Topeka's Arab Shrine Circus returns for 75th straight year

Not only have generations of Topekans seen the Arab Shrine Circus, they have seen generations of the circus producer’s family.

Hamid Circus will present its 76th Arab Shrine Circus at 7 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday in Landon Arena at the Kansas Expocentre. It’s the 75th straight year for the circus, co-presented with Topeka’s Arab Shrine.

“Because we have been coming to Topeka for 75 years, you get to know the sponsors and families,” said Jams M. Hamid Jr., great-grandson of Hamid (formerly Hamid-Morton) Circus founder George A. Hamid Sr., who emigrated from his native Lebanon to the United States in 1907 with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

“You watch their kids grow up coming each year to the circus,” continued the current circus leader, “and the same in reverse. The Shriners in Topeka have known my own kids since they were born. We are like family attending a reunion every year.”

James M. Hamid Jr. met his wife in the circus that has featured their 11-year-old son, James, since he started out as a clown at age 3. He will appear in the juggling display in Ring 3 of this year’s circus.

The circus hasn’t been static since his great-grandfather and Col. Robert Morton merged their circuses in 1932 to present their combined sawdust spectaculars for Shrines around the country.

“I myself had only recently found out that Morton was Jewish,” Hamid said. “But imagine, in 1932, that an Arab and a Jew could go into business together to create one of the most successful and respected circus operations ever.”

When Morton died in 1952 ownership passed into the sole control of the Hamid family where it remains today as the oldest, single-family operated circus in America.

The Hamids have seen other changes in the circus presentation and its audience.

“First, in 1940, tickets were in the range of 50 cents,” He said. “For an additional 25 cents you could upgrade to a reserved seat. Popcorn would have been in the 10-cents range.”

The circus has grown more high-tech, from operating with available lighting in venues, such as that in Municipal Auditorium, its previous Topeka venue before Landon Arena was built and the auditorium was remodeled into the Topeka Performing Arts Center.

“Now, there are full lighting effects — spotlights, Gobos, moving lights, etc.,” Hamid said. “The technology is ever changing and circuses must keep up with the modern audience. Sound has come a long way, too, going from mono microphones and speakers that barely made a sound, to computers, iPods and wireless systems, along with more contemporary, popular music.”

Circus acts also are evolving.

“As we look into the future, we see all circuses moving to non-animal productions,” Hamid said. “Over the last 20 years, both through strict regulation as well as changing public sentiment, performing animal acts have begun to be a thing of the past.

“So it’s up to creative minds to conceive new and entertaining all-human performances, utilizing the high-tech rigging systems, computers, lighting, music and video combined with social media platforms.”