DEMOPOLIS &8212; Six-year-old Allison Moore was mesmerized.

There were horses, elephants, camels and trapeze artists &8212; but what caught the little girl&8217;s attention were the groups of young women twirling hula hoops around their bodies.

First it was one, then two &8212; then three and four. After a while, the performers shimmied with more than a dozen hula hoops circling their bodies.

Or what about the motorcyclist who drove out onto the high wire? In the three rings of the Carson and Barnes Circus, there was literally something for everyone.

Brandon Smith, 7, traveled to Demopolis from Tuscaloosa with his parents.

For a young man like Brandon, getting to see exotic animals up close was a real pleasure, his mother, Joy, said.

The stands were nearly full as area residents crowded in to see the attractions. Performers who flew through the air &8212; with the greatest of ease, of course &8212; enthralled 8-year-old Amanda Jones.

Her mother, Cassie, didn&8217;t like that idea.

Workers erected the bigtop Tuesday morning and then performed twice &8212; once at 4:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m.