Kelly Miller’s Clowns Offer D-15 Students a Sneak Peek of the Circus

There was a lot of clowning around going on in District 15 recently.

That’s because the husband-and-wife clown team of David and Sherri Shepard stopped by to provide students with a sneak peak of the Kelly Miller Circus’ upcoming shows sponsored by the District Fifteen Educational Foundation and the Rolling Meadows Park District Foundation.

The Kelly Miller Circus’ advance clowns, the Shepards, who go by Carlee and Charlie while in costume, arrive in town two or three weeks before the rest of the big top performers to promote the show. They don’t sell tickets or hand out brochures. They just, well, clown around.

Their act features juggling, puppetry, and magic, as well as a variety of comedy skits and opportunities for audience participation. Throughout their performances, the Shepards emphasized how the circus is a traveling community of people from all over the world who come together to put on a show. From performing artists to the ring crew, ticket sellers, and truck drivers, every job in the circus is important to the success of each and every performance.

While visiting District 15, the Shepards performed shows for students at the John G. Conyers Learning Academy and the Rolling Meadows Park District C.A.R.E. program. They also held a lunch-time meet-and-greet with students at Jane Addams School, and dropped by Winston Campus to film a special video presentation that will air on the announcements at schools across the District.

The Kelly Miller Circus is set to perform four shows at the Community Center Grounds, 3705 Pheasant Drive, Rolling Meadows. Shows will be held Friday, September 23, at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, September 24, at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

A limited number of seats are available for each performance, and all four performances are expected to sell out, as the foundations anticipate entertaining more than 5,000 guests over the two-day event. So don’t wait—order your tickets today.

There are two ways to reserve your tickets:

• Download the order form, fill out the ticketing information, and return the form with your payment to the District Fifteen Educational Foundation (instructions are on the form). Payment can be made by check or credit card (Visa or MasterCard).

• Reserve your tickets online at http://kellymillercircus.eventbrite.com/. Please note, there is a convenience fee of $1.23 charged per ticket ordered. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover accepted.

Tickets cost $12 if purchased prior to September 21 or $17 if seats are still available the day of the show. All sales are final; no refunds can be given. Shows will go on rain or shine.

-Story Submitted by Community Consolidated School District 15