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The circus is coming
Circus Aut Mori is partnering with the Royal Hanneford Circus this year.
The Circus Aut Mori is returning to the Mahoning Valley after a two-year absence, and for the first time it will be in Chevrolet Centre.
The Aut Mori came to the Valley every year between 1964 and 2006.
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has taken up the torch the past two years, but the Ringling is not on the Chevy schedule this year, which left an opportunity for the Aut Mori’s return. The Ringling will return to Chevy Centre in 2010.
The Aut Mori Grotto used to produce the circus, auditioning and booking acts on its own. But this year it is partnering with the Royal Hanneford Circus, said Dan Becker, general chairman of the Aut Mori circus committee.
Chevy Centre had an opportunity to book the Hanneford circus, and approached the Grotto to join in as the sponsoring group.
The arena was aware of the following the Circus Aut Mori had built up over the decades in the Mahoning Valley and knew it would be wise to hook the two up.
“It is our circus,” said Becker, who noted that all of the clowns are members of the Aut Mori. The Hanneford will supply all the other acts, which include aerial artists, animal shows (including dogs, monkeys and elephants) and sway poles.
The Circus Aut Mori is very similar to the Ringling Bros., but tickets — which start at $10 — will cost less, said Becker.
The Aut Mori has a long tradition of raising money for charity.
“The circus with a purpose” was the catchphrase it used, a reference to the money it raised for the now-closed Tod Children’s Hospital and agencies that help needy children.
After many years at the Struthers Fieldhouse, the Circus Aut Mori was forced to move to the Canfield Fairgrounds for a couple of years.
“The Fieldhouse was undergoing renovation,” said Becker. “When we were able to return, we had lost our continuity [with booking agencies],” he explained. The circus did not do as well so it took a hiatus.
The 2009 Circus Aut Mori will be bigger than those it staged in the past. It will have three rings instead of two and more aerial-daredevil acts. “We couldn’t do those in the Fieldhouse,” said Becker.
The acts will include:
UThe Animal Aristocrats (Afghan dogs)
UAngela (aerial artist)
UEquestrian dressage (horse act)
UThe Incredible Benito (juggler)
UElephan-tastic Kindergarten
(baby elephants)
UAdagio (physical endurance duo)
USensational Skymasters (sway pole artists)
UThe Zamperla-Zoppe Gypsy Riders
(equestrian)
UBenito and Dulce (costume quick-change)
UDavid Zoppe’s rhesus monkeys
UThe Winn Dare-Devils
(mid-air motorcycle act)
UElephants and clowns