(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE, "THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH")
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Ladies and gentleman, children of all ages...
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
That is sound from "The Greatest Show On Earth," which amazingly is coming to an end. Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will fold its tent for good in May after 146 years. There was a show yesterday in Miami, and people were lamenting the end of an era.
JUAN FERRER: It's a sad, sad time to lose Ringling, Barnum and Bros. For me, it's an absolutely amazing experience, so we'll miss them for sure.
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Juan Ferrer (ph) grew up going to the circus. He had already bought tickets when he heard the news, and he says he was glad he brought his three kids along for what would be their first and last visit.
GREENE: And the Ringling show - really, it was one of a kind. Trapeze artists, dogs jumping rope, human cannonballs - and, of course, there were those elephants.
LINDA MARCELIN: I think the most I loved about it was the elephants because that's not something you see on a normal day.
MARTIN: Linda Marcelin (ph) isn't the only one. Ringling stopped using elephants last year following decades of protest from animal rights groups, and ticket sales plummeted. Tina Alonzo (ph) says she has mixed feelings about.
TINA ALONZO: I wouldn't be here had it not been for my 5-year-old, who has never experienced a circus. And for her, it's a very innocent display of animals playing. And so I think for most adults, it's something completely different.
GREENE: Even though she says she is relieved the circus is ending and the animals can be free, she's also glad her kid can enjoy the show just this one last time.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.