THE BALLOON MAN

New Sailor Circus Arena roof nearly complete
Sep 28, 2010
SARASOTA - A new roof for the Sailor Circus Arena is just days away from completion. The old fabric roof was removed in May, and a new insulated metal roof was installed over the summer.
The $1.2 million project will give the student performers of the circus, and the people who come to see their shows, a much more comfortable environment than in years past.
Most of that money was raised through donations. "We had a lot of grass roots, a lot of donations came in over the years and we wanted to show them how much we appreciated it; and just to put something up, so when they come back to the shows now they can see we care about them, we care about what they've donated and it's all about the kids. These kids appreciate it, they're doing great practicing outside just like the old days, now we can get them back inside this arena and they can showcase their talents," says Deputy John Cox, Police Athletic League director.
This is the 62nd year of the Sailor Circus. All of its performers are Sarasota County students from 4th grade through 12th.
And those students are looking forward to practicing indoors again. "And it seems like they get here right after school and within an hour those afternoon rain showers have been coming in, so we're excited this week to get them back practicing in the arena, on the high wire, the flying trapeze and all the jugglers and acrobats and our clowns and they're getting ready for our performances in December," says PAL program coordinator Joan Leonard.
The Sarasota Sailor Circus performs in December and again in the spring. If you'd like to learn more about the Sailor Circus or want ticket information for their upcoming performances, visit www.sailorcircus.org/.from mysuncoast.com