CANFIELD The circus is coming to grandstand

The outdoor venue will allow for more acts.
CANFIELD -- For the first time in 38 years, the circus comes to a new town.
Circus Aut Mori, presented by the Aut Mori Grotto, will set up tent at the Canfield Fairgrounds grandstand. The change is because of construction at the Struthers Fieldhouse and renovations to the high school,
"We had no choice," explained Leland Clegg, one of the circus organizers. "We had nowhere else to go."
Circus Aut Mori performs at 8 p.m. May 9 and 10 and at 1 and 8 p.m. May 11. Tickets are $15 for box seating, $12 and $10.
The animals and equipment were stored in past years at the field house during the circus, but work and renovations make that impossible now.
With the new location comes other changes Clegg said will work to the circus's advantage.
New acts
Because the event takes place outdoors, new acts that were previously excluded because of height restrictions can now be added:
U David "The Bullet" Smith, who is shot from a cannon.
U The High Wheel of Destiny, in which performer Peter Winn runs and races 40 feet in the air.
U Cycles in the Sky, which features riders on Harley Davidsons suspended on a wire and driving right up into the seating areas.
"And before, we always had to set up the cat cage and then tear it down again after every performance," Clegg said. "Now, we can leave it up and it will be ready to go. And the same with the Cycle Dome.
Going all out
"This is the first time we will be outside, too, so we are really going to make this thing work," he continued. "We have more acts, we have more colors, we just have more."
As in past years, proceeds from the circus will benefit local charities, including Tod Children's Hospital.
Tickets are available at 627 Spring St., Struthers; Masonic Temple, 223 Wick Ave., Youngstown; Novak & amp; Davis Insurance Agency, 9364 Youngstown-Pittsburgh Road, New Middletown; and Lederle's Auto Service, 253 Penn Ave., Salem.
XFor more information, call (330) 755-4143.