- The FSU Flying High Circus has its new Big Top, replacing the one damaged by the May 10 tornadoes, but several components have yet to arrive.
- The circus expects to return for the Fall semester.
- Watch now to hear the circus director talk through the work left to be done.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
For 11 months, the sight of the Big Top at the Florida State Flying High Circus has been missing from campus after being destroyed in the May 10 tornado.
Now, the new top is finally here — so what comes next?
I'm Alberto Camargo, your College Town neighborhood reporter.
I caught up with the circus director and students Tuesday to answer that question and lay out the path to a full return for the circus.
It took almost an entire year, but the new Big Top was raised last week after making the trip across the Atlantic from Italy.
When I asked circus director Chad Mathews to describe how it feels to get to this point:
"The word that comes to mind is relief. I may have only cried like once."
The students I spoke with felt the same — and they say excitement around campus is growing, too.
"Especially now that it is up, people are just asking when are the next shows, when can we come see you perform, things like that. People seem to be excited to come back."
But there's still plenty of work to be done.
"It's a step of many we'll take to get the show ready to perform again.
Mathews says the tent was the biggest hurdle -- both literally and financially, costing about $800,000.
When I asked him what comes next, he listed several things that have yet to arrive.
"Seating is just the biggest thing. We also have our aerial rigging. There's the floor mats that we use, we lost all those. There's a bunch of cabling and power that we have to run that was installed and then taken down so we lost all those."
Mathews says the 1,300 seats will cost around $250,000.
But that's before adding in shipping costs and the 25% tariff on imported steel introduced by the Trump administration.
The rigging and mats cost another $100,000 — but Mathews says that cost has been covered by the generosity of the FSU community, thanks to the circus recovery fund and FSU Great Give.
"Amazing support from alumni, former students, local fans, and people from all across the country. It's very humbling actually."
Mathews says despite having the new top back, they won't be ready to run summer camps the way they do every year, but Fall shows will be returning as scheduled.
In College Town, Alberto Camargo, ABC27.
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