Event & Arena News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – NOVEMBER 1, 2004

RINGLING BROS. AND BARNUM & BAILEY® RETURNS TO NATIONWIDE ARENA DECEMBER 1 – 5
Tickets on sale November 4 at 10 a.m.
Get a free ticket to The Greatest Show on Earth ® when you donate a pint of blood at any Central Ohio Red Cross blood drive on Thursday, Nov. 4

COLUMBUS – The all-new 134th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey rolls into Nationwide Arena for eight fantastic performances December 1-5. This year’s show promises masterful displays of extreme daredevilry and heart-stopping spectacle. Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 4 at 10 a.m. at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office and through Ticketmaster.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is joining with the Central Ohio Region of the American Red Cross to encourage blood donations in an effort to prevent further blood shortages in the Capital City. The first 800 presenting donors at the Ringling Bros. Blood Drive (includes all Franklin County blood drives) on Thursday, Nov. 4 will receive a red clown nose and get one complimentary pass to the Wednesday, Dec. 1 or Thursday, Dec. 2 performance of The Greatest Show on Earth® at Nationwide Arena.

The Greatest Show On Earth® begins on the arena floor, one hour before showtime as guests become part of the Three-Ring Adventure®! Then, riveting Ringmaster Kevin Venardos leads a journey that stirs a multitude of senses by watching:
• The Prince of Laughter, David Larible, magically mesmerizing crowds of thousands with his singular brand blend of comic mayhem and illusion;
• Magnificently maned-pride of majestic male lions in the grandeur of the great cage;
• The chaos Crazy Wilson creates on the Pendulum of Pandemonium, whirling around in Motorcycle Madness and on a harrowing high wire heralding feats never-before-seen in hippodrome history;
• Our playful pachyderms proudly perform with trainer Troy Metzler in a panoply of perfect partnership in all three rings!

Performance Schedule
Wednesday, December 1 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 2 at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 4 at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Sunday, December 5 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Tickets are $45 (Front Row), $35 (VIP), $20, $15 and $10. Tickets may be purchased at the Nationwide Arena Ticket Office, at all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at (614) 431-3600. Tickets are also available at the Blue Jackets Zones at Chiller Dublin, Chiller Easton and Chiller North. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

For more information about upcoming events at Nationwide Arena, visit www.NationwideArena.com or call (614) 246-2000. Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL Columbus Blue Jackets, is an SMG-managed facility. Headquartered in Philadelphia, SMG provides facility services to 165 venues controlling over 1.4 million entertainment seats worldwide.

To schedule an appointment to donate at a Ringling Bros. Blood Drive on Nov. 4, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Blood Drive will be held at StoneRidge Donor Center in Gahanna from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Carriage Place on Bethel Rd. from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Reynoldsburg Community Blood Program at 235 McNaughten Road from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; YMCA Gahanna from 11:30 to 5:30 at 555 YMCA Place; Hilliard Community Fixed Cite from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Westbelt Business Park and the OSU Shottenstein Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.