Gibsonton Showmen`s Circus

OBSERVER NEWS • THE CURRENT • 19
JANUARY 16, 2014
Gibsonton Showmen’s Circus
XX Continued from page 1
The performance
by the Fornasori
family, an eighthgeneration
circus family,
was among the
highlights of the
show.
Kevin Brady Photos
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Stevens, chairman of the charity
show for the past 16 years. “It’s a
labor of love for us.”
Proceeds from the shows, which
have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last 30
years, according to organizers,
are distributed to local charities.
Children’s hospitals and the Mary
& Martha House in Ruskin are
among those who have benefited
in the past.
“We decide where we distribute
the funds after the event is over
and like to give to the small, local
charities,” Stevens said. “We are
not looking for any glory out of
it. We just do it because we have
always done it.”
Performers from all over the
state traveled to Gibsonton for the
show, which featured jugglers,
acrobats, performing horses, aerial
artists, clowns and elephants.
“Everyone who performs or
participates in the show volunteers
their time. That’s what so unique
about the show,” Stevens said.
Spitting and juggling fire for
more than a decade, Lamount
“The Human Volcano” said there
is something about a live circus
show that cannot be duplicated.
“You can see a lot of things on
TV but you can’t see real elephants or entertainers up close.
You don’t see anything like that
except at the circus where you
get to see it live and close up, and
I think that’s part of the glitz of
the circus,” said Lamount as he
warmed up for his performance
outside the big top.
“Some of us risk our lives every
day doing this, and I think that’s
also part of the thrill of it as well.”
Nostalgia was part of the draw
for Angela Wlelfer, who brought
her son to the show on Riverview
Drive.
The all-volunteer show is a labor
of love for everyone involved,
said Lee Stevens, chairman of
the show for the past 16 years,
pictured above with Gloria Myers, president of the International Showman’s Association.
“It’s something I got to see as a
child, but now [that] I live in Gibsonton I am able to bring my son
to see a local circus perform,” said
Wlelfer. “It’s the entertainment of
getting people to laugh with the
clowns, the elephants rides — the
kids love the elephant rides — and
of course, the cotton candy.”
The circus was part of growing
up for Tampa’s Steven Binyard,
something he wanted to share with
his wife and two children.
“Even if the kids don’t want to
come, we as parents bring them
because it’s something we did as
kids and the kids end up loving it.”
It’s not just youngsters who are
drawn to the show, said Gloria
Myers, president of the Showman’s Association.
“We have a whole group from
Sun City Center who come for the
show every year. It has become a
tradition for people,” said Myers.
No matter their age, audiences
will never tire of seeing performers doing things they wouldn’t
dream of, Stevens said.
“It’s watching others performing acts you can’t do. It’s almost
mythical,” Stevens said.
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