The circus has come to town!

Cole Brothers Circus Of The Stars has  set up a bigtop tent in the Westfield Sunrise Mall parking lot.

First established in 1884, Cole Brothers is America's oldest traveling circus, promising fun, excitement, and laughter to young and old alike. The circus is offering  shows on Saturday and Sunday.

"We had the time of our lives," said Maureen Failla of North Massapequa who took in the show with her son and mother. "I like the smaller venue...I really felt like I was part of the show. You don't get that with other circuses."

Lois Munch, of Massapequa called the show, "super."

"You're up front and personal. It's like actually being a part of the circus," she said. "My favorite parts were the tigers and the trapeze."

Crowds were wowed by clowns, a flying trapeze, aerial ballet, and the famous motorcycle stunt, the "Globe of Death."

As impressive as the acts are, keeping up with the rigid schedule of a traveling circus seems almost death defying.

"We work seven days a week, two to three shows per day, and we travel nine months out of the year," said the Cole Brothers'  Ron West, who puts it all together.

"We come up from Florida, all the way up to Maine, then we turn around and make the trip right back. We'll be here in Massapequa until Sunday, and then we go to Bayshore, then Southampton to the Native American Reservation."

The venue in Southampton is the result of a problem that has plagued circuses in recent years, complaints that animals are mistreated.  "The town of Southampton barred the animals from the area, but the Native American Reservation, that's their land, and they welcomed us," West said.

The Cole Brothers circus has its share of animal acts. The show opened with a handler taming  tigers, followed later by a more lighthearted act involving a performing team of camels, zebras, ponies, and llamas. After a short intermission, a dog show was put on which seemed to especially hit it off with the audience. But the real stars of the show were the elephants, who delighted the crowd. "We have four large elephants and one baby, she's three years old, and she steals the show," West pointed out.

Asked about accusations of harsh treatment of circus animals, West quipped "Our animals are better taken care of than our employees."

 "The animals are our bread and butter," he said.  "If you have any feelings or love in your heart, you're going to love an animal. I mean, these creatures are beautiful, and we spare no expense to make sure they're well taken care of."

He also hopes the audience has a positive experience.

"We want to bring the show to the people. We give the people hospitality; we want to welcome you into our home."

Part of the proceeds of the Cole Brothers' Massapequa shows this weekend are being donated to Massapequa Cares, a charity that helps area veterans.

Jean Robinson of Huntington, who works at the mall, said, "The show was wonderful."

"I haven't been to the circus since I was a kid, and these people brought back many warm memories!"