-ajj luilj ;!S|A sjuajed sjg pjas ©h pies ag ‘6u{qqu
•JQUIBJl iuaqd3|3 UB MJI'VN. JO|!BJJ e Ul pB 3LU3J1X3 3MJ P30!JOU J3/V3 3UO
japodau uofieueg
SNIXdOH isivsns As
M
Photo by Pat O’Malley
Under the big-top
By SUSAN HOPKINS
Battalion Reporter
A man becomes a boy again when the circus comes to town. He
sees the bright lights, the midnight blue big top tent and the colorful
costumes that have transformed a cold, yellow-striped parking lot
into a fantasy land for "children of all ages,” and he remembers
immediately the sights, smells and sounds of his childhood.
Crowds mill about the grounds, dazzled by souvenirs and thrilled
by rides on elephants, or smiles of clowns. They gather around
stands which send out aromas of hot dogs, pop com and cotton
candy, and before even the oldest or most sophisticated individual
enters the Circus Vargas Big Top Tent, he is enthralled in the
youthfulness of the circus that is over 150 years old.
Clifford E. Vargas, president and producer of Circus Vargas, set
out to preserve the big top circus (founded in 1815), after Life
Magazine predicted the end of this American tradition in 1956.
Vargas was successful.
Over 300 employees came to Bryan/College Station Monday and
Tuesday to share a show full of stunts, animals, music and laughs
that have been developing and entertaining people for 15 years.
About 20,000 people were exposed to one of the circus’ four
performances in the parking lot of Townshire Shopping Center.
The lady and the tiger (above) are both popular with
circus audiences. The circus is supposed to be fun for
children of all ages, but it is the younger children (be
low) who seem to enjoy it most.
Photo by Pat O’Malley
Photo by Pat O’Malley
Standing tall
Under the 90,000-square-foot canvas, the “child” in everyone
enjoyed acts that included trained dogs, trapeze artists, juggling
mesmerizers, liberty and dressage horses, high wire histrionics,
contortionists, aerial artists, lions and trainers, clowns, cloud swin
gers, trick horseback riders and a parade of elephants.
Oohs and aahs from the crowd indicated that aerial artistry was a
favorite act, although it was not until the fourth try that a mid-air
triple somersault was completed by the performers.
Briaht, sootty lighting, long, hard-to-see acts, and expensive food
prices took away a bit of the sparkling fantasy one expects at the
circus. But Circus Vargas did bring a life and temporary excitement
to Bryan.
And, after all, that is exactly what Vargas was striving for when
he undertook the job of reviving the old and dieing tradition of the
circus big top.
NSC Cepheid Variable presents a