.m., with another show slated for 7:30 p.m.

Advance tickets are $13 for adults, $8 for children ages 2 to 12 and senior citizens and can be purchased at D & S Grocery, OSB Community Bank, Marseilles City Hall and Marseilles Bank. Tickets the day of will be $16 for adults and $9 for children and seniors and can be purchased at the circus box office one hour before each show.

Terry said the funds raised will go to benefit children in the Marseilles area and stressed that buying advanced tickets not only saves money, but helps the Rotary help children just a little bit more.

For more information about the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, visit cmcircus.com, its Facebook page or its Instagram page, the latter at @cmcircus.