Ambling, mystical amazement! Danger and delight abound! So were the Jefferson County Fairgrounds this Fri. June 28, as they welcomed the Culpepper and Merriweather (C&M) Circus to Boulder for an evening of amusements and entertainment. Sponsored by the Boulder-Bull Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, who received roughly $500 from the C&M Circus, roughly 400 people attended the evening’s two performances.
“The clowns are weird. And I like them!” said seven-year-old Ashea Rasmussen after an exhilarating ride on the Boulder River Carousel, which was opened to the public for a single day as a part of the community support offered to the C&M Circus. The fairgrounds were also host to pony rides, inflatable bouncy playgrounds, intricate face paintings, souvenir and memorabilia vendors, and a delicious, if not gluttonous, concessions offering. The show itself began with an introduction to the circus’s big cats: Wendell the lion and Delilah the tiger.
“There is a fine line between princess and drama queen, and right now Delilah is walking it!” said C&M animal handler Trey Key during the night’s performance. Key, as part of a seeming effort to update traditional circus elements to modern tastes, presented the big cats as affectionate, sassy, well-fed, lazy personalities that acted however they pleased, though harmlessly. Providing for the safety and well being of the big cats, as well as organizing and executing the maddening logistics of a traveling circus, falls to a small army of migrant workers; many of whom have been employed by the circus for several years.
“It’s a hard job, but so beautiful,” said C&M Circus vendor ‘Juana’, who joined the circus six years ago after emigrating from Veracruz, Mexico. “We see so many places every year. I’ve seen the U.S. from Oregon to Chicago. I have a blessed life.”
“So many places and jobs and people in so short a time. It’s good work!” said C&M laborer ‘Jorje’, who, like ‘Juana’, emigrated from Mexico. “I’m not sure what’s next for me, but I am glad to be here, in a good place”. Both ‘Jorge’ and ‘Juana’ suggested that most of the non-performing laborers at the C&M circus emigrated from Mexico. The show itself is punctuated with Spanish, almost as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the oddity, happenstance and beauty of life behind a traveling circus.
“It really was just a great event,” said Jefferson County Events Coordinator Bruce Binkowski. “It really goes to show all the different things we’re capable of doing down at the fairgrounds. And the circus folks were very pleased with the reception they received in Boulder, and thought it a very successful stop on their summer tour.”
The C&M Circus performance also included trapeze and daring feats of acrobatics, such as the ‘Wheel of Destiny’, a large, tent filling lever with two spheres akin to hamster wheels placed on each end. Like a see-saw, but infinitely more dangerous, performers spun, danced, and climbed about as it completed full rotations from ground to ceiling. Performers also stood bareback atop giant, running horses, juggled flame lit batons, and rode unicycles with the skill of gymnasts.
“I used to come every year they’d [C&M Circus] get here,” said Boulder resident Anthony Zufelt while supervising his daughter, Hylia, receiving a face-painting. “Now I get to bring my daughter. It feels quite special, even if the show doesn’t change all that much. But maybe that’s a good thing.” The C&M Circus intends to return to Boulder in 2026.
