Category Archives: California Mid-Winter Fair

Imperial Valley Expo
200 East 2nd Street, Imperial, CA
(760) 355-1181 ‎ · ivexpo.com

“Big Top” With “Big Thoughts” at the Fair

Calistoga, CA: Hello everybody! Circus Imagination is currently at home, giving the lions a rest and re-painting the circus train until our next event at Yuma County Fair (AZ) from April 3rd (Tue) to April 8th (Sun)!

We have recently signed up for this new google service called GOOGLE ALERTS. It is pretty cool, you give them a term to search and they will inform you every time that term gets mentioned on the internet! Yes, the whole internet! With that we found another article published on the Circus at our stay at Imperial Valley last week, here it is:

 

Circus Imagination Brings “Big Top” With “Big Thoughts” To Fair

By Chris Furguson

Visitors to the 2012 California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta may meet a young man in a ringmaster outfit as soon as they enter the fairgounds.
The ringmaster, Caton Hegwer, is looking for children to be part of one of the new  daily attractions to the 2012 California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta, the “Circus Imagination.”
Circus Imagination, which Hegwer runs with his wife Carolina, is a traveling children’s circus act the encourages the participants to use their imaginations.
“Parents state being more than pleased with the idea of some face-to-face fun that regenerates the notion of educational and safe enjoyment away from screens and remote controls.,” said a release by the couple.  “Aiming to maximize their full creative potential by strengthening their confidences, the major triumph of Circus Imagination is still the fact that it does not end when the show is over.”
“Its inspiration to play outside and use your inventiveness is taken home by every child.”
Up to thirty kids may participate in the act, all featuring colorful costumes that fit over the kids’ regular clothes.  All the costumes are designed and by Carolina.
While the volunteers are dressing, Hegwer tells a story about his father, who went to a big circus and was inspired to create a circus in his backyard using some friends and some old Halloween costumes.
The 100% safe show also encourages the audience to participate by applause and vocalizing gasps, oohs and aahs.
Acts within the Circus Imagination include Tina the Tightrope Walker, Sandow The Strongman, Clarence the Clown, Marco the Lion Tamer and his Ferocious Animals, “Believe It Or Not,” The Butterfly Ballet, Champagne Sisters, Dead Eye McBang the cowboy or Calamity Oakley the cowgirl, The Amazing Animal Parade and Zazelle, The Human Cannonball.
All acts feature the children pretending to do circus acts, so safety isn’t a concern.
At the end of the show, Caton encourages the children who participated and the ones who watched to not watch television or play video games when bored.
“They waste your time and your brain,” added Hegwer.
DVDs of the show are available for participants and parents are encouraged to film their kids’ performances.
At the Circus Imagination is located near the North entrance behind the pony rides.  They perform throughout each day at various listed times

Imperial Valley Press Article

Imperial, CA: Good morning everybody! Take a look at this cute story the Imperial Valley Press ran on us today! There’s a video, pictures and an article on their website. It also got front page on the printed newspaper – right next to the air show! Hopefully all the local parents will read it and bring their little ones to play at the circus today at the California Mid-Winter Fair! Right after they watch the Blue Angels jets fly overhead!

I pasted the article underneath, but you can see the whole story on the IV Press website if you click here:

Circus Imagination brings smiles and creativity to the children of the Valley

By LAURA GONZALEZ Multimedia Producer

2:56 a.m. PST, March 10, 2012

 

Tina the tightrope walker started to climb the 100 feet in the air she needed to reach the rope. Once she got to the top, the music started and she hesitated to take the first step.

“Here she comes, one foot and now the next foot,” said the circus master, giving her the confidence she needed to walk across the rope.

Slowly she made it to the end. The crowd was cheering and clapping.

Tina is 3 years old. Her real name is Siuleth Torres and she was able to do the dangerous trick by using her imagination.

That’s what the California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta Circus Imagination act is all about.

In 1994 Caton Raintree-Hegwer’s father and a friend had an idea to create a circus where children from the audience were the performers of the show.

Raintree-Hegwer grew up traveling with the circus and helping his father put on the show.

“Because I was raised in the circus, I have been in every single act in the circus at one point or another,” Raintree-Hegwer said.

After his father retired, Raintree-Hegwer took on the family business and since then has been traveling with his wife, who helps make the costumes and dresses up the children just as his mother did before them.

For 25 years the family has seen multiple generations of families enjoy the show.

“It’s been really fascinating to watch families grow up throughout the years being in the circus and then bringing their kids eventually,” said Raintree-Hegwer.

They are based in Sacramento but travel along the West Coast to participate in fairs and private parties.

Their normal working season starts in March and ends in November. When they are not out on the road, they are creating new costumes and characters for the show.

“We try to fix them up and make new ones every few years,” he said.

The idea of the circus is to get children away from video games and have them play with their imagination to help them get more creative.

Raintree-Hegwer said that children are special because they have the resource of their imagination.

“I don’t know what happens, but as we get older, adults tend to lose that fascinating desire to go out, to create and to imagine,” he said.

To Raintree-Hegwer, there is no greater feeling than starting your day putting up a circus and making children happy.

“This is the best job that I’ve ever had and I don’t think I’ll ever quit it,” Raintree-Hegwer said. “It’s just too much fun.”

Multimedia Producer Laura Gonzalez can be reached at 760-337-3440 or lgonzalez@ivpressonline.com

Copyright © 2012, Imperial Valley Press

School Tours Video

Imperial, CA: Hello everybody! Here is the recording of the 11:30 AM Circus Imagination show at the California Mid-Winter Fair on Wednesday, March 7th 2012!

It was a very funny and busy show featuring Tina the Tight Rope Walker, Marco the amazing animal trainer and his troop of wild lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants… The acrobat Champagne Sisters from Paris, France, The Butterfly Ballerinas and Clarence the Clown, Dead Eye McBang our Cowboy and even the incredible Zazel the Human Cannon Ball!

We did record this show in HD but unfortunately our internet connection at the moment doesn’t allow us to upload it in high quality. But this video will be available in HD after March 14th on our youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/CircusImagination) So… if you were part of the show and want to save this memory, check back in a week, then you’ll be able to download this video for FREE in High Definition so you can watch it in your TV as many times as you want!

To watch the video click on the picture below!

Ask not what fun does for you.

Ask rather what you do for fun!

Imperial, CA: Hello ladies and jellybeans! Circus Imagination is happy to be at our first fair of the 2012 season: California Mid-Winter Fair.

It has been breezy over here! A little too much yesterday… the 60mph winds and dust storms hit Imperial Valley hard, and the fair stayed closed on Tuesday as a safety precaution.

In the other hand, this morning it was a bright and early start! We had a great and busy 11:30 AM show for the School Tours and we will be posting the video recording from this presentation on our youtube page in HD soon!

We have had a chance to use some of our new costumes; they really bright up the scene! You can see better in the pictures above the new lions and tigers and the new Tina the Tight Rope Walker with the rainbow skirt! I’ll try to get clearer pictures and close-ups later this week of all the other new costumes!

We have two more shows today at 4:30PM & 6 PM! Same times for tomorrow’s shows (Thursday – March 8th).

Friday, March 9th: 4:30PM & 6:30PM.

Saturday, March 10th: 2:30PM, 4PM, 5:30PM & 7PM.

Sunday, March 11th: 2:30PM, 4:30PM & 6:30PM.

 

See you later alligator!

 

California Mid-Winter Fair

Hello everybody! Circus Imagination is getting ready to start our first fair of the season! It’s the California Mid-Winter Fair (March 2nd -11th) the theme is Tropical Nights & Carnival Lights and a little bird told me there are over 500,000 LED lights in the carnival this year! Looking forward to some bright nights! The fair is located at 200 East Second Street in Imperial, CA  92251. For more information about the fair click http://www.ivexpo.com or call the main office at 760.355.1181.

 

Below is the official Circus Imagination Daily Show Schedule for the 2012 California Mid-Winter Fair!

 

Friday, March 2nd: 12:30 PM, 2:30PM & 5:30PM.

Saturday, March 3rd: 2:30PM, 4PM, 5:30PM & 7PM.

Sunday, March 4th: 2PM, 4PM & 7PM.

Monday, March 5th: 5:30PM & 7PM.

Tuesday, March 6th: 4:30PM & 6:30PM.

Wednesday, March 7th: 11:30AM*, 4:30PM & 6PM.

Thursday, March 8th: 11:30AM*, 4:30PM & 6PM.

Friday, March 9th: 4:30PM & 6:30PM.

Saturday, March 10th: 2:30PM, 4PM, 5:30PM & 7PM.

Sunday, March 11th: 2:30PM, 4:30PM & 6:30PM.

 

* School Tours & Special People Visit

 

Stay tuned because this week we are inaugurating our new costumes and we also have new acts! I’ll post all the pictures here throughout the week!

See you later alligator!