By Lauren Ricks
To see animals like elephants, llamas, tigers and camels, you only need to travel to the Henderson County Fair Park Complex on March 18.
The Carson Barnes Circus will come to Athens that morning and begin setting up. The circus welcomes visitors to come watch the process and see the animals at no charge. It has 25 species of exotic and domestic animals.
The elephants are trained to help the crew lift the 40-foot pole in the air for the 300-foot tent. It is the largest in the United States and has room enough for 2,200 people.
Performances will begin at 4:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices ranges from $7 for a child to $16 for an adult. There are separate ticket prices for box seats, as well.
The circus was started by D.R. Miller in the 1930s. According to Mal Knopf, one of the marketing and promotional coordinators, “He began with one horse, a few pigs and an elephant.”
The circus is now in its 72nd year of operation and is still owned and operated by the family. Miller’s daughter, Barbara Miller Byrd, and her family are involved in the day-to-day operation. The organization is now made up of over 100 performers and animals.
Performers come from the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Russia and Italy. This year the performances will also include some children, who are family members to other performers. A 6-year-old, Brandon Cavallini, will be swinging on the trapeze bar.
The circus travels 10 months of the year and sets up its operation in 200 towns and cities.
