So Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has announced the greatest show on earth will close after an impressive 146 year run. Feld Entertainment, who purchased the show from the originally family in the 60s I believe said the operation was too costly and ticket sales dropped, especially after elephants were taken from the act last year.

Wow. Of all the things to close down.

I think what you said about being to the circus once and barely remembering it sums up why they're shutting down-it's really just not as big a part of people's lives or culture as it was. I myself have been to a show maybe twice in my life, and don't remember much either. 

It's just one of those things that runs in the background of our lives and when its gone we're like, "Oh crap, what happened?!" I never really cared to go, but it was nice knowing it was still chugging along.

I remember going as a kid 5 years old. I remember the ringmaster directing your attention to the different rings of elephants, clowns, tigers, lions, ladies standing on horses, and motorcycles racing around an iron sphere of death with a lady in the middle. My parents bought us some flashing light wands to wave around during the show. On the ride home my dad got mad because he kept thinking he was being pulled over by the police because we were waving them behind him and they were red and blue lights. Years later my first job was at the Delta Center arena and I watched them unload all the animals from the circus train. Employees got to watch part of the show the ringmaster was a clown with a pub hat. I told my wife the greatest show on earth was over and she immediately replied with, "But we never took the boys." Kind of sad. Kids who watch Disney's Dumbo will not have anything to compare it with.

I think i've been to one of their shows before in 2003 (i think) as a field trip in middle school. I don't really remember much of the show. I remember other things from that day instead, like: buying souvenirs/toys and during lunch or something, there were tvs and we would put on jerry springer and watch it..

There's a few more shows NLogan, check their schedule, might not be too late. They do have a showing in Philadelphia I'm looking into.

They came through last summer. We talked about going but never did. They aren't using the elephants anyways. It looked like they have shows through May but all back east.

With all the attention this is getting do you think attendance for the final shows will set new records? 

It's kind of sad to see this go, not being able to take my own kids to it. But hey, things change and this just isn't as big a deal anymore. At least I got to go a couple of times as a kid.