The Big Circus
Words in
RED are
the personalized words
“The Big Circus”
was created especially for
Dax Trevor Curtis
at the age of 4
Hugs and Kisses,
Nana & Papa
January 7, 2002
Page 4
Dax had
waited such a long time for the circus to come to town. He had always dreamed
of seeing the lions, elephants and clowns.
Now
the time had finally come, and he was going to see that in the town of Casper, Wyoming, Dax's
dreams can become a reality.
Page 7
“Welcome
children, young and old, to the greatest show around; to the place where
animals, magic and entertainment can be found.
Step
right up and take your seat, inside the tent so grand,” a friendly clown said
to Dax and his friends at the ticket stand.
Page 8
Tasha, Dustin and Stephanie stood patiently and waited to sit in place.
Suddenly a clown rushed out with a worried look on her face. “One of our clowns
isn’t feeling well!” she said. “I’m afraid he can’t do the show. Would Dax be willing to take his place? That’s all I need to
know.”
Page 11
The
clown looked down and studied Dax, then smiled
with great delight. “Would you be willing to take his place?” You are just the
perfect height!”
Dax
looked at his friends with a great big grin, and quickly agreed to go. “Hi, Dax, my name is Coco, and tonight you’ll be in the
show.” Coco painted Dax's face white, and gave
him bright colored clothes. She topped Dax's
head with a bright orange wig and put a red ball on his nose.
Page 12
And
just when Dax was through getting dressed, the
lights in the tent went out. A spotlight shone on the ringmaster, who started
to walk and shout. “As we begin, please give your attention to the cage just on
my right. Where Daniel, our fearless lion trainer, has worked both day and
night.”
Page 15
Six
giant beasts rushed into the cage, as Daniel cracked his whip. Dax thought to himself, “I could do that, but it’s
something I’d rather skip.” They jumped through hoops and formed a line, and Dax thought it was funny, when a lion rolled onto his
back, and showed the crowd his tummy.
Page 16
As Dax looked up, at the very top of the tent, he had to
guess the next act was a dangerous event. Dax
saw a clown step forward, and jump on a flying trapeze. After he swung a couple
of times, he hung upside down by his knees.
Page 19
Suddenly,
it seemed to Dax that everything happened at
once. Three separate groups came into the tent to perform three different
stunts. First came a clown on a one-wheeled ride, as fast as he could go. Juggling
things up in the air, he was sure to steal the show.
Page 20
In
the third ring was the funniest thing. Dax
thought he had seen it all, when a mouse and seal team stunned the crowd with
balloons and a big bright ball.
Page 23
The circus fun went on and on. It seemed to last all day. Clowns rolled in on a fire truck, with hoses ready to spray. Tasha, Dustin and Stephanie got ready for a soak. But when confetti sprayed out, they laughed, and saw it was a joke.
Page 24
Dax
was busy watching the show, and completely lost track of the time. He was
startled when he heard Coco say, “Get ready, we’re next in line!”
Page 27
“Get
ready for the big parade!” Coco said to Dax with
a grin, “You get to ride an elephant that goes by the name of Big Ben.”
Dax's
eyes grew wide and he laughed with delight when Coco pointed and said, “Climb
up this ladder to get on his back, and sit behind his head.”
Page 28
Dax
climbed on the back of Big Ben, who stood at least twelve feet high. And just
as Dax was settled in, he heard the ring master
cry, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m afraid to say we’re close to the end of our
show, but we’d like to give you one last act, before we let you go.”
Page 31
“We’re
going to have a big parade, right here inside our tent, but I have a great
announcement to make, before we begin the event.
The
one who’s going to lead the parade lives right here in your hometown. It brings
me pleasure to present to you, Casper, Wyomings’ own Dax the
clown!”
Page 32
When
Dax had gotten off Big Ben, and thanked him for
the ride, he went to find Coco the Clown and give her a hug good-bye.
On
the way home Dax remembered the show, where
magic and wonder were found. Dax knew he would
never forget the day the circus came to town.