When I was in the first grade, our teacher read us a story about a boy who ran away from to join the circus. I don’t remember much from first grade. I don’t remember the name of my teacher, the names of my classmates, or even the name of the book. But I remember hearing that story.
Maybe it was because I never actually went to the circus as a kid. I mean I grew up in the big city, and I saw many things. There were school tours to museums to businesses, and annual trips to the American Royal Rodeo. Ironic, isn’t it? A city boy, I had been to a dozen rodeos but I had never once gone to the circus.
So the whole idea of running away with the circus stuck with me over the years, and I remembered this dream on Saturday, when I sponsored the fifth grade Shrine Circus trip to Salina.
Now this wasn’t my first trip to the circus. It was my second. Five years ago, determined to give my children an experience I had never had, I took the kids to this very same Shrine Circus. It was a magical experience that I will never forget, and I was curious if the magic would still be there the second time around.
In many ways, I found this trip to be better. For one, the atmosphere on the bus was buzzing with anticipation. The kids were excited, as it was the first time for many of the kids. This included my six-year old daughter, Jocelyn, who for weeks, had been counting off the days on her calendar. Now that the big day had arrived, I thought she and most of the kids were going to burst with excitement.
I still remember my first time. Yes, I took the kids, and yes, they enjoyed themselves. But for a kid who grew up wanting to run off with the circus, I went to the circus mainly for my own enjoyment. I compared everything I saw to what I had imagined in my mind. I marveled at the acts, and was “blown away” at the finale when they shot a man out of a cannon. Even as an adult, the first time to the circus held a joy that can never be gotten again.
The second time, I enjoyed the reaction of the kids so much more. The acts were fine, and I was still amazed. But I had a lot more fun, this time around, observing the students and my own kids light up in the circus atmosphere. It was like seeing the joy I had felt, in the faces of twenty other faces.
I want to take moment to thank our local masons and shriners. They have been sponsoring the kids on this trip for over thirty years, and it is no cheap endeavor. They buy all the tickets, feed the kids lunch, and even hand them a five-dollar bill for souvenirs.
But more than the generosity, I thank the Shriners for the giving of Joy. They could take the kids anywhere else - fishing, bowling, skiing - and the kids would have a good time. But taking kids to the circus, (a big circus, not the mom and pop outfits that occasionally blow through town) is giving them more than a good time, it is giving them pure joy.
I’m sure many of these students will see other circuses. Most will evertually grow up and become parents who will take their own kids. But I guarantee that they will never forget their first time under the lights. The sounds, the smells, the death-defying acts - they will never be so amazing as they were the first time around.
Without our Shriners, many kids would grow up as I did, missing the circus. We are lucky indeed to have an organization willing to give of their time and resources to bring a little circus joy into the lives and imaginations of the youth of our town.
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