The Flying Wards from Bloomington-Normal, IL

Unknown to many, the Bloomington-Normal (Illinois) area along The Mother Road is the birthplace to aerial circus performance in America.

The famous Ward Barn, IL

Join host Anthony Arno as he dives deep into circus life along Route 66 with three very special guests, who have committed their lives to aerial circus performance and preservation.

Wayne Wright – The Human Cannonball

Performing with the famous Zacchini Brothers as a human cannonball, Wayne Wright shares stories about his life as a circus performer, traveling around the world, and final thoughts after being shot out of a cannon over 1100 times.

• Earliest memory of Route 66

• Early interest in gymnastics and tumbling

• Mechanics of Aerial Performance: Flyers and Catchers

• Transitioning from tumbling to human cannonball

• The very first time being fired out of a cannon at 110 MPH

• Director Gamma Phi Circus 1995 – 2005

• Occupational Hazards: Human Cannonball

• Scariest memory as a popular circus performer

• Early history of Human cannonballs – the vision of Hugo Zacchini, a world class circus performer interested in accessing enemy territory

• Performing for mom – what could possibly go wrong?

• The lost art of popular circus performers today

• From Human Cannonball to Ballroom Dance Instructor

Marcus Alouan, Director – Gamma Phi Circus

Marcus Alouan is the director of the Gamma Phi Circus, America’s oldest collegiate circus.  Marcus talks about the rich circus culture on campus at ISU, and the once in a lifetime chance to perform at the MACY’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

• Transitioning from Bio-Mechanics to college Circus Director

• Early history of Gamma Phi Circus at ISU, America’s oldest collegiate circus act

• Gamma Phi Circus past graduates – Life under the Big Top

• Gamma Phi Circus performer appears as finalist on America’s Got Talent

• Gamma Phi Circus appears in the NYC  Thanksgiving Parade

Gamma Phi Circus: Official Website

Gamma Phi Circus appears on AGT – Christian Stoinev

Gamma Phi Circus 2019 MACY’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Maureen Brunsdale, The Bloomington-Normal Circus Legacy

• Origin of the aerial circus in Bloomington-Normal, IL

• The famous Ward Circus Barn

• The tragic death of Normal’s most famous circus couple

• ISU Circus collection and archives

• The largest private donation of 250,000 circus artifacts to ISU

• Objectives of the ISU circus archive collection

• ISUMilner Library  –  Digital Circus Picture Collection  (contains 10,000 circus phototgraphs)

• 

Inside the Flying Ward practice barn

(Picture taken 1 year before fatal train wreck, 1918)