The horrific story: A fight broke out at the fairgrounds, west of West Palm Beach, shortly after midnight Sunday, sparking the shooting that injured a girl and a boy, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said. The victims were taken to the hospital with injuries that are not life threatening. The girl has since been released from the [...]

That’s right; Cirque du Soleil is on the hunt for new talent, and they recently released the following statement: Cirque du Soleil is seeking new talent for its current shows and upcoming creations and will be holding separate auditions for athletes and circus performers in Orlando in May 2011. At the core of the creative [...]

Decades after his death, Al Tomaini‘s contribution to the sideshow community has been immortalized in Gibtown, a winter haven for carnies, sideshow performers and circus folk. But before I explain the monument that has commemorated Al’s life, allow me explain Mr. Tomaini’s significance to this city. Lovingly proclaimed the world’s strangest married couple, Al and [...]

Frederick W. Glasier was a photographer who was lucky enough to serve as the official photographer for the Barnum & Bailey Circus from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, also known as the Golden Era of the circus. The Ringling Museum in my hometown, Sarasota, Florida, owns over 1,700 images captured by Glasier but [...]

If you’re interested in sideshow culture, you should know about Gibsonton, FL and you likely have heard of Al Tomaini. If not, allow me to fill you in. Al Tomaini was a giant (literally, he was 8 feet 4 inches tall) who fell in love with Jeanie, a legless woman who stood 2 feet 6 [...]

Did you know that for a few short years there was a “circus-themed park complete with roller coasters, midways and circus shows” in central Florida? If not, you’re not alone. Many people may not have heard of Circus World, but it opened in 1974 thanks to the Ringling Bros. and was intended to be an [...]