Spirit Magazine - August 2013 - (Page 64)

A hundred years ago, the littlest circuses called themselves “mud shows.” Unlike the biggest of the big tops, which toured by railroad, these were the circuses that traveled by wagon into the great recesses of America, driving their stakes into the ground wherever they could. They called themselves mud shows because that’s often what they were. And on days like today—a wet June Saturday in Gretna, Nebraska—that’s what they still are. Which is why Jesse Plunkett is walking the perimeter of a high school football field without as much as a raincoat, as the open sky treats him like a crop. He’s a 19-year-old, fifth-generation circus performer. They didn’t get this far by hiding under umbrellas. “It’s a struggle,” he says. “Every day when you wake up, you don’t know what’s going to happen. Rain’s the one problem I can’t really fix.” Jesse moves with purpose—not the swagger of a teen marking his territory but the confidence of one who has territory. He’s the boss’ son, but he’s quickly becoming the boss himself, leading a team of 25 through two daily shows, about 20 weeks out of the year. He starts this Saturday by helping to unload hay from a truck and move it beneath a tarp where eleven ponies await their breakfast. From there, he wends his way through 64 spirit august 2013 the circus’s cluster of trailers—there’s one with eight tigers, another with two bears—and out to review the equipment his modest crew has already set up. The James Cristy Cole Circus looks nothing like Ringling Bros.; it shape-shifts, hiring performers and animals to fill whateversize gigs it can find in heartland America. Today it’s looking rather dinky: just three traditional circus rings sans tent, a tiger cage, an angular rig for the aerialist, and a handful of other props spread out on Gretna High’s characterless practice field. Directly across the street is a row of suburban homes. Jesse once fostered plans for ambitiously remaking the family business. In a closed universe where most circus kids are home-schooled, it was a rare achievement when, last year, he enrolled at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, and took freshman classes in economics. Among his aspirations were to become a mar-

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - August 2013

Spirit Magazine - August 2013
Contents
Gary’s Greeting
Gary’s Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Wise Guide
Business
The Greatest Show on Turf
Flipped Out
Your Adventure In Grand Rapids
Life Adventure In Grand Rapids
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Route Map
Rapid Rewards Partners
Flight Service
The “If” List

Spirit Magazine - August 2013