The circus is returning to this East Pierce County town soon. Here’s what to know
Cockatoos and aerial acts are coming to Buckley for a day before May officially ends.
Locals can see the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus on Monday, May 30 at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. on an open lot next to Blue Max Meats at 29304 state Route 410.
Pre-sale tickets cost $12 for adults and $7 for children 2-12 and seniors 65 years and up. Tickets bought at the door will be $15 and $8, respectively. Children under 2 get in for free.
Tickets are sold online at cmcircus.com/home.html or in-person. The in-person locations include Blue Max Meats, Main Street Bistro at 754 Main St., Odd Fellows at 120 Cedar St., as well as Blue Rooster at 331 state Route 410 S.
The event is not exclusive to Buckley residents and is open for the public to attend, said Ali Santman, president of the Buckley Chamber of Commerce. The circus has been to Buckley in the past but has not visited since about 2011, she said.
“One of the big things that we do … is we try to create events, activities and increase tourism into our little town,” Santman said. “We just saw that as a fun way to do that — bring some people to town and have a fun event for the locals.”
Circus ringmaster Simone Key said each show will last about an hour and 40 minutes and will be filled with a variety of performances by people and animals. One act includes a person balancing on a wire.
In addition to the cockatoos, there will be a lion, tiger and horses. Key said the cockatoos used to be pets that were abandoned or relinquished. The lion and tiger came from zoos, and the horses are from a family that raised them.
“Our animal acts are more kind of about the relationship between the handlers and the animals rather than them doing these grand tricks,” Key said. “It’s kind of more of an educational thing versus a traditional act with tricks.”
The circus will bring a crew of about 30 people, and the tent will have space for about 700 attendees, Key said. The circus is based in Oklahoma. The circus travels to 17 states in over 32 weeks, from March until October in a typical year.
This story was originally published May 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
