REDMOND, OR -- A little “Big Top” went up at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, in Redmond (below), Tuesday afternoon. The Venardos Circus begins a ten-day run, Thursday night.

Ring Leader and Producer Kevin Venardos says the unique show features an international cast of performers, "We have comedy, we have acrobatics, aerial artists, we have daredevils and we have musical production numbers that ties this together."

What it doesn't have is animals. "Sometimes, people will jump on our feet and say ‘you abuse all your animals; the circus is horrible.’ And they don’t even know that we don’t even have any animals." He says he's not trying to make a political statement, but doesn't believe there is a future for animals in the circus. Instead, he prefers to focus on the diversity of his performers and the audience, "It’s an intimate venue; only about 300 seats in that tent. So every seat is quite close to what’s going on."

This is the first time Venardos Circus has come to Oregon. Learn more about the unique show Friday morning, in Heart of the Arts.