It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Silly the Kid?
Well at the Cincinnati Circus Company Thrill Show, there’s more than just birds and planes flying in the air as three acrobats took to the skies above the Lorain County Fairgrounds captivating audiences with their thrilling tricks on Aug. 26.
“We are the Cincinnati Circus Company Thrill Show and we have been doing shows all week at the fair with a different theme each day,” says Ali Oakley, whose real name is Ali Weibel-Shepard.
This is the second year the high-flying tricksters have set roots down on the fairgrounds in Wellington thanks to a budding partnership with the fair board including Steve Neff.
“Steve has been absolutely amazing,” said Weibel-Shepard. “And despite the rain that we had, it has been a really great partnership and awesome to see everybody jump in and just help everybody where they can.”
Weibel-Shepard, a 13-year veteran with the Cincinnati Circus says that it’s a life that takes hold of one often by surprise.
“It really sneaks up on you to join the circus,” she said with a laugh. “I was looking for a job in college and so I showed up to auditions with them one day and 13 years later I am now the artistic director and have done hundreds of shows.”
Weibel-Shepard isn’t alone in her love for the acts either. Joined by Ariana Rhinehart (Silly the Kid) and Gia Bolton (Buffalo Jill), the trio have traveled throughout Ohio and much of the Midwest with the circus.
“We have been to many other fairs across Ohio as well as some shows in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky,” says Rhinehart. “And we do more than just the thrill circus acts too.”
Made up of just over 100 performers, the Cincinnati Circus Company is an animal free and few clown crew that specializes in everything from thrill acts to amusement rides to even Disney Princess impressions.
“We do a little bit of everything and if we don’t have it, we most likely know someone who does,” Bolton said with a laugh. “It is one of the largest entertainment companies in the Midwest.”
As for the circus life, Bolton says that is has definitely changed from the days of long train rides like seen in Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes.”
“It has definitely been modernized,” she says. “It’s not like the old days where they travel by train on the road with their animals, but the traditions are still alive.”
The crew will close out their time at the Lorain County Fair on Aug. 27 with their last show at 7 p.m. It is free and open to the public like all others. The trio says they also are looking forward to returning to the fairgrounds for next year but in the meantime all information on where they will be can be found on their website at https://www.cincinnaticircus.com/#.
“We love to entertain and love to interact with our audiences,” says Weibel-Shepard. “We are also hiring and are always looking for other like- minded individuals who might want to join us.”
