June 6, 2000

A one-ring circus comes to 
Oak Park's Longfellow School

By ERIC LINDEN

What exactly a one-ring circus, several people asked after reading the
report about its return to Longfellow School in Oak Park on Sunday?

Simply put, it's when traditional, if smaller, circus act take turns in
one inside a big top. But there's more detail to tell about the circus
that for the second straight year came to Longfellow, which is on and
around the southwest corner of Jackson Boulevard and Highland Avenue.

Three shows of the Alain Zerbini Circus on June 4 raised money for the
Longfellow PTO's plans for the open land on the west side of the school.

Like Parent-Teacher Organizations at most all public schools in
Illinois, the Longfellow group has to raise money for any extras because
public school districts don't provide funding for much of anything other than
salaries and the educational basics. So when Longfellow parents wanted
to beautify the open space around their school--which is scheduled to be
done next year--the PTO had to raise the money.

In addition to the circus, the PTO also has funding from other sources,
including a recent grant from the Oak Park Area Arts Council, which
promotes the arts and artists in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.

And the school group also plans to apply for funding later this year
from village government's allotment of CDBG monies, some $2 million in
federal funds that will go next year to local agencies that benefit low-
and moderate-income residents in Oak Park.

The installation of the new arts and greenspace pieces around Longfellow
is scheduled for next spring, so Sunday's likely was the last appearance
by the Zerbini circus at Longfellow, which was around last year in
another PTO fundraiser and which performs all around the area.

Before crowd of between 600 and 800 parents and other adults, students
and younger children and under a red-and-white-striped big top, the
Alain Zerbini Circus provided some two hours of wholesome
entertainment--activities more suited for a block party than the
high-tech offerings at amusement parks like GreatAmerica.

The circus rolled in packed inside of big trucks shortly before 8 a.m.
on June 4 to set up on the Longfellow lawn adjacent to the school's
playground. By the time the 1 p.m. show kicked off--with tickets selling

for $8, up from the $6 prices before circus day--the Alain Zerbini
Circus--mostly, but not exclusively family of the same family--offered
for children rides on two camels and on two small horses, a stint in one
of those "moonwalk" enclosures that are seemingly present at every
outdoor event and face-painting.

Inside the big top, there also was "circus peanuts," popcorn, nachos,
cotton candy and hot dogs to eat; balloons; a circus coloring book,
balloons of cartoon characters, soft swords and other toys to buy; a
break-the-balloon-with-a-dart game to play; soft-rock and disco music to
hear over the loudspeaker; and other traditional circus sights and
sounds.

Finally, the circus itself began, and in backless red bleacher seats
under the big top, the ringmaster Ms. Christian's famous "ladies and
gentlemen and boys and girls" watched the following acts. They weren't
"high wire" because the big top wasn't all that high, but they were
basic and enjoyable to those that attended.

* Tightrope act. The Hernandez Duo, a man and a woman from Columbia,
South America danced on the tightrope and jumped rope, did the splits,
rode a unicycle and turned somersaults on the tightrope.

* Jugglers. The three or four Ramirez brothers tossed classic juggler
cones, tennis rackets and straw hats up, down and back and forth.

* Trapeze. The Hernandez duo came back to swing, hang and balance on a
trapeze bar and an adjoining platform just below the big top's ceiling.

* Clowns. With whistles for "voices," pratfalls and slapstick, the duo
drew high-pitched big laughs.

* The animal "rah-view." That part of the show featured "The Performing
Ponies," the two camels, lizards, monkeys, acrobatic dogs and "the Snake

Charmers," in which the re-appearing Hernandez Duo this time pulled out
increasing large reptiles.

* The acrobat. This featured handstands, including up a ladder and then
15 feet in the air on that ladder.

* The Pigs. In another highlight from last year's Longfellow circus, the
large--large--pigs, really boars, did a lot of running and smelling up
the inside of the big top.

* The Wheel of Death. It's over-named, to be sure. The wheel is a metal
contraption with a wheel at the end of a triangular piece that rotates
while the performer does stunts--runs, somersaults, while blindfolded
and the like--as the devices does circles and he scrapes the inside of
the big top.

"Are you having fun?" came the question from the ringmaster every now
and then.

"Yeeaah!" came the regular reply.