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Every time the circus comes to the Wachovia Arena, I tell myself I should go to the animal walk, where staffers unload the elephants and other fellows from train cars and lead them to the venue. It would make for great pictures for our paper or Web site, and plus, I love animals. But I also love sleep, and this thing usually kicks off around 7 a.m. Factor in the 25-minute drive from my place to Wilkes-Barre, and that means waking up at 6 a.m. at the latest.

This year, though, I took the plunge. I was actually up by about 5:15 a.m. today, and I got to the appointed spot: Conyngham Street near Wilkes-Barre Boulevard in Wilkes-Barre. I missed the unloading, but there the elephants were, linked from trunk to tail and traipsing down the street with a police escort. Wilkes-Barre Boulevard was shut down, and I wish I knew what some of the drivers that were forced to stop said  when they saw that the pachyderms were the reason for the delay -- not something you see every day in any city, never mind a sleepy, pre-sunrise Wilkes-Barre.

Because of the rain and the darkness, my pictures didn't come out. About 10 minutes later, the sun was up. I guess elephants aren't just good at remembering, they're also quite punctual; I wish they were a little late, then the photos would've been great. But I'm glad I went.

In lieu of the photos I planned to come back to the office with, we have a publicity photo from the circus here. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus opens Wednesday, Oct. 29, and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1

 

 

About the Author

Education
Penn State University, University Park
Bachelors degree: Journalism, English minor
Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia
Masters of arts degree: Writing studies
Manchester University, Manchester, England
Communications

Selected Publications
The Weekender, LexisNexis Securities Litigation, ESPN.com, The Associated Press, Philadelphia Daily News, Philly Edge, Universitywire.com, The Daily Collegian

From
Pittston

Resides
Scranton

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