Plan your visit
IHS Offers Free Admission for 12th Annual Circus Day
Indianapolis—The Indiana Historical Society will celebrate its popular 12th Annual Circus Day by offering free admission to the event, as well as the Indiana
Experience, on Saturday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center, home of the IHS and the Indiana Experience, is located at 450 W. Ohio St. in downtown Indianapolis.
Headlining the entertainment will be the Hampel Family Circus, whose acts will include the Old Time Freak Show and Professor Presto Magic Show. The day will also include live animal shows from Amazing World of Animals, clowns, magicians and jugglers. Radio Disney will be onsite with music, games and prizes from 3 to 5 p.m.
Guests can purchase tickets to enjoy face painting, balloon sculptures, crafts, a bounce house and carnival games with prizes. The Stardust Terrace Café, operated by Hoaglin To Go, will provide kid-friendly meal options, and snacks will also be available for purchase.
Guests are also invited to take full advantage of free admission by visiting the IHS’s Indiana Experience, which uses interactive and high technology experiences to bring to life the tremendous archival holdings of the IHS, including 1.7 million photographs, in meaningful and enjoyable ways. New offerings include You Are There 1913: A City Under Water, which provides a snapshot of Indianapolis in the wake of the Great Flood of 1913, and 12 new time-travel journeys that bring the total to 260 available in Destination Indiana.
Circus Day is presented by Weaver Popcorn. The performance stage is sponsored by Day Nursery, and the activities are sponsored by Bond, Crossen and Sadowski Investment Group of Wells Fargo. For more information about Circus Day, the Indiana Experience, or other IHS programs and events, call (317) 232-1882 or visit www.indianahistory.org.
About Indiana’s Circus Connections
Indiana’s connection to the circus industry dates back to the late 1800s, when businessmen from a number of Indiana cities assembled traveling “mud shows” featuring exotic animals, performers, clowns and human oddities.
By the early 1900s, the circus industry had grown—becoming the most popular form of entertainment in the United States. A number of the nation’s premier shows set up winter quarters in Indiana, establishing a lasting link between the circus and the Hoosier state. Today, Peru, Ind., is home to the world’s largest amateur circus and the International Circus Hall of Fame.
About the Indiana Historical Society
Since 1830, the Indiana Historical Society has been Indiana’s Storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and sharing the state’s history. A private, nonprofit membership organization, IHS maintains the nation’s premier research library and archives on the history of Indiana and the Old Northwest and presents a unique set of visitor exhibitions called the Indiana Experience. IHS also provides support and assistance to local museums and historical groups, publishes books and periodicals; sponsors teacher workshops; and provides youth, adult and family programming. Normal operating hours for the History Center and the Indiana Experience are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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