For the past 3 years, it has been a tradition to take the girls to the Shrine Circus in Tampa. We look forward to a night of surprises under the big red and white tent and all the sweet treats. The Egypt Shriners in Tampa have been around since the early 1900s. Their philanthropy, Shriners Hospital for Children, provides medical care to any child under the age of 18. Shriners Hospital provide medical care at 19 orthopedic units and 3 burn centers throughout North America.
Our trip to the Shriners Circus always begins at the petting zoo. For $2 you can feed carrots to a hungry giraffe, wallabies, llamas, goats, and donkeys.
After feeding the animals, and feeding the girls, it was time for the Circus. You want to get there early because there are no assigned seats. However, we’ve gotten there late too and there really isn’t a bad seat under the tent. 🙂
The show started with my favorite: Camels, Arabian Horses and Llamas. I couldn’t help but think about the book and feature film “Water for Elephants”. Other acts that follow were the stilt walkers, jugglers, and the girls’ favorite the Hula Hoop Girl. This year, the Hula Hoop girl brought a friend. It was amazing to see the agility needed to spin a “cube” on their bare hands. The best way to describe it is to picture a metal frame cube moving through the air at high speed. I really should have taken a picture!
Right before Intermission, we decided to go on to the midway. There’s a few rides and no lines! What’s not to love! This is definitely one of our family outings which I enjoy the most. Not only do we get to spend some time with our kids, but we are also helping other kids in need.
The Shriners Circus will be in town through Sunday, April 22, 2012. There are three shows on Saturday, April 21 at 11:30 am, 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm. On Sunday, April 22, there are two shows at 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm. We have 2 extra tickets to raffle off today. Please leave a comment here and on our facebook page by 1:00 pm for a chance to win the tickets today. The tickets can be picked up at our market in Plant City. When was the last time you went to the Circus?
