He isn't an ordinary ringmaster. Soon you can see his unique circus in Myrtle Beach

Justin Loomis didn't think he was that good of a singer.

Now, he's known for it. Well, that and being the ringmaster of a circus.

Nowadays entertaining in both roles simultaneously, Loomis is bringing his show to Myrtle Beach as the Loomis Bros. Circus is slated to perform at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on June 8-9.

Loomis Bros., based out of Florida, is mostly a traditional circus, having been around for 20-plus years, and includes three elephants, six tigers, acrobats, clowns, motorcycle daredevils and more. However, the evolution of a singing ringmaster has brought a unique ingredient to the show for the last "16, 18 years," Loomis said.

It all started in a karaoke bar, Loomis said. He was having a little fun by entering a singing contest that, to his surprise, he ended up winning, which drew praise from fellow circus workers who were in attendance.

“Everybody was like ‘You can really sing!’ I never thought I could sing that well, and everybody was like ‘No, you did really good,’" said Loomis, who's been around the circus his whole life. "And sure enough I won the prize that night, and so that really kind of encouraged me to start singing in the performance as well.

"It would add another aspect to the show, having some live singing going on during the performance.”

Loomis Bros. also includes a full band that has been part of the act for four years. All of the music included in the show is performed live.

"A lot of people — when they leave — the comments we hear are like 'Wow, we didn’t expect that.' We found that a lot, especially like the last few years when the people walk out the door they’re like 'Wow, we had no idea. We never thought we were going to see that' with the band and the singing and the traditional performance with the elephants and the tigers," Loomis said. "Everybody leaves kind of with the wow factor like 'That was great. We actually got to see a real circus.'"

This is coming at a time when many people are under the impression that the circus has been done away with, Loomis said. After the Ringling Bros. Circus and Barnum & Bailey announced in 2017 that it would be shutting down after 146 years, many figured that was the end of the circus altogether, Loomis said.

“We heard that all last year everywhere we went. Everybody was under the impression that that was the end of the circus. Everybody was like ‘Oh, there’s no more circus. We thought the circus was out of business.’ We said ‘No, Ringling is out of business, but we’re still going — we’re still going strong,'" he said. "Our crowds have been speaking to that. You know, people still want to see the circus. Every day we seem to have very, very good attendance.

"It's one of the last real American circuses left."

While the singing ringmaster surely plays a huge role in the performance, Loomis believes he's a sideshow to the real stars — the animals, and in particular the elephants.

"They’re the main stamp of the performance and the stars of our show as far as I’m concerned," Loomis said. "Those are things you don’t see in the circus too often, especially with the closing of Barnum and Bailey’s Ringling Bros.

"It is a rare thing now. It’s not too often that the kids will get a chance to see and ride an elephant or see an actual white Siberian tiger."

Loomis Bros. will perform four 90-minute shows, one Friday at 7 p.m. and three times Saturday at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Adult admission is $20, children ages 2-12 get in for $8 and anyone younger is free. Free kids tickets have been dispersed to several merchants in Horry County and those coupons and other offers can be found at Facebook.com/LoomisCircus.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at loomiscircus.com or at the box office the day of the show.

Loomis' family has a long history with the circus as his father and great uncle also were involved, and he believes it is something everyone should have a chance to experience.

“We do the circus the way it was meant to be seen," he said.

This story was originally published May 22, 2018 at 3:05 PM with the headline "He isn't an ordinary ringmaster. Soon you can see his unique circus in Myrtle Beach."