I found out the circus was coming months ago, back in January I guess and sent my dad down to buy our tickets the day they went on sale. He bought six tickets, three for me, him and my mom, one for Erika and two more for whoever else we decided to bring along (turns out that ended up being Wayne and Shirley, friends of my parents).
On Tuesday during lunch, I was perusing the internet as I always do on my lunch break and I saw that the Elephant walk was going to be at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday. I thought about it for all of two seconds and decided I would go down and watch the elephants unload if I wasn't running too late in that morning. I leave around 6:40-6:45 to go to work anyway so stopping by the train depot which is about two miles from my house wasn't really out of the way or too early.
I must have subconsciously been really anxious to see those elephants because I woke up before the alarm clock and as hard as I tired to rest my eyes for a few more minutes, it just wasn't happening. So, I got up, got ready and headed on down to the train station. There weren't as many people there as have been in years past. I'm assuming that's because it was at 6:30 a.m., whereas in the past it's been later in the afternoon. I made my way over to the trains and the workers had already unloaded a lot of the horses. Not long after arriving, I could see big elephant feet walking on the other side of the train and sure enough the elephants were headed our way. I snapped a few photos, watched the elephants and horses trot by and then headed back to the car. The guy next to me was disappointed because he thought all the animals were going to be parading down the street. I, however, knew better since I had been a couple of years ago and also had the same feeling of disappointment.
Apparently years ago more of the animals were a part of the animal walk but now they only let the elephants and horses parade around in front of folks. However, I wonder how it is that all the other animals arrive because the railroad tracks do not go directly up to the arena. So, how do they get there? Perhaps they walk them over throughout the day? I know the circus has more elephants than walked down the street today as well. I think there were only about five, but in the finale of the circus, there are always about 12 or so elephants. Ringling, you've got some 'splainin to do! Maybe the next time the circus comes to town I'll take the day off and just camp out at the train station with my packed lunch and see all the goings on of the circus folks and animals.
Anyway, the circus is in town and I am thrilled. I saw the show on Thursday night and it was great. There will be a post about that soon. If you have a chance, be sure and see the circus while it's in town - it is, after all, The Greatest Show On Earth!
If the circus isn't for you, do not fear because there is so much going on in Huntsville this weekend! Here are some other fun items to choose from:
Panoply - After being canceled last year because of the April 27th tornadoes (we didn't have power for five days ya know), Panoply is back for it's 30th anniversary! There are a lot of various dance, singing, and music events you can watch and there will be crafts a plenty for kids of all ages. The global village is back which is an area that displays cultural items from countries around the world. On Saturday at the Showcase Stage is the Official Alabama State Fiddling Championship. Each night there will be a fireworks display and on Sunday night, the weekend closes out with my fellow Hoover High Class of 1995 classmate, Taylor Hicks. Passes for the weekend are $10 or if you only want to go one day, the price is $5. Panoply is always one of my favorite Huntsville events. I have really fond memories of going as a child and I hope to stop by for a while on Saturday to listen to some music and eat some junk food if nothing else.
Fantasy Playhouse presents Rapunzel - This is the last show for the 2011-2012 Fantasy Playhouse season and the last weekend for the show as well. There are productions on Friday night and Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. I'm going on Friday night with my friend Kendra and I'm looking forward to it. I don't think I've ever seen a live production of Rapunzel.
Beard and Stache Competition - This is being hosted by Dixieland Beard Coalition and will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday at Lowe Mill. Benefits will proceed disaster recovery efforts and this is sure to be a blast. I doubt I will have time to stop by and watch this, but I have no doubt it will be hilarious! While there, you can pick up some good eats from Happy Tummy!
On Saturday there is a nature hike that begins at 10 a.m. up on Monte Sano. Park across from Burritt Museum if you are interested in participating in that. This is only 2-3 miles and they are encouraging folks to bring cameras as there will be plenty of wildflowers to photograph. I would like to do this one, but will have to pass this week as I have large plans of mowing the lawn after spin class Saturday morning. I don't know about you, but lately there just have not been enough hours in my weekend.
I'm sure there are a lot more activities taking place in Huntsville this weekend so get out and find something to do and have fun doing it.
3 comments:
Can't wait to see your circus post. We have gone to the Ringling circus the last 3 years...fun for all ages :)
Can't wait for the recap of the circus!
I never have enough hours in my weekend either :(
I love the elephant walk, or in my case, the horse walk! When I worked at the Chamber of Commerce, we would all go outside to watch the parade.
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