Ringling Bros

Elephants on parade The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will arrive by train at 10 a.m. today at the B&O Railroad Museum, 901 W. Pratt St. Then a parade of elephants and other circus performers will proceed east on Pratt Street then north on Hopkins Place before arriving at the 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St.

Family Circus comes to town Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' Red Tour per forms at 1st Mariner Arena, 201 W. Baltimore St., today through March 19. The Red Tour in cludes the comedy of Bello, who was named America's best clown by Time magazine. Tyron McFarlan, the 34th ringmaster, hosts the action. Show times vary. Tickets are $13-$60. Call 410-547-SEAT or visit ticket master.com. For more informa tion, visit ringling.com.

Occasional photo caption challenges were a staple at my old blog, and I plan on keeping the contest going here at The Baltimore Sun . The premise is simple: Come up with a clever, comical and clean caption for the picture above and you'll win a prize. With the Orioles taking the field in Sarasota today for the start of spring training, I decided I would find a fun photo of O's manager Buck Showalter. Mission accomplished (thanks to Getty Images). Whoever comes up with the best caption will get their choice of tickets to the Ringling Bros.

A number of downtown city streets will be temporarily closed mid-day Wednesday to accommodate the circus elephant walk from 1st Mariner Arena to Lexington Market. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephants will leave 1st Mariner Arena at 11:45 a.m. and lumber north along Hopkins Plaza, west on Fayette Street and north on Eutaw Street to the Lexington Market parking lot. At 12:30 p.m., the procession will follow the same route back to the arena. In addition to temporary closures, Eutaw Street will be closed to through traffic from Fayette Street to Saratoga Street between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with detours and parking restrictions in effect.

TC Celebrating what may -- or may not -- be the 200th anniversary of the circus in America, the Greatest Show on Earth will ride the rails into town next week with a cast of new acts and old favorites for a return engagement at the Baltimore Arena.The 122nd edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus opening here Wednesday night features (so they say) "talent from the four corners of the globe" -- listing in a press release Mongolia, the People's Republic of China, Moscow and the Philippines.

David Wisniewski, winner of the prestigious Caldecott Award given annually to the most distinguished American picture book for children, never had any formal training in art. In college, he majored in drama. Author and or illustrator of 10 children's books, the Maryland resident spent time as a puppeteer and as a clown in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus before beginning his writing career.Wisniewski's books are visually appealing. His method of illustrating with cut paper results in a realistic, three-dimensional look.

WASHINGTON - A coalition of animal protection organizations is suing Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey to stop what they call harsh methods of training and controlling the circus's Asian elephants. The group argues that the chains and instruments shaped like fireplace pokers are inhumane and violate the Endangered Species Act. In a trial that begins here today in U.S. District Court, lawyers for the plaintiffs will argue that Ringling abuses its elephants by using a hooked pole, or "bull hook," that punctures the animals' leathery hide behind the ears, under the trunk and on the legs, where skin is thinnest.

What's your idea of a "top hat and tails" night out? Is it a visit to a '40s-style martini lounge, complete with a Frank Sinatra impersonator crooning tunes? Maybe a little time spent in a classy casino? Or perhaps Irish fiddlers putting you in fine fettle? You could find all of the above, and then some, at Mercy Medical Center's gala, "Hats Off to Mercy!" at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.Among the 500 in this cosmopolitan crowd were Tom Mullen, president and CEO of Mercy Health Services Inc.; Dr. Lauri Kane and Rosemary Wahler Mullen, event co-chairs; Sister Helen Amos, executive chair of Mercy's board of trustees; Dr. Sheri Rowen, Dr. Bernie Chang and Dr. Neil Rosenshein, directors in the Mercy Center for Women's Health and Medicine; Ron Briggs, WBAL-TV account executive; Michele Emery, director of managed care for Park West Medical Center; Tom Giannopoulos, president and CEO of Micros Systems Inc.; and Jim Chakedis, director of international transportation for Ringling Bros.

Towson University's dance faculty, graduates and friends are in the spotlight this weekend at the Maryland Arts Festival."Making Headways in Dance" features ballet, modern, jazz and tap works by faculty member Jaye Knutson; Priscilla Kaufhold, artistic director of Kinetics Dance Theater in Ellicott City; Cara Anderson Etris, director of its school; and Scott Rink, a dancer with the Lar Lubovitch Company and founder of his own troupe, Dance Rink. He will bring dancer Lenna Parr from his company.