The scent of popcorn and animal shit and sawdust permeate the evening air and the shouts of comraderie could turn to screams of terror at the drop of a ringmaster's hat. A few days ago this was an empty field on the edge of town, choked with weeds, littered with the trash of years' worth of careless vagrants. When the trucks rolled in, breathing exhaust and making the air shiver with heat, curious hands gripped the tilting chainlink fence around the lot to peer as workers hopped out to unload endless pieces of shapeless metal, wheels, hoses. Now, however... now it's as if everything's been there for years. The Carnivale Virelay is in town; there was no advertising beforehand, no flyers or showbills passed out around town, no advertisement in the local paper.
There's something here for audiences of all ages. Like thrills and adrenaline? Check out the death-defying feats of the acrobats, trapeze artists and lion tamers in the Grand Tent's Big Show! Cower in fear as the fire-breathers and sword-swallowers show off their talents--- it doesn't seem possible! Or if the Big Show isn't to your liking, sit for a spell while a real Romanian gypsy tells what the future holds in the cards for you... her tarot deck is over a century old and it's rarely wrong. There's a Ten-in-One tent where oddities both human and non wait for your perusal, and a Hoochie-Coo show where beautiful girls perform burlesque numbers for the more mature audiences. There are rides to entertain and midway games to best, and adventure around every corner and behind each tent flap you pass.
Virelay is more than a mere traveling carnival.
But don't take our word for it, buy a ticket and come on in.
You won't believe your eyes.
We promise.
