The first traveling circus to pitch its tents in Carrington came on July 1896. The advertisement in the Independent the week before states: "It is the consensus of public opinion that Bond Brothers World's Best Shows presents the greatest array of circus and hippodrome performers ever congregated. Its many pleasant innovations and extraordinary first-time ever exhibited commend themselves to an appreciative public and it is conceded the very best show in America. Every country and clime contributed to its arenic grandeur for popular favor. The Bond Brothers are said to exhibit many rare wild animals never before seen by American audiences. Its ethnological congress is of deepest interest introducing many remarkable specimens for the first time in this country. The performances of the wonderful educated horses furnish a theme for study and awake a new interest in the noble equine. Newspapers wherever the mammoth beasts have been spread are enthusiastic in praises and said to attract the largest assemblages ever seen at a tented show.
The following week the editor of the Independent has some comments: "Last Thursday was an eventful day in Carrington, it being the first time a railroad show ever visited our little city. Bond Brothers show is not one of the largest which travel but has some very good features and some that were not good. The entire outfit was run by gamblers who made a specialty of roping in the innocent sucker and strange to say they reaped their harvest in Carrington. If we should publish the names of the parties who patronized their thimble rig game it would be a great surprise to the people of Foster County. Men never known to gamble a cent in their lives were the ones who were roped in for the largest amounts. The most disgraceful part of the whole matter was that a number of people of the county acted as coppers for the gamblers, thus roping in their friends. The people of this county have been taught a lesson that will last a lifetime and the chances that they will not soon be up against a sure thing.
Two years later on July 26, 1898, the Leman Brothers Circus came to town. Some of the attractions were: Three Ring Circus - Five Continent Menagerie - Trained Wild Animal Exhibition - Real Roman Hippodrome - Free Horse Fair - The Mighty Bovalopus, the rarest, awfullest, mighty monster of the deep - Rajah, the biggest brute on earth, .the towering giant, the lord of beasts, taller, longer, weighs more, costs more than any elephant ever captured, bigger than the famous Jumbo - Captain Santiago High Diver - Little Edna, the girl wonder, only girl turning forward and backward somersaults on the back of a horse - Racing Steers, Wally Krueger - Whole herd of animals, giant camels, long maned and tailed horse - baby hippopotamus, baby lions. Free Grand Street Parade at 10 a.m. High Dive at 10:30. Tents waterproof. Doors open at 1:00, performances commence at 2:00. Afternoon performance only.
The next one appeared on Saturday, June 14, 1902. "Campbell Brothers Great Consolidated Shows will exhibit at Carrington, Saturday, June 14. Monsters, Majestic Spectacular Fine Street Parade at 10 a.m. Menagerie Museum, Exhibitions of trained animals. The last of its kind, the only BEHOMOTH of Holy Writ known to exist, as large as an elephant.
A year later, Friday, July 10, 1903, the Great Sells and Downs United Shows came to town. "The most original, modern, up-to-date amusement enterprise on earth. World's Best Circus talent. The immensity, uniqueness, novelty, originality of this show excels all other shows. Trained animal department showing remarkable acts demonstrating the brute intelligence of educated elephants, baboons, monkeys, dogs, ponies, goats, pigs, donkeys. 10:00 Grand Street Parade. A glorious combination of street carnival, spectacular street fair."
1:16 and 7:15 P.M. Prof. Neal Concert Band, the renowned soloist musicians in a 45-minute grand concert on center stage.
2:00 and 8:00 All feature performance begins, comprising multitudinous, overwhelming, indescribable acrobatics, spectacular aerial and trained animal hippodrome events.
The Great Canada Franks Shows came to Carrington on August 4, 1904, but the details concerning the performances are lacking. The first of several visits of the Gollmar Brothers, "The Greatest American Shows, " was on June 17, 1905: "Most refined tented enterprize on earth, Gollmar Brothers' Shows. Million Dollar Menageries and Roman Hippodrome, 100 Premier Acts given in 3 big rings, Elaborate Acts in Mid-air, 30 Clowns, 10 Champion Riders, the Famous Petit Family, Europe's Greatest Acrobats, the Flying Mazettas, the London Troupe of Statue Artists, the Maxwell Troupe of Acrobats, a Herd of Ponderous Elephants, Daisy, the Playful Baby, the Black Vlock Vark from Africa, the Only Sacred White Camel, the Only Living Black Hippopotamus from the River Nile. At 10 o'clock the largest and most magnificent free street displays in the world. Seven open dens of most savage beasts, a massive steam piano, a score of bands, ten kinds of historical characters. Two performances daily, doors open at 1 and 7 p.m. for inspection of the menagerie.
After the performance the Independent noted: "It rained a little on Circus day but not enough to spoil the fun." The Gollmer Circus returned on July 2, 1906, and again in 1908, 1910 and 1912, the last to Carrington; it played in New Rockford in 1913.
Besides the biannual appearance of the Gollmar Brothers Shows other circuses came along: The Campbell Brothers in 1907 and 1908, Norris and Rowe in 1909. The last had what have been an exciting misfortune when "At noon the menagerie tent ballooned in a sharp breeze from the south. Two of the elephants were caught in the canvas and in their efforts to free themselves overturned the cage of tigers but the animals did not escape." No circuses made their appearance in 1913 and 1914, but a new company, the Yankee-Robinson Shows played on June 10, 1915. It was scheduled to come again two years later, 1916, but kept postponing the date and it never did appear. Finally, however, two years later this circus played on the old race track grounds on June 28, 1918.
After World War I a number of traveling tent shows continued to appear in Carrington: Heber Brothers on July-30, 1919, with the World's Largest Bactrian Camel (two humps), Campbell Brothers Trained Animal Show, June 30, 1920, Klowe-Van Amberg Circus, June 10, 1920, Howes London Circus, June 1921, and Patterson's Wild Animal Circus, June 1925, Robbins Brothers Four Ring Wild Animal Circus with Ponca Bill's Wild West, Mammoth Pageant, Historic Review of North America. The last one noted in the decade of the 20's, Zellmar Brothers Circus, came June 16, 1925. It was in trouble, the second largest tent blew over in a high wind and was wrecked just before the evening performance, which consequently, did not take place. In addition, the show was being sued for damages in the amount of $21,500 on account of a fight with a roustabout during a performance in Medina. The circus was held in Carrington until they were able to post bond and released to go to Cooperstown.
Source: A History of Foster County 1983 Page 424