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Satin, sequins, and really tough arm muscles: It's a little girl's dream come true. At least it is in this small town, where every summer a couple hundred local kids and  a couple thousand volunteers put on a three-ring circus complete with clowns, snow cones, and standing ovations from sellout crowds.

Big-top mania even takes over downtown shop windows during the July circus festival. Preparations begin months before. Burly guys become bases for multi-girl stacks, and flyweight acrobats flash smiles—even when hanging by their hair. Trying a new balance trick was "sort of scary at first," says nine-year-old Ashlyn Koontz. "I tipped over a couple times. But once I learned how to do it, it was really fun." 

Nominate your own wonderful, weird, or wacky choices for this magazine series.

The circus as we know it today is 235-years-old and owes its origins to Philip Astley, a British sergeant-major who created the first show in 1768. An experienced equestrian, Astley discovered that if he galloped his horse in a circle while standing on its back, the centrifugal force helped him keep his balance.  In doing this, he traced the first circus ring. Astley put together a show of his horse-riding tricks, a clown, musicians, and other performers, creating the first modern circus.  After the success of Astley's circus, other performers began their own shows throughout Europe and the United States.

—Marisa Larson