Drive-thru circus part of changing Halloween plans in Oxford rescheduled

Looking at the world upside-down this aerialist from the Cincinnati Circus performs high above the ground. The troupe will be in Oxford Oct. 29 as a Halloween treat for the community. CONTRIBUTED

Looking at the world upside-down this aerialist from the Cincinnati Circus performs high above the ground. The troupe will be in Oxford Oct. 29 as a Halloween treat for the community. CONTRIBUTED

OXFORD – A drive-thru circus on the driveway of the TRI Center in Oxford will take the place of the Uptown Halloween parade because of coronavirus precautions.

Performers will come from the Cincinnati Circus, which has performed several times at the community’s Fourth of July Freedom Fest celebration, from 5-8 p.m. Friday. This event has been rescheduled from Thursday due to the threat of heavy rain and strong winds. There will be fire performers, wheel aerialists wheel walkers, stilt walkers and aerialists on hand performing in the grass of the ball field, while visitors drive by on the TRI driveway at their own pace taking in the performances.

Oxford Parks and Recreation Director Casey Wooddell said they will have the driveway set up for entry off of Tollgate Drive and exiting onto McGuffey Avenue, reversing the usual traffic flow of the driveway.

The circus event is partially funded by a grant from the Oxford Community Foundation, which paid half the cost. The Cincinnati Circus has done the drive-thru circus at other locations, and they average 150 to 300 cars per hour.

Even though the city is allowing trick-or-treating with safety measures from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 31, many parents may not be comfortable with it this year, so Wooddell said they encourage visitors to this event to dress up in costumes and said each child will be given a bag of candy.

“We will give out candy in a fun way, doing it socially distanced and safe,” he said. “We hope they wear costumes. We like to see kids in costumes.”

Residents who want to hand out candy for trick-or-treating are asked to turn on porch lights so people know they’re participating and wear masks if opening the door.

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