SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Shrine Circus is set to make its long-awaited return to a “big top” near you.
The event features nearly two dozen performances at six locations stretching from Winner, South Dakota to Windom, Minnesota, but has been canceled the past two years due to COVID-19.
The wonder and awe of the El Riad Shrine Circus hasn’t been witnessed since 2019 because of the pandemic.
“It was real tough, it was hard on the Shrine to be able to operate the way we normally operate,” Circus Chairman Larry Johnson said.
The mission of the El Riad Shrine is to help families with their children’s medical needs.
“This is the main fundraiser to help El Riad Shrine function throughout the year,” Johnson said.
The loss of last year’s circus cost the organization about one-third of its annual operating budget. The event is a moneymaker, but it’s more than dollars and cents.
“The kids, the kids enjoying themselves. It really puts a smile on your face,” Johnson.
“We’re all looking forward to it and excited to have this thing back and have all the kids and all the families and have a lot of fun like we normally do for nine shows,” El Riad Shrine Potentate Jim Slater said.
“They are expecting animals, they’re expecting different costumes or clowns,” Elementary Immersion Center teacher Andraya Peterson said.
Andraya Peterson teaches fourth and fifth grade at the Elementary Immersion Center in Sioux Falls.
“At the Elementary Immersion Center we have students who are brand new in the country, within their first year, refugee or immigrant, so we teach reading, writing, math, science and social studies topics to teach language,” Peterson said.
Peterson has been teaching at EIC for 12 years. She has 16 kids in her classroom, but about 60 students, K-5, will be attending the circus.
“Having experiences gives the students opportunities to deepen their language learning and it gives them exciting experiences to practice their language in,” Peterson said.
Peterson will use the days leading up to the circus to help prepare the kids for the event, and life.
“Teaching the expectations when we go somewhere because we want our students to not only be successful in a school environment, we want them to be successful community members, so we teach the expectations of how to behave, when to clap, when to cheer,” Peterson said.
The kids will attend one of the nine performances in Sioux Falls.
“We’ll do two on Thursday, two on Friday, three on Saturday, and two on Sunday,” Johnson said.
Larry Johnson is this year’s Circus Chairman, but doesn’t do it alone. The El Riad has about 20 committees that have been meeting weekly since late January.
“Each committee has different stuff that they work on to get ready for the circus and make sure that everything is going to work,” Johnson said.
“I’ve always said it takes a village to put this event on and it takes everybody we possibly can. We have probably close to 300 volunteers every show,” Slater said.
Jim Slater is this year’s Potentate at the El Riad and has high expectations.
“I’ve talked to other temples that have already had circuses and they say they’re blowing the roof off every building they’ve been at,” Slater said.
Now, it’s Sioux Falls’ turn to take in the sights and sounds.
“One of the coolest things is when you’re standing there and all the lights are off and the kids have those flashy toys. I think that’s one of the coolest things ever,” Slater said.
It’s a three-ring circus three years in the making.
“Oh, it’s huge, we’re all excited,” Slater said.
The El Riad Shrine Circus is Thursday through Sunday at the Sioux Falls Arena.