One of the most vivid memories that I have of our family is when the 5 of us when to see the Shrine Circus exactly 3 years ago. We were so excited to let the three boys have this incredible experience under the big top!
Since the Shriners are huge supporters of children’s charities, we were happy to learn about a special section for children with special needs, right up front! Since we had to keep Zackie in his stroller, this was the perfect spot for us to see the incredible show.
Jayden and I decided to go on an elephant ride (for $10, you can ride the elephants at intermission), since elephants are my favourite animal of all time! It was a ride that we will never forget and we speak about often! In fact, the elephant’s name was “Roxy” and that was the inspiration behind the name for our puppy! I hear that Roxy the elephant is now at the elephant sanctuary in Florida and you can win tickets to stay with your family in Florida!
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| That’s Roxy the elephant and an almost 3 year old Jayden |
We were all caught up in the magic of the show that night. I remember being so emotional as I saw so many families all around us, with children and teens who had special needs. I was overwhelmed that we could give all three of our kids the experience of the circus that night, as so many other travelling experiences and family outings were difficult with Zack. I only wish that I had taken more photos of Zackie as he watched the lights and the animals all around him.
Ty and Jayden were allowed to pick one “treat” as a souvenir and they both chose a ball. During the intermission, I will never forget how our boys played with a couple of young adults who had Down’s Syndrome and other disabilities. I watched them play together and saw what I hoped was their future with their little brother, Zack. It was a moment Paul and I will never forget and thankfully captured it in these photos.
We will be attending the Vaughan show on Thursday, July 18th at 7:30pm! Using the code “FUN” for 50% off, please join our family and bring yours out to be a part of the Zerbini Family Circus’ 250th Anniversary Celebration at the Shrine Circus featuring a fresh mix of amazing entertainment in a traditional circus setting, all under the European style Big Top. The show is a bit different from when we saw it year ago, but still just as memorable for the whole family; the largest exotic cat act in the world with 10 tigers, the TARZAN Zerbini performing Elephants, the Zerbini Liberty Equestrian Horses, astounding Trapeze and aerial artistry, juggling, unicycles, comedy, high flying acrobatics, classical clowns, the Incredible Circus Wheel and more!
We love that by purchasing tickets to the Annual Shrine Circus, we are supporting the Shriners and their children’s hospitals and charities.
Check out some of the photos from this year’s show on Facebook and follow along on Twitter (#shrinecircus is the hashtag)!
Disclosure: I was given tickets for my family to attend this year’s show, in exchange for the honour of sharing our own family circus story.