By Debbie Monterrey dcmonterrey@cbs.com

One of my favorite events of the year is coming up: opening night of Circus Flora.

St. Louis’ very own circus will kick off its 29th season on Friday, May 29th and run through June 28th. The all-new show is “One Summer On Second Street.”



Always a terrific blend of artistry, acrobatics, storytelling and circus arts, this year’s show will feature a trampoline wall for the first time, along with a trained house-cat act (among many other acts, including the Flying Wallendas)!

Do yourself a favor. Go. Just do it. I promise you will love it. It’s St. Louis’ very own circus!

Circus Flora is truly for all ages (I fell in love with it BEFORE I had children).

As I often tell people, I was never a big circus fan, even as a child. But the moment I first entered the Circus Flora big top, it was a like a magical, transformative experience. I felt like I was going back in time.

The sawdust ring, the smell of popcorn and horses, the intimacy of the one-ring big top, a live band playing an original score. And then, the performances. One at a time, focusing on the art and skill of each act, not in-your-face-over-the-top-explosions-glitter stuff like circuses I was used to seeing.

I was hooked.

I’m often amazed how many St. Louisans have never been to or even heard of Circus Flora. It’s been one of my goals to change that! I’ve been talking up Circus Flora on the airwaves of KMOX and STL TV for over a decade now and have been serving on the Circus Flora board for about 7 years.

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A number of companies use Circus Flora for employee events in which they buy blocks of tickets or even whole performances! Other companies buy blocks of tickets as client gifts. If your church group, youth group, club or organization would like to do a trip to the circus, great group packages are available! Just a thought to plan ahead for next year…our 30th anniversary year!

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RUN AWAY WITH THE CIRCUS! Did you know that you can volunteer at Circus Flora? Every year, hundreds of dedicated volunteers fill vital roles from checking tickets to ushering patrons to their seats. There are a handful of amazing perks as well. Would you like more information on volunteering or would you like to sign-up? Click here.



Only three cities in the United States of America have their own circus. Aren’t we blessed in St. Louis to have Circus Flora?

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