The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is in town, which made me remember when I was in the Circus!

Yep!  Every young child’s dream — I got to be in the circus.  It was the 106th anniversary of the RB&B&B Circus and to celebrate the occasion they picked children out of the audience to ride in the big opening parade around the arena (Dorton Arena, for any locals).  I was such a lucky kid!

They were going to put me up on one of the horses, but by that time we’d already figured out that I was violently allergic to dogs and cats (thanks to an anaphylactic shock episode involving two labrador retrievers at my uncle’s house), so the wise (I think) decision was to put me on one of the great big carriages (drawn by the horses) instead.

I vividly remember waving and smiling and being simply awestruck that *I* (along with at least 50 other kids) was in the circus!  I also got a cool thing that looked like a flying saucer and lit up that night…

………

Ok I scare myself sometimes.  I was thinking about the circus thing and knew that I had the “Certificate of Appreciation” they gave me stowed away somewhere.  So I had to go upstairs (aka “studio-cum-filing-room”) and unearth it.  Ta-dah!

The text says:

“This colossal and commemorative certificate certifies that the bearer was a a featured guest performer in the 106th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. Let it be known that you partook in the most notable milestone in the annals of Circus History to occur in over 100 years; the marriage of Michu, “The Smallest Man in the World” to his diminutive lilliputian sweetheart.”

 

 

 

The back:

Notice my ticket stub attached.