PRINT ADS

The Shrine Circus returned to Tomah for the 11th year at Recreation Park on Thursday. The event brings smiles to the faces of many kids and also helps to fund the Shrine Hospitals.

“The crowd looks good. A lot of kids,” Mecca Shrine president Bob Keene said as he looked out over the crowd at Thursday’s afternoon show. “That is what we are all about. Helping kids.”

Keene said that the money raised from the circus goes into the group’s general fund, which provides money to charities. Much of the money is used for transportation to the Shrine Hospitals and donations to the hospitals. There are 22 Shriners Hospitals in the United States. Most provide orthopedic care and burn care, while others provide rehabilitation for children with spinal cord injuries.

Keene said that the money helps fund the trips to Minneapolis and Chicago that transport children to Shriners Hospitals.

“We run two passenger vans,” Keene said. “One is kept in the Tomah area, and the other one is kept in Viroqua. They are weekly transporting kids to hospitals, and with gas prices, this is a lot of our expense.”

The three-ring circus included a trapeze act, tigers, clowns, and kids could go on elephant and pony rides outside of the grandstand. The circus held two shows in Tomah on Thursday.

Keene said that the circus set-up team was working at 10:30 a.m. to prepare for the show on Thursday, after a Wednesday night show in Wisconsin Rapids. A forecast for rain never materialized, and the circus went on, uninterrupted, for the 11th straight time, much to the delight of area children.

“We have always squeaked through weatherwise,” Keene said. “It is a good set-up. And you don’t see many three-ring circuses anymore. The kids get really excited to come see this.”