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December 14, 2012
www.FWDailyNews.com
Shrine Circus to bring tigers, elephants and ‘awe’ By Garth Snow gsnow@kpcnews.net
Steve Trump says the circus is a lot of work, and a lot of fun. Hundreds of volunteers will share the work of selling tickets for the 67th installment of the Mizpah Shrine Circus, Jan. 24-27 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. Thousands of schoolchildren will take in the earliest of seven shows. “They’ll be in awe of the size of the Coliseum, the elephants, the tigers, anything and everything,” Trump said. “Some of them will look at those elephants, and go ‘wow.’ “ School groups attend the Thursday morning and Friday morning shows for free. About 8,000 schoolchildren will attend this year. That number will include students in grades three to five, from a wide area around Fort Wayne. The number will be in 2013, Trump said, because an ice day in 2012 kept many students from attending. The circus director, who has helped in assorted roles for 14 years, said Shriners work to offer affordable, quality entertainment while raising money for Shrine projects. “When you can take a family of four to the circus and feed them for a hundred dollars, that’s pretty cheap entertainment,” Trump said. That’s a high-end estimate, he said. Cheaper fare is available. The circus offers online ticket
Courtesy photo
Erika Zerbini, the youngest of circus owner Tarzan Zerbini’s four daughters, directs elephants and horses for the circus, which opens its 2013 tour Jan. 24-27 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. discounts. The Fort Wayne show opens the 2013 season for the Zerbini Circus. Larry Solheim, the general manager for the circus, said Fort Wayne is the flagship show for the circus. The Coliseum is a great venue, he said, and justifies the investment in extra attractions for the event. Circus-goers will see 15 tigers, elephants, horses, BMX riders, a human
Polar Plunge to make splash for Special Olympics By Valerie Gough vgough@kpcnews.net
Courtesy photo by J Michael Photography
Two brave plungers step off a platform into a recycling bin filled with cold water during the 2012 Polar Plunge at Parkview Field. the plunge. But last year at Homestead High School, she got much more than that. Jordan Blevins, then a junior at Homestead, sidled up beside Fiechter to tell his peers about the fun, excitement and purpose of the Polar Plunge. The event benefits Special Olympics athletes
such as Blevins with Down syndrome or other intellectual disabilities. “I said ‘Jordan’s going to take the plunge this year. He’s collecting money so if any of you have any money you want to donate to the plunge, he will be here collecting See PLUNGE, Page A4
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It takes courage to stand in front of a crowd of people and ask for money. It becomes all the more difficult when it’s a group of teenagers — arguably the toughest room around. Julia Fiechter, the organizer and co-chair of the 2013 Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics of Allen County and Indiana, finds herself doing that a lot this time of year. It is just a few months before the main event when hundreds of brave souls climb a platform 8 feet in the air to dive into a bin full of frigid water to raise money for the organization. It’s during these lunch hours that Fiechter hopes to recruit teens from area schools to participate in
crossbow and much more, he said. Circus owner Tarzan Zerbini first performed in Fort Wayne in 1972, when he visited with another circus. “We have a really successful show in Fort Wayne,” he said, adding that the circus attracts 75,000 to 80,000 people to the Coliseum. Zerbini said he has found good friends here. “We have a very good partnership,
because I put the show together and they sell the tickets,” Zerbini said. “I don’t tell them how to sell the tickets and they don’t tell me how to put the circus together.” Trump said he learned the planning process from his predecessor, Steve Johnson, who now handles publicity for the circus. “We’ve just grown over the years,” Johnson said. That growth has included the addition of the fair in conjunction with the circus, in about 2000. The circus trailers for the performers and their animals were housed in the basement of the auditorium. “Well everybody wanted to go down and see the animals,” Johnson said, “so we started putting the trailers outside and all the animals in the basement, where they can see the elephants, see the tigers, and all the performing animals.” Admission to the fair is free. Children may visit a petting zoo, featuring domesticated animals such as miniature horses, goats, potbelly pigs, chickens and sheep. Face-painting is available. For an extra charge, kids may enjoy battery-operated cars or pony rides, or have their photo taken with the petting zoo animals. “I’ve never actually stopped to count, but we probably have upward of 200 men and women who help during the week,” Trump said. The office opens in September, and begins selling tickets in See CIRCUS, Page A3