By Ben Rodgers
Editor
HOBART – The circus is coming to town.
The village of Hobart will host the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus with two shows at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at Four Seasons Park.
“The shows itself, is not what you’re going to expect with a Ringling Brothers or the other big names,” said Erica Hilbert, Hobart deputy clerk/treasurer. “But they definitely put on a real action-packed show geared towards smaller audiences.”
Circus goers can expect clowns, big cats and horses, trapeze artists and more in this one-ring show. Plus there will be the standard circus foods available for purchase along with activities for children.
“It’s definitely going to be very exciting,” Hilbert said. “A full hour and half of entertainment.”
The day starts off at 9:30 a.m. when the public is invited to attend the tent raising and get a free tour of the circus before the show later that evening. There is no charge for this event.
Hilbert said because the event is smaller, it gives people a better chance to see the action up close.
“It’s very different from the circus that you would visit in Green Bay at the arena,” she said. “Because it’s a smaller community there’s going to be less people there. It’s going to be more of a one-on-one, up-close-personal experience that you can’t get at the bigger shows.”
Any proceeds the village receives from ticket sales for the show will go the benefit the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department K9 fund.
Advance tickets are for children 2-12 and seniors are $7, and adults are $10.
Advance tickets can be purchased at Hobart village hall from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Those who can’t make it to village hall, can call Hilbert at 869-3803.
Tickets will be available the day of the event when the gates open for the shows one hour before showtime on Aug. 14.
Those tickets will be $8 for children and seniors and $13 for adults.
Hilbert said the circus approached the village and it was a great fit.
“We were actually approached by the circus. They go around the entire Midwest doing small shows in smaller municipalities, and they approached us and said they have an opening on this day,” she said. “They found our Four Seasons Park and thought it would be a good venue. They have enough space and it would be nice and open, and with Centennial Centre right next door there is no shortage of those available to come. So we talked it over and said ‘Why not give it a try?’ It’s something we’ve never done before and we really hope the residents will enjoy it and we hope it’s something where we can get on a permanent schedule with them.”
Hilbert said an event like this is good for the village because it sets Hobart apart.
“Bringing the circus to Hobart grants us a different kind of exposure,” she said. “It will encourage people to talk about us, hear about us, give us a little part of our own identity, that a lot of other small municipalities surrounding Green Bay can’t say that they have.”