It was unquestionably the “Greatest Show on Earth,” as residents young and old came out to Barclays Center for a special performance of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, including the “legendary” elephant brunch on Tuesday, February 25.
The event marked the annual Community Value Pass Night; over the past two years, upwards of 100,000 community passes have been distributed to members of Brooklyn families.
Among those in attendance were public school students from P.S. 261 and P.S. 11 in Boerum Hill and Clinton Hill, who got to watch such circus standbys as tricks on bicycles, flips, dance moves, and acrobats in action as well as the elephants eating.
Smiles and laughter filled the arena once the Ring Master, Johnathan Lee Iverson, took the stage to acknowledge Alana Feld, executive vice president of Feld Entertainment and producer of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey (R.B.B.B.), as well as President and C.E.O of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Carlo Scissura.
Scissura recalled that, in his childhood, “When I was in school like you, one big difference, this building was not here, and I had to go very far to see the circus. So are you happy that this building is right here in Brooklyn?”
The circus isn’t just about entertainment, said Iverson, who noted, “Animal science isn’t really emphasized in the school system, so education is a big part of what we do.”
This was Iverson’s first time performing at the Barclay’s Center, and he was more than excited. “It is gorgeous,” he stated. “I love this new facility. It is wonderful, and it is going to be a legend of its own very soon.”
The circus wrapped up at Barclays Center on March 2.
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