THE BALLOON MAN

Wallenda will defy death in Atlantic City

 

High-wire daredevil Nik Wallenda, seen here walking across Niagara Falls in June, will perform a 1,500-foot tightrope walk without a net high above the streets of Atlantic City, N.J., Thursday afternoon. (Associated Press)
By BARBARA ORMSBY
from:  delcotimes.com
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
ATLANTIC CITY —It won’t be quite as daring a feat as walking across Niagara Falls on a tightrope, but high-wire artist Nik Wallenda will perform a tightrope walk high above the beach here at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The event is free to the public.
Wallenda’s 1,500-foot walk will begin at Sovereign Avenue and the beach, adjacent to the Atlantic Club Casino, and finish above the beach at Tropicana Casino & Resort, where he and the Wallenda family will be performing on select dates from Aug. 12 through Sept. 22.
The 33-year-old daredevil performer will be using only a 24-foot balance pole. No harness or other safety mechanisms will be in place. He estimates it will take him about 27 minutes to complete the walk, which is being sponsored by the Atlantic City Alliance.
“I was so calm. I’ve walked a wire my entire life,” Wallenda said of his Niagara Falls spectacular.
Wallenda and his family have spent the past two months appearing in Branson, Mo. They will have only a few precious days off before their next gig starts at the Tropicana.
“I started walking a wire when I was 2,” Wallenda said in a telephone interview. “I fell only in practice. I’ve never even had a slip during a performance. I would grab the wire if I fell. I realize there are dangers in what I do, but I am very comfortable with what I do. To be fearful is dangerous and that could cause me to fall.”
read more:
http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/08/07/entertainment/doc5021cb6c19404249621811.txt