Thanksgiving means family, friends, food and the circus! A family tradition our whole family looks forward to is going to the circus on Thanksgiving Day. What better way to relax after eating a yummy feast?

The 76th annual Hadi Shrine Circus is coming to Evansville once again from Thanksgiving Day through Sunday. There are two shows on Thursday, three on Friday and Saturday and an afternoon show on Sunday. We have always attended the evening show until we had a daughter. Now we try to make it to the afternoon show on Thanksgiving Day because it is less crowded and easier for her to stay awake for the three hour show. Ticket prices range from $17-$22 for reserved seats and $12 for general admission. We usually get general admission which seems like a pretty good value considering you would pay almost as much for a ticket to the movies these days!

The acts are usually similar from year to year with trapeze artists, performing animals and of course the clowns! I have been every year of my life and even though not much is new each year to the show, I can remember being a little girl anticipating my favorite parts. In this way, I am grateful the circus is similar each year. I know what to expect and I know its going to be fun! The elephants and tigers have a similar act each year but the kids love it when they come out! The Kenya Wizards are a newer act that is always a crowd favorite. They dance to African music and tumble all over the place. Even though they are grown men, they seem to have so much energy and are able to stack themselves on top of one another like incredibly complex cheerleaders! There are also jugglers, tight rope walkers, motorcycle tricks and all types of animals from dogs to bears to monkeys performing in each of the three rings. The circus always begins with a parade and ends with a "bang" with typical circus music performed by a live band from beginning to end.

Last year our daughter really loved all of the music, lights and of course the animals. Experiencing traditions through the eyes of my daughter is what makes my holidays so magical and I know taking a two year old to the circus will be very exciting!

Its my favorite time of year! I love the fall for so many reasons but the most important, as always, are the traditions that are repeated during this amazing time of year. For our family it has always been the start of the craziest months of the year. My career has been in the retail industry for the past nine years. Now that I am lucky enough to just work part-time this will be the first year that my job will take a backseat to the fun holiday events.

Our fall really kicked off with our trip to Boo at the Zoo. It was amazing and spending a whole weekend with my family was a dream come true. It was the beginning of so many family traditions for this time of year. But the month of November always seems to go by so quickly which brings us to Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is becoming one of my favorite holidays mainly because of how little stress goes into it. We always spend the first half of our day at the grandparent's house and then we head to the Circus.

The Hadi Shrine Circus is a tradition for my side of our family. We always go on Thanksgiving day. I can't wait to see how our two year old daughter reacts this year to the amazing show.

I also have a deep love for Christmas and my Christmas season usually starts before Thanksgiving. Perhaps this is because I was raised in Santa Claus, IN. I'm sure working in retail, where our holiday season starts mid-October doesn't help the matter. Its so hard to go to work and listen to Christmas music and come home to Halloween decorations. So this year I'm sure will be unlike the ones past in that I will be begging my husband to start decorating in November.

Sometimes the anticipation is just as much fun as the actual event. This is certainly the case for me this Autumn. So as we are right in the middle of this very fun and very busy season I hope to that it doesn't pass too fast. I hope to focus on what matters most, making memories and spending time with my family.

I don't have to tell you that the economy has been a very fickle beast for at least the past 2 years. Because of this small local businesses are popping up and deflating out, taking dreams with them. This is why I have decided to commit a certain amount of my time and energy to review and help bring attention to local businesses. This review of Four Friends Corner Cafe will be the first of Local Business segments, and hopefully a regular feature of Evansville Blog.

Get The Facts

Four Friends Corner Cafe
1400 North Main Street
Evansville, IN 47711

To get there head south on Main street from Garvin Park, it's 2 blocks down on your right. They have plenty of on street parking and a small lot suitable for 3-4 small cars or 1-2 big trucks. For companies close by it's an easy walk, especially on warm fall days.

Inside there are about 5-6 tables, where a small group or couples will probably be most comfortable. However, I feel like their meals and layout favor those who like their meals to-go. Also consider eating on their picnic table out front or taking your hot dog to Garvin Park and eat on one of their many picnic tables. I prefer to take mine to go and eat in my truck, parked at Garvin Park, while writing this review.

The decor is as expected from a local restaurant focusing on a hot dog meal niche. An antique toy pinball machine could even be found in the corner of the dining room area. What was unexpected was the number of scriptures written on various boards around the kitchen and in the seating area. It's obvious that the owners/operators are religious, hopefully this isn't a turn-off for you, it wasn't for me.

Food Facts

The staple of Four Friends Corner Cafe are there hot dogs. They use Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs for all their hot dog meals, which include Fries and a drink. Also, there is plenty of variety, including coney style dogs or anything you can dream up, they will build to suit. On this trip I had their Cincinnati Special, which was a loaded coney dog with lots of cheese and onion.

The meal was very good and very filling.

The Bad

I work for a business close to Four Friends Corner Cafe, so about 30 days ago an employee dropped off a menu. This is how I found out about the Evansville restaurant and what peeked my interest in trying out some of their unusual hot dog creations. So, I picked out my would be meal and headed a few blocks over to place my order.

After I placed my order I was informed that my specific meal was no longer available. Nor did the girl behind the counter remember how to make the DC Monumental Special. No biggie, I'll just take one of their other specials, which would have been fine if their prices had not been so high. In no way do I feel like I got value for my money and even after a full stomach I had buyers remorse.

Indeed, their prices had gone up from around $5 per meal, which included fries and a medium fountain drink, to over $7. Also, to add insult to injury there was no fountain machine, only cans of pop in the fridge. So now I'm full, but thirsty, and feel like a spent a fortune for a hot dog.

Short and Sweet

The food was fantastic, service was good, and there was plenty of places to sit, eat and enjoy my lunch break. I'd recommend anyone to check it out.  However, to get my repeat business prices will need to fall.

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Do you have a suggestion on where I should take my next lunch break?  Or is there another local business that needs reviewed or help with advertising?  Simply leave a comment here or drop me an email to let me know your thoughts.