Strangely dressed people and wild animals to invade Brownsville
It’s amazing that in this age of movies on demand, Xbox and virtual everything people still go to the circus — a non-virtual form of entertainment with its origins in ancient Rome.
But people still do, apparently. As such, the empty field between Walgreens and the Bank of America on Ruben Torres Boulevard soon will be transformed into the temporary home of the Kelly Miller Circus, which begins this year’s touring season in Brownsville with a string of performances running Feb. 11-14.
The Brownsville Chamber of Commerce has brought the circus to town for each of the last 10 years, except for 2008, when changes in immigration law assured the show would not go on thanks to the fact that work visas for Mexican and other foreign circus workers suddenly were unobtainable. The situation forced Rio Hondo-based Circus Chimera, which used to put on the shows here, to fold its tent for good. That was bad news not only for Brownsville circus lovers but for the chamber itself, which had long relied on the circus as an important source of fundraising.
However, Jim Judkins, who ran Circus Chimera, found a replacement circus for Brownsville: Kelly Miller. Judkins’ Chimera Productions brought the show for its first Brownsville appearance last year. It was a hit, says chamber chief Angela Burton.
"Last year the circus sold out every single show and had to add two extra shows," she says. "It was a very good response. In dealing with (Judkins) all these years, he’s been very trustworthy and very supportive. When he came to me and said, ‘I have this other circus I’d like to bring,’ I said, ‘OK,’ because I trusted him and he’s always done right by me."
Kelly Miller, a one-ring show founded in 1938, is based in Hugo, Okla. Its director is John Ringling North II, great-nephew of the famous Ringling Brothers. In addition to elephants, tigers, jugglers and aerial artists, the circus includes a high-wire motorcycle act, performing dogs, bareback riders and a "flag-waving, rope-spinning Western finale," according to the Kelly Miller Web site.
Not only is the circus important for the chamber, she says, it’s a "small economic burst" for Brownsville, since the traveling show’s 50-plus employees will spend a lot of money here, stocking up on food, computers, satellite dishes and the like. From Brownsville, Kelly Miller will travel to San Benito and other points around the Valley for a few weeks before meandering farther north with its fleet of 25 vehicles and imported Italian big top.
Part of the money raised by ticket sales goes into the chamber’s general operations fund, which has taken a hit because of the sour economy. Burton is hoping for nice weather and big crowds again this year. Some years, attendance has been good and other years not so good, she says.
"Right now it’s very critical," Burton says. "We’ve had it in different places where it hasn’t done so well. We’ve had it in the rain and people don’t want to come out in the rain, which is making me a little nervous right now (because of recent rains)."
Advance tickets are available for $8 at the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce office, 1600 University, until Feb. 10. Beginning Feb. 11, tickets can be had at the door for $14 or $12 with a coupon. Coupons are available at numerous stores and restaurants around the city.
