Circus

Cordell Summers, 11, of Hagerstown, learned how to spin plates Saturday with a little help from Kevin the Klown during the Ali Ghan Shriners' circus at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center. Michael Rosman performs with a Chinese Diablo Saturday afternoon during the Ali Ghan Shriners' circus at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center.

Christ Lutheran Church, at 216 N. Cleveland Ave. in Hagerstown, will hold its circus rally day on Sunday.   There will be a Sunday school opening ceremony from 9 to 9:15 a.m., then adults will go to their regular classes. The event will include a puppet show, games and crafts. The worship service will be at 10:15 a.m., followed by a potluck luncheon. The community is invited.

The Kelly Miller Circus will present shows at the Hagerstown Speedway Friday, June 2, at 5:30 and 8 p.m. Sponsored by the Western Maryland Troopers Association, the circus is held under a big top, rain or shine. Tickets for adults are $9, for children 12 and under $6 and three and under are free. Tickets can be purchased as the circus or by calling the troopers association office at 301-733-8003. Proceeds after expenses help to fund donations to children's charities and athletic organizations in Washington County.

A performer in his family's high-stakes business, Yevico Rodriguez must go to work every day knowing he's got some big shoes to fill. And, even if he does a good job, he'll be called a clown. Rodriguez sang along to flamenco music as he tapped pillows of makeup powder against his nut-brown face. Pairs of bulbous red and yellow shoes sat on the floor. Fake eggs lined a crate on a shelf on the wall. Rodriguez and his colleagues at Cole Bros. Circus came to town Monday as part of a two-day, four-show appearance.

"Ha! It looks like Zelda is homesick for the jungle!" The crowd rippled with laughter as the elephant swiped the pith helmet from my head. My cheeks flushed cotton-candy pink. My cool melted. It can be difficult, even for an ace detective, to remain incognito. Animals sense the subtle, penetrating aura emitted by such persons - and are drawn to it. Perhaps that's why city dogs follow me home from work and whine outside my basement home. As a professional, I was miffed to see my hat on an elephant.

Kellan Bermudez has something in common with Superman: He also can fly. As a member of the Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars, Bermudez is known as the Human Cannonball, whose death-defying feat is to be shot out of a cannon. Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars will be at Review & Herald in Hagerstown Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30. Bermudez was in North Carolina getting ready for two shows when he took a moment to chat about making a career out of being a cannonball and life in the circus.

HAGERSTOWN - A performer in his family's high-stakes business, Yevico Rodriguez must go to work every day knowing he's got some big shoes to fill. And, even if he does a good job, he'll be called a clown. Rodriguez sang along to flamenco music as he tapped pillows of makeup powder against his nut-brown face. Pairs of bulbous red and yellow shoes sat on the floor. Fake eggs lined a crate on a shelf on the wall. Rodriguez and his colleagues at Cole Bros. Circus came to town Monday as part of a two-day, four-show appearance.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The circus is coming to town next week, but the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is ahead of the wagon. PETA faxed a letter to the Antrim Township Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, asking them to enact legislation to prohibit steel-tipped bullhooks, electric prods and other devices used on elephants. The supervisors have a work session scheduled for Tuesday, but the process to enact legislation typically takes months, Township Manager Ben Thomas said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Her legs hooked through a loop of red fabric, Viktoriya Medeiros dangled gracefully upside-down as she and her partner were hoisted toward the ceiling of the big top -- linked together by their hair. The painful-looking stunt, known as a double hair-hang, was dreamed up a few months ago by the pair of Bulgarian acrobats, who formerly performed a double-silk act. "This year, we just tried to make it different," Medeiros said during the intermission. The hair-hang is one of more than eight acts new this year in the Cole Bros.

Hagerstown Community College will host the University of Maryland Gymkana Troupe today at 7 p.m. in the college's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center. The Gymkana Troupe was founded at the University of Maryland in 1946 and has traveled all over the United States and abroad promoting gymnastics. The Gymkana Troupe provides fun, free entertainment for the whole family and is sure to amaze and inspire audiences with their high-energy performances that include more than 20 different acts ranging from traditional gymnastics to circus and acrobatic feats.

Kellan Bermudez has something in common with Superman: He also can fly. As a member of the Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars, Bermudez is known as the Human Cannonball, whose death-defying feat is to be shot out of a cannon. Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars will be at Review & Herald in Hagerstown Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30. Bermudez was in North Carolina getting ready for two shows when he took a moment to chat about making a career out of being a cannonball and life in the circus.

Thunder mixed with the up-tempo sounds of circus music Wednesday as 156 playing members of Windjammers Unlimited rehearsed. The organization's members from across the United States and Canada have descended on Liberty Mountain Resort this week. The instrumentalists are recording music for preservation and preparing for a pair of free concerts this weekend. “We're rehearsing 59 pieces. We will be playing 19 at the concerts,” said Waynesboro, Pa., resident William Link, event organizer.

Christ Lutheran Church, at 216 N. Cleveland Ave. in Hagerstown, will hold its circus rally day on Sunday.   There will be a Sunday school opening ceremony from 9 to 9:15 a.m., then adults will go to their regular classes. The event will include a puppet show, games and crafts. The worship service will be at 10:15 a.m., followed by a potluck luncheon. The community is invited.

About 100 people turned out at the Hancock Performing Arts Center Sunday to see a bunch of fleas perform. Fleas? Well, not real ones. But that's not the point. It's all about the quirkiness of imagining a flea tap dancing blended with announcer Mike Klingerman's “Borat” style of commentary as he leads you through the act. The fleas in Professor Mike's Amazing Flea Circus demonstrated high-wire agility, strength and stamina as they were backed by a band, which is what makes this circus special, Klingerman said.

The Hancock Arts Council will sponsor "Professor Mike's Amazing Flea Circus" Sunday, Aug. 7, at 3 p.m. at the Hancock Performing Arts Center at Town Hall at 126 W. High St. Featured performances and acts include the Springs Chamber Ensemble musical group, under the direction of maestro Linda Whitesitt. Circus acts will include a high-wire display, feats of agility and strength, a flea being shot from a cannon, an exotic snake charmer and more. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to help the arts council bring future programs to Hancock and surrounding communities.

The circus is coming, the circus is coming.   Hancock’s annual visit from the renowned Kelly Miller Circus takes place Saturday in Widmeyer Park, with shows at 2 and 5:30 p.m. Go down to the park early on Saturday, around 9 a.m., to see the big top rise and the equipment being unloaded.   Sponsored by the Hancock Volunteer Fire Co., the circus features animals, juggling, clowns and acrobats. Tickets are on sale at the Hancock branch of Citizen’s National Bank, Shaw Motors and at the fire hall.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. -- Janice Bartles said her grandchildren had no idea she was a circus performer. Her kids didn't know it either, she said. It's not that she kept it a secret, she just didn't talk about it, she said. Before now, that is. On Wednesday, it became the talk of the town when Bartles and about 65 fellow circus participants gathered for the first reunion of the Fred C. Kaley Gymnastics Circus, one of many reunions taking place during the triennial Greencastle-Antrim Old Home Week celebration.

o For more information on the circus music convention, visit http://www.circusmusic.org . WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- The circus is coming to town, minus the trapeze artists, animal tricks and overpriced popcorn. Instead, Waynesboro residents William Link and Marjorie VonDrach are concerned with only the circus music. Not the canned music used today, but the waltzes, opera, ragtime and marches of yesteryear. Through their membership in the North American organization Windjammers Unlimited, Link and VonDrach are hosting a convention for performers of circus music in July 2012.

Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars in town for two days The Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars will present shows at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 3, and Tuesday May 4, in Hagerstown. Shows will be each day at the field next to the Review & Herald Publishing Association, 55 W. Oak Ridge Drive. The circus includes exotic animals, a trapeze show, clowns, an aerial dance show, a human cannonball and more. Tickets cost $17 at the gates for adults; $12 for ages 2 through 12. Reserved seats cost $3 extra.

HAGERSTOWN -- With tiger acts, motorcycle stunts, dog tricks and pony rides, the Ali Ghan Shriners' circus at Hagerstown Community College Sunday delivered a mix of fierce and furry that delighted children of all ages. "It was fun when we watched the tigers jump and stuff," said Taylor Wilson, 7, of Frederick, Md. "And it was cute when we watched the puppies jumping and doing flips. " Taylor's mother, Heather Savage, said she thought the circus was the Ali Ghan Shriners' best yet, noting that last year's circus did not include any animal acts.