CIRCUS COMPANY

Circus company to visit Rising Park

 

The Cincinnati Circus Company will perform during this year's Lancaster Festival. / Submitted Photo
from:  lancastereagleledgergazette.com
Written by Michelle George,The Eagle-Gazette Staff
July 16, 2013
LANCASTER — Whether they are giant stilt walkers, jugglers or magicians, the performers with the Cincinnati Circus Company all have one thing in common.
They know how to catch a crowd’s attention.
“People are generally amazed overall,” said Max Cormendy, office manager for the Cincinnati Circus Company. “With our aerialists, especially — people can’t quite figure out how it’s done.”
Residents can expect to see aerial acrobats, as well as stilt walkers and a mystifying magic show, when the Cincinnati Circus Company rolls into town July 25 for the Lancaster Festival’s Rising Park Day. This is the first year performers from the Cincinnati-based company will perform during the festival.
“We try to make sure it’s always fun — we don’t do clowns because they’re scary,” Cormendy said with a laugh. “Everyone has a good time.”
The Cincinnati Circus Company, formerly the Amazing Portable Circus, employs between 50 and 60 performers during its peak months of June, July and August. Single performers to a full-scale traveling circus show are available upon request; the company also rents inflatable rides and games, including a portable flying trapeze.
“We have very few employees who are full-time, professional entertainers. They’re mostly college-age kids where it’s a hobby thrown into a job for them,” Cormendy said.
He said the performers stay busy throughout the year covering a variety of events for people of all ages.
“The type of events we cover, it’s all over the place ... the one ring show is somewhere different every weekend, from a church carnival to a city event,” Cormendy said. “There’s not one type of event we do. We do casino nights, corporate events. ... We just got done with a series of library events, where the library was celebrating its 100th birthday.”
Although the Cincinnati Circus Company travels regionally much of the time — the majority of its gigs are in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana — it also has made appearances at events across the U.S.
“We did an event in New Orleans last fall, and the owner went out to Washington state last year,” Cormendy said. “We will travel everywhere — we’re just happy to get on the road.”
Rising Park Day also will feature performer Seona McDowell, the Remnant Expressive Signing Team, the Columbus Crew Soccer Tour and a variety of family activities. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch.