Aug 20 2008
The Magic Circus–a Review
We had our yearly block party on Saturday August 9th to the great joy of my kids. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and everyone was out early setting up for a fun-filled day. As has been the tradition for the past 3 years, The Magic Circus was on hand to keep the kids busy. This year he brought the usual “jumpy castle”, sand art, a snow-cone machine, Cotton Candy, and Tattoos. He was also the DJ and the magician. I would like to say that I was 100% happy about his service, but unfortunately I (and a few other parents) were not satisfied with his services this year. The first year we had him do the block party he was great–he had quite a few “helpers” on hand to monitor the comings and goings on of our kids–ensuring safety and fairness for everyone both in the jumpy castle and in the crafting areas. Last year my family did not participate as we were away on vacation so I can’t say how the service was last time, but this year many of us were unhappy. Perhaps our organizers were at fault in not specifying how many children would be in attendance (or atleast an estimate), or perhaps The Magic Circus is at fault for not being prepared for a large number of children, it was after-all a block party. Either way, things were not run very well this year. Who knows, maybe one or two of his helpers called out sick. Maybe he didn’t get the shipment of glass jars for sand art–I don’t know. Anyway, a few scuffles between angry parents were diffused and the day went on without major problems. You know the old saying: You can’t please everyone–it sure is the truth.
The magic show turned out to be a hit with the kids. The magician may not know how many supplies to bring, but he sure knows how to make birds fly out of hankies, turn water into sand, and make a firey stick float in the air. I say all of this with a half smile–It really was cute for the kids, and by the time he had performed his magic, they had already forgotten about not getting tattoos and cotton candy. All in all, The Magic Circus does a good job. I would just be sure to give him a FIRM ESTIMATE on the number of guests you will be having at your function prior to the function and make sure he is accountable for bringing enough supplies. It’s just not a party without the cotton candy! =)
