The Royal Hanneford Circus brings thrills, tradition, and a heartwarming mission to Columbia—where every ticket helps support children in need.
Example video title will go here for this video
Example video title will go here for this video
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Royal Hanneford Circus, a reimagined edition of the greatest show on earth, is back and better than ever. After 50 years of performances, it continues its tradition of putting smiles on faces.
Timothy Tegge, the circus ringmaster for Royal Hanneford Circus, said the circus’s history dates back to the 1600s.
“We’ve had a relationship with these fine folks for 50 years. We’ve come every time there has been a Jamil Shrine circus it has been the Royal Hanneford Circus, so for us, every year, this is kind of like a family reunion,” Tegge said.
John McDonald, a fraternity member of the Shriners at the Jamil Temple, said the organization plays a key role in helping children with medical needs.
He said it’s one of the main reasons the Shriners’ charity collaboration with the circus is so important.
“That’s our fraternity; that is what we do as Jamil Shrine,” he said. “We help the Greenville Children’s Hospital; that is what we support, and a lot of people don’t understand that.”
“The Shriners, they have hospitals in several different cities, and they all function pretty much the same way,” Tegge added. “The individual temples help generate and support the hospitals so that they can take care of the … children. They have burn units, just outstanding care, and none of the patients say a dime for any of the care.”
If you’ve ever attended one of their show-stopping performances, you’ve also contributed to helping children in need.
“When the shrine circus comes to town, you’re enjoying a traditional experience, but you’re supporting a, I mean, it’s century-old philanthropy that just, it’s based on helping children,” Tegge said.