the circus

On Friday night we took the boys to the Gamma Phi circus at Illinois State. When I think circus, it conjures pictures of cotton candy and elephants and popcorn and red and white big top tents. This circus isn't that. It's acrobats and unicycles and walking the tight wire though. I like that we're still close to ISU and it's fun when we can bring our boys back there and fondly remember our college days.  

{Sorry, these pictures are mostly from the anxiety provoking nose-bleeds and all from my phone. By the way, a member of student government gave us free tickets on our way in. They happened to be nose-bleeds though, in the student section. I felt o-l-d.}

It was an impressive show. I like that these are all college students who have practiced all year (sometimes for their entire college career) to put on these shows for this weekend.

Every act held Henry's rapt attention. He worried for the tightrope walkers and cheered for the people on unicycles. William was waiting and wanted only to see the "fire wheel". Every time an act was over and the stage went dark, he would loudly ask "is it the fire wheel now". Or sometimes demand loudly, "I want the fire wheel!" I showed the boys some videos of Gamma Phi circus in the past on youtube Friday afternoon before the big show; he caught a glimpse of something that did look like a wheel of fire and that was all he wanted to see Friday night. Unfortunately a fire wheel never came.

But the show must go on. They were thrilled with these light-up swords. Although I wondered who thought these two-foot long swords in the waving and excited hands of small children crammed in a tightly filled auditorium was a good idea.
Fire wheel or not, it was a good night!