Well this year's Circus Parade was pretty much perfect. It was not as hot as it has been in past years. There are a lot of reasons why I love this parade. Part of it is the nostalgia aspect, it reminds me of being a kid and the adventure involved with going to see a parade. I also love the old circus wagons. And there is something about drums in a marching band I just love. The people watcher in me is also almost overwhelmed.

The Circus Parade in Milwaukee
is an annual event. It has been going since the early seventies. The wagons are all authentic and are transported by train from Baraboom Wisconsin, home of the Circus World Museum. The only wagons they use are the real deal, fixed up and restored using photos. No reproductions allowed. They also manage to get the proper animals in each wagon, including a hippo, a white tiger and a giraffe. They fill the space between wagons with people in period dress on horse back and in vintage autos. There are also a whole lot of clowns. All in all the parade lasts about two hours. Some people make a weekend out of it and start camping out on the street on Thursday night before the parade so they get a prime location.

The crowd itself is quite diverse. Elderly people who drive up from Illinois every year, young couples with kids and with out. Whole families and people by themselves. I love watching the little kids as the wagons round the corner. I remember the excitement they feel. And what's really amazing is that all the other people usually have the same look on there faces.

Personally, my favorite part of the parade was after a passing horse left a deposit behind, a marching band went right through it and it was magically gone. Ok, maybe I'm warped, but I find that funny. I also enjoyed talking to a man from Alabama who was here for the Harley Davidson Dealers convention. His waitress at breakfast mentioned the parade and he just came to see it out of curiosity. He said next summer he's planning to come back with the kids.

The whole weekend is a bit of a blow out. In Milwaukee there is some kind of fest every weekend, Sumerfest being the biggest. But Circus Parade Weekend is a lot of fun. Strees are closed downtown for a Bastille day celebration which lasts all weekend with live music, lots of food and places to shop. And just a few blocks walking away on the lakefront is the circus. The wagons are all out to look at, you can pet the animals, see an actual circus and go on rides. They also have some displays of circus history and history of the parade. All in all a lot to do.

So I still can't quite explain my fascination with the circus and the parade. Maybe it's the romantic notion of running away and joining, knowing they are excepting of everyone. Maybe it's the reminder of simpler times. It might be the craftsman ship involved with the wagons and the talent of everyone involved with the circus life. All I know is that I love going to this parade and seeing a good circus.

May all your days be circus days.

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