麻豆传媒AV

"Send in the clowns" is something that I rarely say, unless it's singing along to Krusty the Clown in his comeback episode of The Simpsons.

That changed Thursday night when I attended the 60th annual Wawa Shrine Circus.

I never went to a circus as a child. Maybe it had something to do with a fear of clowns. If I had to blame something, it would be seeing parodies of the monster from Stephen King's It - Pennywise the Dancing Clown.

Prior that night, the closest I came to stepping under the big top was going to the Circus Circus hotel in Las Vegas. Even then, we went to the amusement park there and didn't stay for the show if I remember correctly. I was five.

Fast-forward 20 years. When I entered the Civic Centre Thursday night, I was unsure of what to expect. Earlier in the week, I was told to expect elephants with the potential to ride the animals in the intermission. Needless to say, my interest was piqued at the thought of climbing atop an elephant and imagining I was Hannibal of Carthage crossing the Alps to lay siege to Rome.

After waiting through the line at the door, I made my way past the hot dog and popcorn vendors towards the arena floor. Face painters were set up at the front of the crowd. There were two merchandise stands right by the entrance complete with light-up swords, programs and balloon tiger and elephants. Five-year-old me would have been begging to get a sword, with my parents saying no because I would lose interest in it when I got home. That was probably a wise decision. I thought about buying one to fulfill a childhood dream, but my parents were right all along. It would've ended up in my closet and never seen again.

I could feel my excitement starting to build as the start of the show neared. There was some energy in the crowd as the lights started to dim. Then, the show started and the clowns came out who weren't nearly as intimidating as Pennywise.

The opening act was horse riders. They performed gymnastics and other athletic feats on horseback I would be happy to be able to do after stretching and having a flat surface on which to work.

The clowns came back out after the horses, this time bringing all kinds of unicycles, bicycles and tricycles. The unicycles ranged in height from the standard to the absurd. Although, it was impressive when one of the clowns jumped rope while riding. They even brought out the mini-tricycle, but the act didn't include loop-the-loops.

Tortuga pirates made an appearance next. They impressed with sword juggling and balancing. Things escalated quickly when fire was added to the equation. Sword juggling is cool, but when you add fire it's amazing.

The first big oohs and ahhs came during the aerial silk routine. The performer was high in the rafters as if she was auditioning to be the North Stars' 2014 Kramer Division Champion banner. It was quite interesting to watch, especially as she wrapped herself in the silk and trusted it to catch her as she tumbled towards the floor.

After some impressive high-stakes balancing acts, my favourite part of the show occurred. One of the clowns came out and grabbed four members of the audience into the ring. The "volunteers" were great sports, dancing along with the clowns. The first half of the show wrapped up with a visit from SpongeBob Squarepants and a minion from Despicable Me as they danced the YMCA alongside the volunteers.

During the intermission, the vendors came back out. They came with large balloons and bubble machines. There were bubbles in the air for the rest of the performance.

As the show carried on through the second half, I kept waiting for the animals to appear. There were impressive feats of balance with the motorcycle on a high wire, amazing displays of athleticism with the tumblers and a trapeze routine to the tune of Let It Go from Frozen. Eventually the clowns came back, performing on drums, keyboard and trombones. One even had a very good Bruno Mars impression as he belted out When I Was Your Man.

Following a flaming whip routine, a show horse was brought out on display. It was closely followed by a miniature version with near identical markings. The two horses galloped around the ring together, before the little one ran under the belly of the big horse.

The show closer was the acrobats. Leaping from the top of the ladder onto a seesaw, the performers sent each other high into the air onto the shoulders of their waiting teammates. Or crashing safely into the safety mat held by a couple performers.

It was a spectacle to end the show, but there was an empty feeling as I left the Civic Centre. The elephants I was promised earlier in the day did not appear. My dreams of riding down 100th Street on the back of an elephant were crushed. Well, that's going a bit too far.

For a first trip to the circus, it was an entertaining show. It transported me back into a slightly younger version of myself. While some might be disappointed about the lack of animals, the show must go on. And what a show it was.