Evansville, Indiana Hadi Shrine Circus Retires Elephants 2024

The Hadi Shriners held a special media conference to announce some important changes to the Hadi Shrine Circus.

Evansville Tradition Since 1933

Billed as 'The Last Great American Circus' the Hadi Shrine Circus has entertained generations of Evansville area families.

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry was on hand to congratulate the Shriners on the 90th celebration of the circus. She said that her family has fond memories of the circus through the years. The coloring book is one of their traditional mementos.

No More Performing Elephants

Every year as a child I would look forward to riding on an elephant at the circus. There will not be any elephants performing at this year's Hadi Shrine Circus. The Shriners cite the age of the elephants and travel issues as what led to this decision.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

In recent years, the circus has had animal advocates protesting the animal acts. The Shriners say the decision was not based on pressure from animal advocates. We can still expect to see humanely trained animals performing, just not the elephants.

Hadi Shriners Move to Modernize Circus

Dale Thomas says that the decision to retire the elephants was not taken lightly. The Shriners are looking forward to ushering in a new decade with different types of exciting acts to attract young families. They are looking for a skateboarding act to promote Evansville's new skatepark, maybe some local gymnastics, and unique performances to modernize the circus.

Photo: canva circus

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90th Annual Hadi Shrine Circus - Thanksgiving Weekend 2024

Thanksgiving Day – 5:00 p.m.

Friday, November 29 – 9:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 30 – 9:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, December 1 – 3:00 p.m.

Hadi Shrine Circus Ticket Office
(812) 425-4376
1 (800) 66-CLOWN

Hadi Shrine Temple
6 Walnut Street, Evansville, IN 47708

Animals You Might Encounter in The Wild in Indiana

There is no shortage of stunning wildlife in Indiana. Here are six species native to the state that you might encounter the next time you head outside.

Gallery Credit: Kat Mykals

KEEP READING: 40 Real Indiana Towns with Quirky, Weird, and Funny Names

Outside the major cities, the Hoosier state is full of tiny little towns you've probably passed through on your way to one of those cities. Most of them are likely 100 to 150 years old, or older, and have been around far longer than the large metropolitan areas such as Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, South Bend, and Evansville. Typically, they were started by early settlers who found their way to the state and decided to make it home. Eventually, others would join them, and a community was formed. Over time, as the surrounding areas grew, most of them were folded into those areas and governed by the nearest city or county's governing body officially making them "unincorporated," meaning they did not have their own formally organized municipal government.

A scroll through Wikipedia's long list of unincorporated communities in Indiana shows several of them have names that by today's standards would be considered weird, quirky, or just downright right funny. These are my 40 favorities.

Gallery Credit: Ryan O'Bryan

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