2010 Akdar Shrine Circus

With my escort Rick Grubb! He made me feel so welcome.
Wardrobe provided by Oxygen, Inc.

At the Akdar Shrine Circus with a few of the clowns!
Wardrobe provided by Oxygen, Inc.

On February 25 & 26, I sang the national anthem at the Thursday evening, Friday midday, and Friday evening shows of the 2010 Akdar Shriner Circus. I had never been to the circus before! I loved seeing the various acts and animals! I visited with the man who gets shot out of a cannon. I also met lots of little girls, little boys, and circus clowns. Bobby and I even rode an elephant named Jasmine on Friday night! My mother-in-law Ada, and my brother- and sister-in-law Tom & Carla and their two year old son Tysen came to see the show on Friday night. Ty loved the big cats! Overall, we had a blast.

I also had the chance to chat with Tom Hufford, AKA Huffy the Clown AKA Marshal Tom, about appearing on his safety show later this month. Huffy is the one who thought of me and asked me if I'd like to sing at the circus. I ran into Steve & Carly from KBEZ (I feel like I see Steve everywhere!) as well as Scotty, Justin the Intern, and Nard from the Wylde Wake Up morning show on K-HITS (I'm starting to see them everywhere too!).

In the midst of all of that fun, my favorite part of the circus was talking to the Shriners about the work they do. They drive thousands of miles to bring children to the Shriners hospitals. They raise money so that the children and their families never have to pay a penny to receive the medical attention they need. Rick Grubb and Tommy Henshaw were among the many giving men who shared with Bobby and me what the Shriners and this annual circus is all about. Their clowns and the annual circus help brighten children's lives, and the ticket sales support the great work that the Shriners are doing. I heard from Rick that the circus was so popular this year, that they had to turn people away on Saturday! Bobby and I got a little teary as a we heard about their work. I'm not exactly sure how, but I'm hoping to help them to help children in the near future.

Here are a few fun photos from the circus!

Thank you to Oxygen, Inc. for providing
beautiful clothes for this event!