When Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey decided to start a single-ring "hometown edition" of its circus in 2004, Shelbyville was only the second stop on the tour.

I attended with my family -- parents, two of my siblings, nieces and nephews -- and we had a terrific time. Even though this is only one ring, it's got the flash and high production values of the two three-ring touring companies which bear the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey name. It's a far cry from some of the smaller touring circuses you see from time to time.

Former human cannonball Jon Weiss, who was one of the most popular contestants on an early season of CBS's "The Amazing Race," hosted the all-access pre-show and interacted with the crowd during the circus proper. I got the chance to interview Weiss while he was in town and found him passionate about his work and excited about what was, at that time, a new experiment by the Ringling people.

Well, next month, the circus will come back to Calsonic Arena, and Weiss with it. The "hometown edition" is now known as "Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents An Upside-Down World," but it sounds similar in format to the production that was here three years ago. It will be at Calsonic Arena Feb. 23-25.

The Shelbyville performance is not to be confused with next weekend's appearance of one of the big three-ring RBB&B touring companies at Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. It makes no sense to me that the two units would be booked so close together on the calendar, especially if the circus (as it did in 2004) tries to market the Shelbyville performance throughout southern Middle Tennessee.

Anyway, I would heartily recommend that you order tickets for the Shelbyville performance. If we want high-quality entertainment options in this part of the state, we need to support events like this. There were empty seats at some of the 2004 performances, and I was afraid we might not get the circus back.

The VIP floor tickets, seated at tables are expensive, but if you can afford them they give you an up-close look at the action which is well-worth the price. But there are also reasonably-priced seats in the stands starting at $13 for opening night.

Whatever you do, be sure and arrive an hour before showtime for the all-access pre-show. This is a chance (wherever your seats are located) to wander around on the floor of the areana, interacting with clowns, jugglers, acrobats and other circus performers. You can get autographs and photos and it's a great time for everyone.

Tickets for "An Upside-Down World" are available from the Celebration at 684-5915 or by going to www.ringling.com.

Remember: they don't call it "The Greatest Show on Earth" for nothing.

John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government and other topics. His home page is lakeneuron.com.