Monroeville residents will see the circus come to town for the first time in almost a half-century.

The Lewis and Clark Circus, of South Carolina, will be at Monroeville Community Park East on July 16 and July 17, with show times from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Sunrise and Monroeville Rotary groups worked together to bring the one-ring, European style circus to town as a way to raise money for various Rotary charities.

"Our ultimate goal is to give back to the community but we wanted something different that could bring families out in this (hard) economic time," said Chuck DeSabato, of Monroeville Rotary.

The first thing the Rotary had to do was convince Monroeville Council to lift a ban on circuses in the municipality that had endured since 1955.

Sunrise Rotary president Ray Robinson, who first broached the idea of having a circus, said that after asking around he found that apparently at a previous circus held in the municipality, an elephant got loose and knocked over a tent, injuring but not killing anyone inside of it.

No. For the record, no elephants this year.

But there promises to be a lot of entertainment, a process that's been six months in the making.

Circus-goers will get to see traditional circus acts, including high-flying trapeze artists, acrobats, clowns, animal acts that include horses and camels, and a petting zoo. Each performance is 90 minutes under a 100-foot by 70-foot wide tent, which can accommodate about 900 people on seven sections of bleachers. This year's circus will also feature the new "Wheel of Death" and tiger acts show, Al Rawlins of Lewis and Clark said.

Performing in Pennsylvania is nothing new for Lewis and Clark as the circus often works with non-profit organizations to raise money for charitable events, Rawlins said.

"Our biggest sponsors are Rotaries and Kiwanis groups," he said.

Tickets can be purchased either through the Lewis and Clark Web site, www.lewisandclarkcircus.com, or at Chick-fil-A in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets are $10 in advance; $15 at the gate.

"You can bring your family out, eat and drink and be entertained for an hour and a half for about $50," DeSabato said. I'm excited, it's a great thing."

Rotary charities include clean drinking water projects in Third World countries as well as the goal of eradicating polio worldwide.