Morning Midway: Carson & Barnes Snapshot from Colorado

The following comment, by Michael from Longmont, Colorado, was left on the post I put out last year, "Two Views of Carson and Barnes Circus." Michael has just seen the show. Though rather downbeat, it strikes me as an unfortunately accurate reflection of what I've, too, experienced. And it makes me wonder, how does this circus manage to survive, year in and year out?

"Sept. 16, 2010 went to the Carson and Barnes Circus. My wife and I felt bad for the entertainers because you got a feeling that this circus was not going to be around much longer. The show was very poor for adults. My children really enjoyed it. I am glad we had received BOGO on the tickets, otherwise I would have been really disappointed. Half the show had entertaining feats, but the rest seemed to just be going through the motions. We had maybe 100 people attending. The sound system was horrible and way too loud. The only time we understood the ring master was when he was telling Alex no music. This was not my childhood circus and there is only 1 ring now."