Cole Bros. Circus plans fun under the big top

Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars, the world’s largest circus under the big top, is making a stop at the Augusta Exchange Club Fairgrounds this weekend.

• Photos

Back | Next

Michael Holahan/File

Jugglers perform during the Cole Brothers Circus during a stop in Augusta in September 2009.

Back | Next

File/Staff

Hanging upside down from a trapeze, Adolpho Ponce catches his son Daniel during the Family Ponce performance in 2007.

Back | Next

Michael Holahan/File

Emily Harris and mom Shawny Harris got elaborate butterflies painted on their faces while waiting for the show to begin in 2009.

Advertisement

Each year, the circus travels from Louisiana up the East Coast to New Hampshire. It comes to Augusta every year, said Tom Renesto, marketing director in Augusta.

“People of all ages will enjoy it. They can expect excitement from start to finish,” Renesto said. “We’ve got one of the top tiger acts in the country. Elephants, llamas, dogs, clowns, showgirls and souvenirs. You name it, we got it. It’s an action-packed show.”

All of the animal acts are new this year, including a performance with 12 tigers. The show also has the world’s largest cannon, more clowns than in previous years and a new pirate-themed, aerial ballet act, said Chris Connors, ringmaster and performance director for Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars.

“This show is really a fast-paced circus,” Connors said. “We try not to drag anything out. We try to make it exciting for everyone.”

Other featured acts in the two-hour show include the Ponces, a family of trapeze artists whose youngest member is 10 years old, and the Motorcycle Dome, which includes a 12-year-old rider.

“There’s another lady doing something that you don’t see too much in this country. It originates from the Russian circus. It’s called an aerial net, it kind of looks like a fishing net. She does some incredible stuff in the air,” Connors said.

Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars also features Lana, “the only woman in U.S. circus history to balance on her one finger,” he said.

Started in 1884, Cole Bros. Circus is the oldest big top circus in America. The circus travels from March to Thanksgiving, performing about 500 shows a year. It is owned by John W. Pugh, Connors said.

“That’s one reason why he keeps it going. It’s a part of Americana. It’s history. Something that people don’t see everyday. It’s exciting to see a huge, big top circus come to town,” Connors said.

The animals in the show are owned by individuals. Connors loves working with animals, but it can have its challenges. It takes a while to train tigers because cats aren’t used to people, Connors said.

“Tigers are funny when it comes to loud crowds and loud noises. It takes a lot of hard work, practice and training to put tigers together. Tigers are pretty smart. It’s just getting them used to the music and loud noise of the audience,” Connors said.

Tigers also don’t like to get dirty and won’t perform when it’s muddy. Elephants, on the other hand, love to play 24 hours a day and like to get dirty, he said.

Poodles can have their own personalities, and llamas, giraffes, horses and miniature horses sometimes don’t want to do their tricks, he said.

“When you time a circus, it’s very easy to say the hand-balancing act takes four minutes. When the tigers are on, you say, technically it’s 10 minutes. Maybe more, maybe less. It depends on the animal,” Connors said. “Now we don’t try to push the animal. If the animal doesn’t want to do a trick, he doesn’t do the trick.”