By Susan Hogoboom
The Alpine Sun

     ALPINE — Clowns, trapeze artists, acrobats, hula-hoop girls, and high-wire performers were among the human entertainers that joined many animals last Thursday, April 16 at Viejas for a one-night-only Carson & Barnes big top circus event.
     What is now known as Carson & Barnes Circus originated in 1937. Over six decades later, it has expanded to become the world’s largest traveling circus. And it has maintained its old-fashioned character, with a tent and all. In fact, from time to time, one of the circus’s elephants, Isla, assists with the 144- by 180-foot tent’s erection.
     “We mostly do it for publicity,” said Chip Arthurs, sole trainer to Isla, Isa and Kelly, the three elephant performers. Arthurs, a veteran of 29 years in elephant training, has worked with the trio off and on for a decade.
     When Carson & Barnes circus animals retire, they go to Hugo, Okla., where the company has a resort-style facility called “The Endangered Ark.” There they share an abundance of acreage with current elephant performers who winter there.
     Circus clown Alex Acero rides around, as part of his act in the circus, on one of the elephants. Acero is known throughout the world as “The King of Circus Comedy”. He amuses circus attendees of all ages with his silly antics and stunts on the trampoline.
     Fluent in three languages, Acero is a 25-year veteran of circus entertainment and is thankful to his father for his encouragement. Acero’s relationship and respect for his fellow performers goes well beyond the big top.
     “We are more like a family. We’re together the whole time. We eat together. We work together. We do a lot of stuff together,” he said.
     Thirteen-year-old Francesca Cavallini entertains circus-goers with her acrobatics, trapeze and hula-hoop acts. As a member of the famous Flying Cavallini Family, she is accustomed to the circus lifestyle.
     “It’s kind of in my blood,” Cavallini said, who was trained by her uncle.
     Cavallini enjoys the perks of being in the circus. “You get to go to new places and meet new people. It’s real exciting,” she said before resuming a visit with cousins before her performance.
     Children of the circus attend a traveling school. According to Carson & Barnes Co-owner and Vice-President, Barbara Byrd, there are 12 students in this year’s circus children’s class.
     Carson & Barnes prides itself on having the world’s largest traveling zoo, which Byrd says is part of the circus’s “educational program.” The zoo is free of admission in the mornings before the shows, and visitors may watch animal unloading, feeding, and watering.
     Circuses are regulated by a number of federal, state and local laws. Carson & Barnes has an open-door policy to be inspected by authorities.
     D.J. Gove, from the San Diego Humane Society, told The Alpine Sun, “It is mandatory for the jurisdiction to let us know that they are here in town, and then it’s up to us to decide whether we want to go out or not.”
     Gove was one of two uniformed officers from the San Diego Humane Society who monitored the pre-circus animal-related activities.
     “We’re looking for animal welfare, just to make sure they’re being treated appropriately for their species,” Gove said.
     Carson & Barnes Circus, like any circus, is not without its critics. The circus has been cited by the USDA and has received criticism from animal rights groups countless times for issues involving animal care and handling and maintenance problems with circus’s vehicles that have resulted in animal injury.
     Carson & Barnes’s website insists the circus uses only positive reinforcement.
     Carson & Barnes gives back a portion of their proceeds to local communities and supports The Endangered Ark Foundation, which seeks to preserve endangered species.
     For more information on the Carson Barnes circus or The Endangered Ark Foundation, go to carsonandbarnes.com.