ARCANUM — The Arcanum Business Association (ABA) has agreed to be the sponsor of a one-day circus in Arcanum, April 30, 2018.
Dave Williams, representing the Hugo, Oklahoma-based Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, was on hand at the ABA’s Thursday morning meeting to present the proposal to the group.
The show features a wide range of traditional circus attractions under the big top, including acrobats, clowns, tigers, lions, unicyclists, and trapeze artists, among others.
As part of the agreement, the ABA will pay a sign-up fee of $290, which will be reimbursed to the organization if 200 or more advance adult tickets are sold. The ABA nonetheless will receive various percentages on tickets sold, as well as promotional materials.
Advance ticket prices will be $10 for adults and $7 for children (ages 2 to 12) and seniors (ages 65 and up). At the show, tickets will be $13 and $8, respectively.
In other business, members discussed preparations for the Thursday, October 26 Bean Supper and Halloween Parade.
As well, group members heard a proposal to stage a Christmas Horse Parade on Saturday, December 9. In addition to horses and horse-drawn, lighted carriages, the all-day event would feature craft vendors and food trucks.
“We would like to partner with the school and make this a fundraiser with them as well, in a 50-50 split,” said Jason Blackburn, ABA vice president. ABA members will vote on whether or not to go forward with the event within the next few weeks, pending further research on the cost to conduct the parade.
ABA President Josh Urlage said the organization, which currently maintains a membership of about 50 businesses, is seeking to include even more businesses as well as community members.
“We’re at the point now where participation is not where we’d like it to be,” he said. “We would like to open this organization up to the community — anybody who is interested in helping the community grow. Just get more people involved.”
For more information about joining the Arcanum Business Association, contact Urlage by phone at 937-417-1245.