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Family reigns over Niles circus
By Ashley Luthern
Niles
In about three hours, the Eastwood Field parking lot became a traditional big-top circus.
Workers and elephants erected a 50-foot-tall tent, covering 144 feet by 180 feet, with the help of a little technology, Wednesday morning. The final shows of the Carson and Barnes Circus are today at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. in Niles.
“We’ve always been under a tent, and this is our 74th year,” said Barbara Miller-Byrd, co-owner. “I’ve been taught if you don’t have a tent, you don’t have an elephant, then you don’t have a circus.”
Three elephants are joined by ponies, camels and other animals at the circus.
“The elephants are always a favorite, and the kids like the little dogs, too,” said Kristin Parra, circus office manager.
The circus has a herd of 26 elephants, the majority of which are still in Oklahoma, Byrd said.
“The animals are our pride and joy,” she said. “The animals are taken care of first, unloaded and fed and cared for before even the workers.”
Although circus workers come from all over the world, including Peru, Argentina and Brazil, the Carson and Barnes Circus has been owned by an Oklahoma family for four generations.
“To me, it was normal; that was the way I was raised,” Byrd said. “It was like growing up in Disney World. Every day there were animals and excitement.”
Byrd graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in business and marketing, but couldn’t resist the family calling.
“It’s a corny thing to say it gets in your blood,” Byrd said. “I could have done anything. My daughters both have degrees and they could have done anything they wanted to do. But we love the circus.”
Parra said the circus family hopes area residents feel the same way and fill the 1,800 seats for the two-hour-long show.
“People are always excited to see a circus,” she said. “It’s good, family entertainment.”
Tickets are $18 for adults and $10 for children under 12. Coupons for buy-one, get-one ticket sales are available at the Eastwood Mall.