Is your “Circus of Sorts” like a First Night with jack-o’-lanterns?
I’ve never been to First Night, so I am going to say, “Yes, but better!” You don’t have to pay to get into our event—it’s free. I wanted to include a little bit of everything that might catch people’s interest, from good causes to art to showy performance pieces.
Is this a family-friendly event, or is it more for adults?
It’s a circus; it’s for everyone. There’s a costume contest with prizes as well as a children’s art show from Rowland Hall Elementary School at 7 p.m. Grown-up kids can see the visual extravaganza of belly dancers, magicians, psychics, an escape artist, fire performers, Halloween/circus/Day of the Dead-themed art work, and more.
Your event benefits Gateway for Canine Partnerships, a nonprofit that matches up companion pets with disabled people. Will any companion animals be on hand?
We have an adorable golden retriever puppy named Jack; Gizzmo, a Rottweiler mix who helps a woman with cerebral palsy; and Christmas Eve, an adorable spaniel mix who is training to be a seizure alert/response dog. Look for one of our pups wearing a vest filled with raffle tickets that you can buy and help pay for their training!
What do aerialists, trapeze artists and sword fighters have in common?
That sounds like a great joke that I don’t have a good punch line for. They’re unusual performances, and they’re all going to be done at this fund-raiser. And, what do they have to do with Halloween? Halloween is a great time to dress up and have fun. What better way than to have a circus. And not just any circus—this one is visually delicious, overstimulating, and will leave your jaw hanging to the floor.
Any chance of getting a drink while you’re there?
It is an all-caffeine event. Come get wired! Or hop on over to the local pub, but not before you’ve seen our fire performers, acrobats, aerialists, magicians and more. You can always drink; you don’t always get to see a fire whip. Fire first!