Under the Big Top with the Cole Bros. Circus

The circus is coming to town! For those who need a summer fix of circus entertainment, the Cole Bros. Circus sets up in Oceanside next week, Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 2-4, at Firemen’s Memorial Field.
Its “Circus of the Stars” holds true to an American tradition. Celebrating its 126th anniversary this year, Cole Bros. Circus is the last of the large traveling tent circuses.
Known as the “The world’s largest circus under the Big Top,” the Cole Bros. Circus offers all the traditional circus acts – elephants, clowns, acrobats, and aerialists – all under its “Big Top” tent. That innovative Crimson and Gold Big Top measures 136 feet wide by 231 feet long.
W. W. Cole, who inaugurated the Cole Bros. Circus in 1884, began his circus career in 1871, amassing fortune and fame by bringing to cities and villages the most astounding marvels of the day. Among the amazing attractions promoted by W. W. Cole, incandescent light – a single, glowing glass globe, powered by a steam engine – drew record crowds, with young and old alike filling Cole’s tent to witness the seemingly impossible invention. Today’s brightly lit tent of the Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars bears slight resemblance to W.W. Cole’s 19th century Big Top, but the tradition of watching what appears unbelievable happen right before your eyes remains.

The astonishing feats performed by the Cole Bros. troupe start with the tent raising on opening day. Commencing before daybreak, the circus erects its massive Big Top, assembles 2,000 seats, rigging and lights, and completes construction of its mobile city of entertainment before noon.
According to the Chinese calendar, this is the Year of the Tiger. You might say that the Cole. Bros. Circus is commemorating the occasion, since it is bringing back its tiger act following a six-year hiatus. The 2010 Edition of Cole Bros. Circus celebrates 126 years of circus history with those astonishing tigers, acrobatic tricks, and lovable clowns, among the many crowd-pleasing acts.
“In the last couple of years there has been such a huge demand [to see the tigers] that we decided to bring them back,” said Cole Bros. spokesman Mario Vitali. “This is what people really want to see.”
The big cats – Jason Walker’s Royal Bengal tigers – are certainly stars, but there are plenty of other animal acts to watch. This year’s show features camels, zebras, llamas, ponies, and perky pooches. Daredevil performers include Guatemala’s Angels of the Air, fearless flying trapeze artists who vault high overhead to astonish audiences with their spine-tingling routines. Also, marvel at Lana, from Kazakhstan, who achieves a seemingly impossible one-finger stand that literally balances strength and grace.
The comic antics of the Bermudez Troupe keep everyone laughing, with escapades on a revolving ladder and in a taxi. Then there are the topsy-turvy ATVs and intrepid motorcycle riders who brave the Globe of Death to keep everyone on the edge of their seats. And to top it all off, the show concludes with the exhilarating action of The Human Cannonball who flies across the Big Top at 65 mph.

Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars
Monday through Wednesday, Aug. 2-4, 5 and 8 p.m. daily. $17 adult, $12 child/senior; reserved seat upgrade $3, VIP seat upgrade, $5. Adult admission is $12 when purchased in advance. Free tickets for kids are available at www.freekidstickets.com. Advance tickets are available through Aug. 1 at Oceanside Fire Headquarters, 65 Foxhurst Rd., and Fireman’s Ticket Wagon (weekends only) in the Sands Shopping Center parking lot. Tickets can also be purchased at www.tickets.com or (888) 332-5200, or at Cole Bros. Circus Box Office, open 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.
show days.
Sponsored by Fire Companies of Oceanside, at Firemen’s Memorial Field, Mott St. off Long Beach Rd.