Arrivals at The Circus Barn
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Tour Communications & PR Intern Emma Burke
Looking down Circus Road to the Chapiteau
1 Circus Road. The soothing voice of my GPS tells me to bear left as I approach a street sign that I have never had the pleasure of seeing before.
As my Hyundai Sonata fights against the knobby dirt road, I start to have cold feet. What am I doing? What did I get myself into? It was only a number of months ago that I gingerly applied for the position of Tour Communications and PR Intern at Circus Smirkus, a traveling youth circus that I had only heard of recently. I had planned to spend another dreary summer waitressing with the occasional beach trip, but instead, I decided to spend three months on tour with the circus. Crazy, right? I had no idea what to expect, and I could only imagine how new troupers must feel arriving at headquarters for the first time.
View of the Pie Car and Charlotte, one of the practice tents
As I pulled up the long drive, I was suddenly in the midst of one of the most grandiose views of my life: a circus tent. Having never been to a performance myself, I was blown away by the sheer size of this blue and white beauty.
After unpacking my car and settling into my new trailer, I took a long walk and tried to become more familiar with my new home. I felt like a newborn deer taking its first steps, testing the stability of a place I had never walked on before. Without the buzz of troupers who had yet to arrive, headquarters felt like acres and acres of suspense; kinetic energy hung in the air. Little did I know that the magic of my new home had only just begun.
Happy faces all day long
The day that the troupers arrived was one of both chaos and peace. As part of the marketing team, it is one of my many jobs to take pictures and videos of the troupers throughout the summer. Needless to say, June 8th was a busy day for me. By 4:00 PM, the front lot was filled with cars, troupers, parents, coaches, hula hoops, juggling clubs, rings, basketballs, laughs, hugs, the occasional scream, and the incessant swarm of flesh-eating mosquitoes. Although I was focused on capturing every embrace and Hallmark moment, it was during my brief moments of rest when I sensed a sort of electricity in the air, a promise of sore muscles and blistered hands starting tomorrow.
The arrival of the troupers gave this magical place purpose, and I knew right then and there that I was in the right place; I belong at 1 Circus Road.
Circus Smirkus troupers on arrival day