Birak Shrine Circus returns to Fergus Falls for 70th year

The Birak Shrine Circus returned to the West Otter Tail County Fairgrounds in Fergus Falls for its 70th year, with one show Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and two more Wednesday at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. The milestone underscored how long the circus has been part of the county’s summer calendar, not just as a ticketed attraction but as a repeat gathering point for local families.

Jason Schuetzle of the Lakes Area Birak Shrine Club said the familiar scene begins before the first act, when children pile out of cars, hurry toward the doors and start looking for the animals. That early excitement has helped keep the circus rooted in Fergus Falls across generations, with parents who once went as kids now bringing their own children to the same fairgrounds venue.

The setting matters. The West Otter Tail County Fairgrounds carries its own place in community life as a site for agricultural-fair traditions, family events and other seasonal gatherings. For Fergus Falls, the circus’s return to that location gives the event continuity that a rented arena or one-off venue would not match. It feels local because it is local, tied to a place families already know.

The Birak unit is part of Zuhrah Shriners, which is based in Minneapolis and includes Birak ASC among its clubs. Shriners International says its chapters and clubs are organized around fun, fellowship and philanthropy, and that family-friendly activities are common at local Shrine Chapter events. The organization says it has nearly 200 local chapters and thousands of clubs worldwide, a structure that helps a hometown circus function as both entertainment and part of a wider volunteer tradition.

Tickets were available at the gate and through spectacularcircus.com. In a summer packed with events in Fergus Falls, the circus still drew room on the calendar after seven decades, sustained by volunteer effort, family memory and the kind of loyal audience that keeps returning to the fairgrounds year after year.