Jest Fest
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118521)
Gainesville, Florida
April 10, 2016 5:46pm CST
The Ringling Brothers Circus bills itself as "The Greatest Show on Earth!" Well, today, we had a special event in our city that was put on by my department (parks and recreation), and it was billed as "The Greatest Show in Gainesville!" Now, before you go getting the two events confused, our event today was NOT the Ringling Brothers Circus! Far from it, although there were elements of the circus spread throughout the day!
Today was the 5th annual Jest Fest, a springtime celebration of all things comedy. The event is a free, all day extravaganza for the whole family, featuring comedians, musicians, magicians, actors, storytellers and acrobatics.
Okay, so as I mentioned earlier, the event was not the Ringling Brothers Circus, but we did borrow elements from it, including the Flying Carrs on the trapeze, and the world-famous Flying Wallendas on the high-wire, two of the more exciting and entertaining segments of a circus!
Many of you may have heard of the Flying Wallendas, or know who they are without even realizing it! If you've ever been to a Ringling Brothers Circus show, most likely the acrobatics are being performed by members of the Wallenda family. Have you seen recent TV specials where a guy walked a tight-rope across the Grand Canyon, or a tight-rope across Niagra Falls? That was Nick Wallenda.
We are very fortunate to have a personal connection to the Wallenda family, and have been able to schedule them at our Jest Fest event for the past few years. It doesn't help that they live only about 2 hours away from the event either!
The most beautiful (and terrifying) part of their acrobatics at Jest Fest is that they do all their trapeze, tight-rope and high-wire acts with no safety netting below them! If they fall, or miss a jump or landing while high above the ground, they are sure to be in big trouble, as there is nothing to stop their fall or cushion their impact with the ground. But this dangerous feat is part of what makes their show so appealing!
Have you ever been to the big top, a circus, or other acrobatic show?
6 people like this
5 responses
@mommaj (23112)
• United States
11 Apr 16
@moffittjc LOL. I will be sad I wasn't an attraction. 
Just kidding. I might have to look at that.
Just kidding. I might have to look at that.1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 16
@mommaj I thought you were going to bed? What happened to "good night?" LOL
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@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 16
If you have Facebook, you can type Jest Fest in the search bar and see our FB page. There are some good photos of today's event.
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@JudyEv (326098)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Apr 16
I went to quite a few circuses as a child but it was always the animals that mesmerised me. I know it is politically incorrect now but I'm glad I got the chance to see 7 or 8 elephants in the ring together and mixed groups of wild cats performing. I wouldn't enjoy those acts now but as a child it was all accepted.
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@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 16
Yes, I guess we grew up in a good time period, because I have fond memories of all the animals as well. I was even able to take my kids to see animals at the circus when they were both young, before they started phasing all the animal acts out of the circus. So, at least my kids got to see them too before they were taken out of the show! Nowadays, there are very few animals at circuses, if any at all.
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@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
13 Apr 16
@JudyEv I think with the worldwide popularity of Cirque du Soleil shows, crazy acrobatics and stunts will be the new norm for circuses.
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@JudyEv (326098)
• Rockingham, Australia
12 Apr 16
@moffittjc Several circuses in Australia have resorted to using cows and alpacas in the ring. The cows looked a bit funny with their great udders swinging every which way but the alpacas were all on leads and just ran around a bit. Good that your kids got to see them. To me a circus IS/WAS animals with a bit of other stuff thrown in.
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@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 16
It was a fun day! If you have Facebook, you can type in Jest Fest in the search bar and see some of the photos from today's event.
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@Deepizzaguy (94773)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
10 Apr 16
I believe the circus my relatives and I went to was the Ringling Brothers Circus in the Mercedes Benz Superdome back around the 1980s.
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@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Apr 16
In the 80's, the two predominant circuses in the US were the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, and the Clyde Beatty Big Top Circus. Ringling circuses were usually held in arenas and indoor venues, while Clyde Beatty Circuses were usually held under big top tents. It sounds like you were most likely at a Ringling Brothers Circus.
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@Deepizzaguy (94773)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
11 Apr 16
moffittjc Yes it was the Ringling Brothers circus that played in New Orleans. Outdoor circuses I have never attended.
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@VivaLaDani13 (60464)
• Perth, Australia
24 May 16
I know I have been to at least one circus when I was like 3 or 4 years old in Sydney but I don't remember much at all. I just remember my brothers going down below with some other people. They all stood in a circle holding paper ( I think ) and this dude used a whip to break them all in half. That's all I remember really.
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@moffittjc (118521)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 May 16
My first memory of the circus was with my grandmother, and I think I was 3 or 4 at the time. Back then, they brought all the circus animals to town by railroad, and then they would unload all the animals off the train and then parade them down the street as they made their way to the fairgrounds where the circus was located. It was quite the spectacle! I remember all that vividly for such a young age, but don't really remember seeing the actual circus!
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