When I think of the circus, I think of my Aunt Bertia Everly, my mom’s sister. She always took us and made a big fuss out of going. Her best friend, an African-American lady with whom she worked, came with us one year and brought her grandchildren. We had such a great time. It is one of my fondest memories.
A family in town, the Carrolls, gave our family tickets to the circus for Mason’s birthday. How generous is that?! Mason was thrilled and kept talking about going, although I am pretty sure he had no idea what it meant. Kids are great that way.
Mason Want to By-Pass Lunch and Go Straight to the Circus.
We started our day by going to Voodoo Dog for lunch. This is a little dive located in the Railroad District off of Gaines, not far from the Doak. I was nervous about going there, because I knew it would not be kid-friendly. By kids, I meant our toddlers and I was right. They had no high chairs or booster seats. However, I felt pretty old myself, as the place filled up with college kids who looked like babies.
The Fries at Voodoo Dog are Delish!
I love a great hot dog, and the menu selection of mind-boggling. However, I kept it simple for fear that the more condiments on my plate, the more at risk we were of having a big mess at our table.
The kids were incrediby well-behaved, however, and lunch was spectacular!
A Wringling Brothers Performer Made His Way Right Beside Me.
We found great parking by the law school and headed over to the Civic Center for the Circus. We were astounded to find that we had front-row seats! Miss Julia was very scared at first and sat quietly in her daddy’s lap sucking her fingers throughout most of the show. Mason snuggled in mine. At intermission, he asked for popcorn and a coke, which we all shared; but, thankfully, he did not want any of the over-priced goodies. Whew!
We all very much enjoyed the show, though it seemed a litted scaled down from what I remember. There was only one clown that I recall seeing, no tigers, and no traditional trapeze artists flying across the arena. It seemed like something was missing. Do not get me wrong, though. It was a full two-hour presentation, and we were ready to get out of there by the end. But in a good way!
Afterwards, we strolled past the law school, telling the kids about our days as students. We also drove around campus and stopped at FSU’s entrance to take pictures in front of the famous fountain. This kids had a blast and we did, too. I honestly cannot remember having such a perfect family outing in a long time.
