In the months since the Deerfield Village Board agreed to bring a circus to town, a residents group has spent countless hours trying to persuade neighbors to stay away from the big top because they say performance elephants are treated poorly.
They’ve created skipthecircus.com, distributed hundreds of bracelets and T-shirts asking that residents “be kind to elephants,” and posted yard signs urging people not to go to Tuesday’s event at Brickyards Park.
“It’s about the concern for the elephants in the circus,” said Sandy DeLisle, a Deerfield resident and former teacher. “It’s not just the conditions under which they’re kept but also the training methods that are abusive.”
Leaders at the Deerfield School District 109 Education Foundation and the Deerfield Park Foundation, which are sponsoring the event as a joint fundraiser, say they have researched the Oklahoma-based Kelly Miller Circus and are confident it will be safe and enjoyable.
“I’m not surprised that the opposition’s organized. They indicated to me in the spring when the permit was issued [for the circus] that they certainly weren’t done,” said Sandy Robbins, president of the education foundation. “I think it’s wonderful that we live in a country where people can agree to disagree.”
Opponents said they’ve been overwhelmed by the interest and encouragement from their neighbors.
“When we first heard it was coming, I was very disappointed — it was what I felt was an antiquated form of entertainment coming to a progressive community,” DeLisle said. “But we’ve been very encouraged.”
The group argues elephants are too large to be transported to suburban destinations and spend too much time in cramped cages. In addition, they say a training tool called a bull hook — a heavy club with a sharp metal point used for prodding elephants — is inhumane.
Foundation leaders said they don’t think circus attendance will suffer. Park foundation Chairman Bill Smirles said he received about two dozen phone calls and e-mails from people who support the event.
“Even with the yard signs going up and the Web sites going up … we have gotten calls from people in support of the circus,” Smirles said. “We thought that even though there would be some opposition, we felt this would be a safe, fun and entertaining fundraising event that the majority of the community would enjoy.”
Although they said they did not have ticket sales figures available, officials from the foundations hope to raise as much as $20,000 with two performances that could draw more than 2,000 spectators combined.
Tickets cost $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Visit www.dfpd.org/donate.
The education foundation plans to use its half of the money for teacher grants, special education programs and scholarships. The park foundation’s funds likely would go to creating a playground or other park programs.
“We want people to make up their own minds. We’re not going to barricade anyone from going,” said longtime resident Michelle Shields. “We hope that people who will go will at least look at it a little different.”
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