Yesterday I had the opportunity to take my kids to the early show of the Cole Bros. Circus (which finishes up their run today with two more shows at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.). We attended the 4:30 p.m. show which was only about half full in attendance but full of enthusiasm.

Before the show they were offering face painting, as well as rides on camels, elephants and ponies. They also had concessions and balloons for sale. We opted for general admissions tickets and once the gates opened we went in and snagged a spot on the bleachers (which were VERY uncomfortable – take a cushion if you plan on sitting in the general admission area).

The circus acts were enjoyable. I’ve never been to this kind of circus so I didn’t know what to expect (the only circus I’ve ever been to is Cirque de Soleil, so obviously this was a new experience for me). I was particularly impressed with the highwire act, which took place on our side of the tent. At one point they had all seven men on the highwire, with a 10 year old boy on the top doing a headstand. My kids were impressed with that!

Another act which had an “ouch” factor were the two women from Bulgaria who did an act in midair that relied on the strength of their HAIR. They had their hair tied back and a loop through their hair. They used the loops to hook to each other, to the bar, to whatever, and would do spins and such in midair. Wow. How does one TRAIN for that?

All in all it was a fun couple of hours (with an intermission) that my kids thoroughly enjoyed. It was a cheap afternoon (we used the discount tickets to enable my children in for free and I paid a mere $12) even with face painting ($6) and the purchase of a balloon ($4 for the small ones). Other goodies were more expensive – lightsabers for $12, sparkly butterflies for $15. I don’t know the cost of concessions since we didn’t get any.

In any event, if you have the ability to get your hands on the blue discount coupons that have been floating around town this past week, and have some kids who would enjoy the show, then consider dropping by today for the last two remaining shows. It won’t disappoint!