Shriners Circus is Back: Revamped, Revitalized, Reloaded Event, Now Animal-Free – American Press

Next month, the Habibi Shriners of Lake Charles will host a reimagined, rekindled and “reloaded” circus at the Burton Complex.

“Moto

The circus has been held since 1956 to raise funds for Shriners Children’s Hospital in Shreveport.

Habibi Shriners is a more than 150-year-old Masonic organization focused on philanthropy and community service, particularly the Shriners Hospitals for Children – a network of 22 hospital systems throughout the United States and North America. There are more than 200 Shriners chapters worldwide, totaling nearly 200,000 members.

“Shriners was founded to create a fun, charitable venue,” said David Hyatt, Chief Rabbi.

“We exist as a fraternal organization to promote brotherhood and friendship and to support our hospitals in caring for children, regardless of their families’ ability to pay.”

The hospitals’ operating costs are $1 million a day, he said. The main focus of Shriners in Lake Charles is the hospital in Shreveport – the first Shriner’s Hospital, built in 1922. It treats cleft lip and palate as well as orthopedics. Closer to home, Shriner’s Hospital in Galveston treats burns.

Habibi Shriners maintains a transportation fund locally.

“So, kids from this area who need surgery in Shreveport or Galveston, we pay for hotel rooms, gas, food and everything the family needs to make their trip easier.”

Moto Extreme Circus Reloaded takes place from Friday November 15th to Sunday November 17th. The first show takes place on Friday at 7 p.m. There is a show on Saturday at 10:00 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m

Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the box office. If purchased online, tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children ages five to 12. If purchased at the door, they are $25 for adults and $15 for children ages five to 12. Children under 4 years old always have free entry.

VIP tickets are $30 online and $40 at the door.

Motorized circus

The development of the circus was an accident, Hyatt said. The change from an animal circus to a motorcycle circus was partly a response to general opposition from animal rights activist groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

But mostly, he said, it was a symptom of the circumstances.

The circus originally took place at the Lake Charles Event Center. Every year the first weekend in October was reserved for the event. Due to a change in the management companies, this weekend was already taken.

“When we called, they said, ‘We’re fully booked.’ So we had nowhere to go.”

Luckily, the Burton Complex had dates available for the third weekend in November.

“Then we had to call circus vendors and ask who was available for a show, and Moto Extreme ended up having an opening,” he said. “It was more of a coincidence that we changed our venue and our style of service.”

The “Xtreme” circus will live up to its namesake and be full of adrenaline-pumping motorized acts, he said. Shows include freestyle motocross, BMX status, the “Globe of Death” – a steel sphere in which stunt riders ride motorcycles – and “Rocketman’s Daring Sky Flight”.

The audience can still expect classic circus acts such as clowns, acrobats and a host (Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Harry Fontenot).

Hyatt said the club is confident this revamp of the event will reinvigorate the community’s enthusiasm for the circus.

“Because it seemed like a random circus, the number of visitors dwindled. By changing the venue and changing our activities, we hope to increase attendance again and raise more money.”

Renovations and refurbishment

Craig Manuel, recorder, said the Shreveport hospital has “billions of dollars” in endowments that have grown over 100 years. The circus is now the most important source of donations for the sanctuary’s operating costs.

Habibi Shriners opened Habibi Temple in 1974. The center serves as the club’s headquarters and event space for rent. Like most of Southwest Louisiana, Hurricanes Laura and Delta left facilities devastated.

“It knocked bricks off the front of the building. “It was raining in the women’s room,” Hyatt said. “We had to replace the awning. Blown the whole awning away.”

However, damaged facilities did not stop Habibi Shriners from helping the community. The center became an emergency center right after Laura, Manuel said.

“FEMA was looking for a place to operate and we were available. A group of us even slept on the floor there for several weeks.”

Hyatt recalled how the center became a distribution center despite the damage.

“People from all over the United States started shipping things here. And we brought Cameron a lot of stuff – food, supplies.”

Both the main building where the office is located and the event space received new windows, walls, floors and contemporary design improvements. He said it cost about $200,000 to fix everything. The recovery was gradual as Shriners relied on fundraising.

“Like everyone else, we had insurance, but we had to fight with insurance companies. So all of our repairs were initially done as a fundraiser before we got any insurance money back.”

Seeing people show up to help Habibi Shriners raise funds for repairs was heartwarming, he noted.

“For us it is a matter of the heart. So it’s just a great feeling to know that the community wants to get involved and help us achieve the goals we set out to achieve.”

The center reopened to the public in February. It can be rented as an event room. They said it was used for weddings, carnival balls, birthdays and even a funeral.

For more information about booking the event space, call 337-436-9782.