Photo from the Center for Elephant Conservation website

Elephants have long been the signature act at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

But something isn’t sitting right with audiences about these sensitive, intelligent and majestic creatures performing tricks for… well, peanuts. The public has cried out over the use of bullhooks, which Richmond has considered banning.

We’ve heard it here at Richmondmom each time the circus comes into town, and Ringling Bros. is hearing it too.  Feld announced on March 5th (right before Legends comes to Richmond) that by 2018, the 12 elephants still used in the circus will retire and join over 40 elephants at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant for Conservation® in Florida.  Ringling shows will still feature dogs, horses, camels, tigers and lions.

From the March 5 press release:
“This is the most significant change we have made since we founded the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in 1995. When we did so, we knew we would play a critical role in saving the endangered Asian elephant for future generations, given how few Asian elephants are left in the wild,” said Kenneth Feld, Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment. “Since then, we have had 26 elephant births. No other institution has done or is doing more to save this species from extinction, and that is something of which I and my family are extremely proud. This decision was not easy, but it is in the best interest of our company, our elephants and our customers,” he added.

The CEC is located on 200 acres of wilderness in central Florida, between Tampa and Orlando. Learn more about the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation here.

What do you think? Has the use of elephants prevented you from taking your family to the circus?
Will consider the circus after the elephants have been retired?

Here’s the part where I meant to take pictures… but I was caught up on the action for the rest.

I was lucky to get a chance to take my 8 year old son and his friend to see Marvel Universe LIVE! Thursday night.   If there’s anything more fun than seeing an action-packed stunt show with your all your favorite characters, it’s watching kids, watch an action-packed stunt show with all their favorite characters.

The story itself is the stuff of comic books: teams of heroes go on a quest to retrieve pieces of a shattered cosmic cube, fighting villains and making wise cracks along the way.

What’s good? For starters, the action sequences are, for the most part, very well done; a mix of wire work, pyrotechnics, professional wrestling moves and stunt bikes keep the pace going at a good clip. There are some filler scenes of story during set changes, but those were kept to a minimum.The costumes were also top notch; padded muscles and spandex for days.

The voice cast was an added bonus; there’s a good chance your child will recognize their favorite heroes if they watch any of the Marvel-branded cartoons. The dialogue was on the simple, slightly cheesy side, and the physical acting would be familiar to anyone who’s seen an episode of the Power Rangers, but it’s all in good fun.

Some favorite moments included Spiderman swinging from his webbing high above the action.  A dirt bike show-down between the Red Skull and Captain America and of course the crowed went wild after the spectacular fight scenes, the last of which involved a full-sized Incredible Hulk! Appealing a little bit more to the Marvel Cartoon viewer than fans of the Marvel movie franchise, Marvel Universe LIVE! A blast for the kids and entertaining for adults, this was a night that delivered on all the pow-bang-zoom it promised.

Marvel Universe LIVE! Runs for seven performances at the Richmond Coliseum October 30 to November 2, 2014 before moving on to Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia.

Tickets for Marvel Universe LIVE! are available at the Ford Box Office at the Richmond Coliseum, online at Ticketmaster. com, area Ticketmaster outlets or Charge-by-phone at 800-745-3000. For a complete list of tour dates, visit the Marvel Universe LIVE! website

In exchange for my time and efforts in attending shows and reporting my opinion on Richmondmom, Feld Entertainment has provided me with complimentary tickets to Marvel Universe LIVE!  All opinions are my own.

Disney On Ice is presenting Dare to Dream at the Richmond Coliseum

Simply click here to enter to win a four-pack of tickets by 9/5/11, and we’ll announce the winners here on the site.

If you can answer any of these questions–you (or your kiddo) may just be a big Disney fan (we’ll post answers soon!:

1. What was Tatiana’s Dream?

2. In The Princess and the Frog, what instrument does Louis the alligator play?

3. What is the name of the firefly that Tiana and Naveen befriend?

4. What land does Prince Naveen come from?

5. According to Cinderella, what is the one thing even her evil stepmother can’t order her to stop doing?

6. What is the name of the tavern where Flynn and Rapunzel meet a bunch of Viking thugs?

7. What power does Rapunzel’s hair have?

Feld Entertainment is an advertiser of Richmondmom.com.