Circus Pages returns to Jefferson City

From left, Jayden and Destin Allen, Cory Libbert and Josiah Herman ride atop an elephant at the Circus Pages in 2010 at the Washington Park Ice Arena. The circus will return to Jefferson City on Saturday. Photo by News Tribune.

By Madeleine Leroux

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Lions, tigers and elephants will be seen at the Washington Park Ice Arena when the circus comes to Jefferson City.

Circus Pages will return to the area this weekend, performing two shows.

Ringmaster James Earhart said the circus has been coming to Jefferson City for more than 17 years to perform for local residents.

Circus Pages will perform at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 for adults, which also gets two children in for free. Each additional child ticket is $2.

Issue-oriented letters to the editor in response to this or about other local topics are welcome. All letters should be limited to 400 words. The author's name must appear with the letter, and the name, address and phone number provided for verification. Letters that cannot be verified by telephone will not be published. Send letters for publication to editor@newstribune.com

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Sequoia 1 year ago

Animals weren't meant to perform tricks. How do you think they teach them those tricks? Positive reinforcement? Yeah right.

Those animals learn tricks out of fear. They are isolated and prodded with electric shocks. Boycott animal cruelty. Only support animal-free circus acts.

peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/circuses.aspx

melissaheet 1 year ago

How do you know that the animals are being hurt. How do you know if they are treated kindly? Do you work at this circus? If you do fill us in and give us proof.

Sequoia 1 year ago

Follow the link in my post. There are photos. See for yourself.

asb 1 year ago

It seems un-American to say that this circus should be avoided, but when large cats, elephants and other non-domestic animals are caged, doped, and treated as Sequoia accurately points out, this just shouldn't be seen by children. Horses are different. They are profoundly social, have been bred for millenia to work joyfully and closely with humans, learn quickly with love and repetition, and can be stabled, walked and let roam freely with no fear of danger to anybody. Horses can be, and are, abused, and circuses are among the worst due mostly to heavy travel, low budgets and animal-numb owners, but the trainers and bareback acrobats are family to these animals. Wild animal free? yes. Horse free? Not so much.

spelchek 1 year ago

"...this just shouldn't be seen by children." -- So, now you know how to raise everyone elses children? You must be busy. If you don't like it, don't come around. Keep YOUR kids away from this evil event and start a petition in your name declaring all circuses should be banned in Cole County. Let everyone know how you feel using the system that is available to you. Meanwhile, a neighboring county will gladly pick up the revenues that accompany this circus. It's the progressive way...

spelchek 1 year ago

Uh oh...Sequoia's gonna start an Occupy movement at the circus y'all. Gonna teach our kids that they're evil for enjoying themselves via circus animals. Peta is nuts by the way. Any organization that juxtaposes the holocaust with bird brained chickens is anti-Semitic and just plain nuts. You must be a real hoot to hang out with, and by hoot I mean Debbie Downer.

Sequoia 1 year ago

PETA may be nuts, but they're right to oppose circuses. Nothing "left wing" about being kind to animals, although it is telling that your view of conservatism leads you to think so. I prefer to respect life, and to conserve what God has created. That's conservative.

There are a LOT of great things to do with your kids besides taking them to a circus.

spelchek 1 year ago

Your support of abortion and ban of circuses is telling as well. You cannot be pro-choice and conservative; nice try though.

asb 1 year ago

Pro-choice means it's not the governments business. That's not conservative?

asb 1 year ago

Pro-choice means let the killing of a fetus happen or not, and be determined by the pregnant woman.

tonto_goldberg 1 year ago

You don't get to proclaim your own facts, and the rest of us do not accept the so-called Right-to-Lifer definition of human life beginning at conception. It's not a done deal when the sperm and the egg first join. Lots of things can and do go wrong.

Sequoia 1 year ago

I don't support abortion. I support keeping it legal in some circumstances. Big difference.

Also, I never said "ban circuses." I said "boycott animal circuses." Another big difference.

Nice try, though.

bmd_i_be 1 year ago

Close down the circus! There aren't enough people unemployed!

The way I see it, it's survival of the fittest. I'm not for a random blow to an elephant head, but the way I figure...An elephant, lion, or tiger...even if de-clawed, de-toothed, or de-tusked, could knock the hell out of any human at any given time. If they want to put the traineers down they will.

Stop using tasers on animals and turn them on the people that enjoy watching a circus.

BTW...Free Willy.

Silverado_Phil 1 year ago

Circus? Is this some kind of party being put on with the state politicians? Elephants, donkeys, and clowns.

tonto_goldberg 1 year ago

Mostly clowns.

dokeus6 1 year ago

Your arguing about a Circus? Good Grief. Grow up people. I attended this Circus last year with my children and we had a blast. Too bad you miss out on a good family event.

Sequoia 1 year ago

I'm sure you had a great time, just as I'm sure that the animals did not.

newone 1 year ago

Thats pretty cool that you know exactly how an animal feels!!

Sequoia 1 year ago

They are not as different from you and I as we might like to tell ourselves.

Sure doesn't take an elephant whisperer to know that isolation and electric prods don't make animals happy.

bmd_i_be 1 year ago

Of course a hippy can tell what an animal feels. Years and years of personification of a non-human entity is required so a hippy can believe they have actual friends. I'm sure the pink & purple swirl-colored wombats have expresse their desire to this individual that the curcus be shut down on many occassions.

Sequoia 1 year ago

I read this post to my dog, and she thinks its hilarious!

him 1 year ago

Meanwhile.... I can't wait until this upcoming deer season and put another one on my wall.

ellefun4 1 year ago

I am disgusted that people support the Circus. It's animal cruelty at best, even if the animals aren't being physically abused, they are still locked in cages and trailers and deserve to be in their natural habitats! All I can say is if the animals decide to retaliate and smoosh your children to bits then don't whine and cry that it is a tragedy-the real tragedy here is people torturing these animals for their own pleasures. If your child gets smooshed or killed, blame yourselves people! Want to enjoy wild animals? Then go on a safari!!

dokeus6 1 year ago

Calm down Francis.

MO4LIFE 1 year ago

so all of you ban/boycott the circus feel the same way about the zoo and seaworld and animal sanctuaries because they all cage the animals at one point or another for humans protection............JUST WONDERING?

Sequoia 1 year ago

I'm against animal abuse. Animal sanctuaries are good. I'm ambivalent about zoos. I think wild animals should live in the wild, but a good zoo is probably OK, and I like good clean zoos. Sea World is a little iffy... I don't know much about it, but I think SW treats its animals better than most circuses. I don't think they use torture and fear to train their animals.

JCLifer 1 year ago

All these passionate statements by people who have absolutely no idea about what goes on makes me chuckle. The world is falling apart all around us, but yet folks are most concerned about a circus and some animals, and they have no idea what is going on or what they are talking about.

People are nuts.

JCLifer 1 year ago

I am going to laugh my butt off when scientists someday learn that plants feel much more pain than animals, and that all these years of cutting grass, trimming trees, pulling weeds, etc. are going to cause more people to go to hell in the afterlife than all the animal abuse combined since eternity.

People make so many assumptions and passionate statements about others and other things, and yet they don't even understand their own irrational selves. This whole thread really makes me chuckle and puke at the same time- it is a good reflection on our society and the blabbering ignorance that many folks spout all day long.

drpepper1885 1 year ago

screw PETA. And just because some animals are trained through abuse don't mean all are. And .... "Animals weren't meant to perform tricks" ? Heck, I don't think I'm meant to jump through hoops, but my boss sure expects me to, . . . . and obviously has me trained to since I still have a job.

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