Guilford Fair Circus

Featuring The Flying Wallendas

Circus showtimes (TENTATIVE for 2023**):

Friday: 5:00pm, 7:00pm
Saturday:  1:00pm, 4:00pm, 7:00pm
Sunday: 1:00pm, 4:00pm

All times subject to change. Please check website for updated info.

The Flying Wallendas

The Flying Wallendas have been walking across tightropes since 1922, and are known for their impressive feats of 4 person, 3 level pyramids and 7 person pyramids. The Flying Wallendas is a family act which has incorporated seven generations of family members throughout the years since the start of their circus debut.

How it all go started; Karl Wallenda was born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1905. He was performing in the family show at age six and doing stunts in beer halls at age eleven. His feature was stacking several chairs and doing a handstand on the top chair. In the early 1920s, he answered an ad in a trade paper for “an experienced hand balancer with courage.” The job consisted of following behind a wire-walker, Louis Weitzmann, out to the middle of the wire and doing a handstand on Weitzmann’s feet as he lay down on the cable. Karl learned the art from him and in 1922, began to develop his own act, recruiting his brother Herman, an aerialist named Josef Geiger, and a teenage girl, Helen Kreis, who would eventually become Karl’s wife.

The Great Wallendas were headliners with Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus during much of the 1930s and 1940s.  

Now the faces representing the Wallendas are grandchildren, Tino and Delilah, Tino’s wife Olinka and their daughters Alida and Aurelia, Alessandro, Sacha Pavlata (a fifth generation performer of an esteemed circus family), Robinson Cortes (a third generation circus performer and native of Columbia), Trevor McNabb, Rietta (6th Generation Wallenda), Lyric (7th Generation Wallenda, Rietta’s daughter).

The Flying Cortes

Originally from Colombia, SA, the Cortes Family has been entertaining audiences around the world for five generations with their twisting, spinning and somersaulting capabilities.

Brothers Robinson and Alexander Cortes lead the troupe and have performed with such circuses as Circus Flora, Big Apple Circus and Barnum & Bailey.

The Flying Cortes have won numerous awards around the world, including the Golden Elephant at the Festival International du Cirque de Massy.

More about The Flying Cortes here ->

Laurie Lee Trick Riding

The Long Family Specialty Acts offers riveting performances with classic western trick riding and a gypsy rosinback routine; ideal for an introduction, half-time, or finale for any event.

Laurie Lee is also partner and co-founder of the complete show: Areli Equine Entertainment.

In college, Laurie Lee rode a greyhound bus across the US to spend a week learning the basics of trick riding. Prior to receiving her BS in Outdoor Recreation Management, she completed a college internship performing with a team of trick riding girls in the Midwest. Later on, she joined with Arabian Nights as a trick rider for their Black Stallion Literacy Road Show, where she fell in love with the art of rosinback. Subsequently, she received training in rosinback from the Zoppes (Cavollo Equestrian Arts) and added rosinback to her performances.

Laurie Lee has performed across the US and Canada. In addition to their own acts, the Longs team with Rusty McCray to produce a complete show with a variety of exciting acts and audience participation.

Educational seminars, workshops, and lessons are options depending on availability.

Click here for additional info & pictures.

Back to: Fair 2023 Entertainment Overview