KENNEBUNKPORT — The great American spectacle called Circus Smirkus is gearing for another year of local performances next month to benefit the Kennebunkport Consolidated School.

Featuring a theme of “The great American Carnival,” Circus Smirkus has dazzled audiences in Kennebunkpoprt for more than three decades with its youthful troupe of acrobats, clowns, wire walkers and more. There will be four family friendly shows at Rockin’ Horse Stables in Kennebunkport starting Aug. 8 and wrapping up Aug. 9.

It’s all part of a 20-town tour across New England undertaken every summer by 30 hardworking and talented teenagers ages 11 to 18 who auditioned for the opportunity to become circus performers. This year’s group hails from Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and Canada.

The show is inspired by the elegance of the carousel ride, the thrill of the roller coaster, and games of chance and skill that have long inspired young and old alike! You’ll see our troupers run for their lives through the haunted mansion, try their luck at the ring toss, balance their way through the house of fun, and discover romance in the tunnel of love.

Circus Smirkus is a 501(c)3 Nonprofit Organization whose mission is to promote the skills, culture and traditions of the traveling circus, inspiring youth to engage in life-changing adventures in the circus arts. Ticket revenue from these events goes back into developing circus programming for The Big Top Tour, Smirkus Camp, & Ringmaster Residency programs and a portion of local shows is donated to Kennebunkport Consolidated School.

It is the only traveling youth circus in the United States. Performing under traditional European-style circus tents, the award-winning circus company consists of some 80 people including teen performers, professional circus coaches, tent and technical crew and a live circus band performing an original score each year.

The tour caravan requires 23 support vehicles and launches its Big Top every summer, performing for mo0re than 42,000 people each year.

The Circus Smirkus is the brain child of Founding Director Rob Mermin, who ran off to Europe to apprentice himself in circus life. It was there that he learned to pound stakes, put up the Big Top, work with animals and train with circus artists. Rob spent more than a decade performing as a clown in such circuses as Circus Hoffman in Great Britain, Circus Scott in Sweden, the Hungarian Magyar Cirkusz, and Cirkus Benneweis in Denmark.

Mermin also studied mime with Marcel Marceau and taught mime, movement, and circus skills for many years in schools and colleges in the U.S. and abroad. He is an Artist-in-Residence in Vermont and a past Director of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College.

Shows at Rockin’ Horse Stables will be at 1 and 6 p.m. Thursday. Aug. 8 and 1 and 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9. Rockin’ Horse Stables, is at 245 Arundel Road, Kennebunkport.

— Executive Editor Ed Pierce can be reached at 282-1535 or by email at editor@journaltribune.com