The Circus is Coming, Pirates are Invading and Strawberries are Ripe!

The circus holds for many a step back in time to our youth. When we sat under the big top, eyes stretched wide as we watched the flying trapeze act or sat laughing hysterically at the antics of the clowns.

Remember when the ring master would come stand in center ring and announce "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Greatest Show on Earth" and how the parade of animals would march by accompanied by the performers decked out in magnificent costumes!

I can still see it all these years later and now, once again, the circus is coming to town for performances from January 7th to January 11th in Tampa. If you're interested in finding out other cities they'll be visiting in 2004, please click this link: http://www.ringling.com/schedule/ Ringling has two troupes of performers that travel 11 months out of the year by rail covering over 25,000 miles and visiting more than 90 cities. The trains are owned by Ringling and have specially built cars for the animals. They are now celebrating 134 years of circus history. Click this link to find out about the history of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. http://www.ringling.com/explore/history/...

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas the circus performers, both human and animal, take a break and move to their winter quarters that are located right here in Tampa. Currently, the performers are resting up and the crew is setting up for the upcoming attraction.

So, if a night of magic, laughter, and awe along with being dazzled by daring feats and stupendous tricks by wild animals sounds like something you'd like to experience, then log on and order your tickets and experience the greatest show under any big top!

There's quite a lot going on in Tampa from January to March and if you can't make it here for the circus at the beginning of January, then let's take a look at the beginning of February.

Celebrating its centennial (*1904-2004) is the yearly pirate invasion known as Gasparilla - http://gasparillapiratefest.com/home.htm Officially the last Saturday in January (the 31st) marks the beginning of the whole Gasparilla experience beginning with the children's Gasparilla parade and the Piratechnic Extravaganza featuring fireworks galore depicting a fantastic sea battle between Ye Mystic Krewe and the City of Tampa. Of course, the pirates win and the following Saturday, on February 7, the infamous invasion takes place.

The city is taken over by the krewe and begins with a parade starting at the beginning of Bayshore Boulevard and moving towards downtown Tampa where festivities and music go on into the night.

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