Big Top Goes Up but Ticket Sales Down

By DAVID R. BAKER

May 28, 1997 12 AM PT

Their voices muffled by paper masks, workers called to the four waiting elephants.

“Move up!”

The elephants ambled forward in their harnesses, dragging long metal beams into place beneath a blue-and-red canvas dotted with stars. Slowly, the big top rose over Los Angeles Avenue.

The Carson & Barnes Five-Ring Circus pitched tent early Tuesday morning in preparation for two days of shows to raise funds for the Moorpark Chamber of Commerce.

However, by Tuesday afternoon, the event had not been much of a moneymaker. With Moorpark residents absent en masse for the holiday weekend, advance ticket sales numbered just a few hundred, said organizer Carolyn Schrimpf.

Unless the take improved dramatically at the gate, the chamber probably would not be able to host the circus again.

“Chances are almost nil,” Schrimpf said.

“We realized last week that it wasn’t going to be the fund-raiser we thought it would be,” said chamber President Linda Plaks. “But if the people of Moorpark have a good time, that’s great.”

Even before the circus’ first performance at 4:30 Tuesday, the event was a hit with local grade-school students. Hundreds of kids, chaperoned by parents and teachers, gathered in the morning to watch the carnies and pachyderms work.

“It’s just so interesting, and we figured the children wouldn’t get a chance to see it again,” said Peggy Weak, a teacher at Peach Hill School.

A swarm of men worked under the tent, with paper breathing masks shielding them from the haze of dust. The 10-foot-tall Asian elephants moved slowly and easily through their tasks, not a trace of strain showing on their leathery faces.

Nick Weber, an off-duty clown in a T-shirt and battered hat, said the animals’ ancestors worked with humans for centuries. The elephants were smart enough, he said, to understand a long list of vocal commands.

“They’re smarter than the guy telling them what to do,” he said. “They’ve done it longer than he has.”

Just outside the tent, children swarmed around pens and cages holding camels, tigers and llamas. But for many, the elephants made the most lasting impression.

“It’s huge!” said Ryan Panaro, 7. “I thought they’d be smaller.”

Ryan’s mother, Vicki Panaro, said Ryan had seen exotic animals before, at the Moorpark College teaching zoo, but he was too young to remember the experience.

The family would probably catch one of the shows today, she said.

Tickets at the gate cost $9 for adults and $5 for children. Today’s shows start at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.