The show must go on. But Florida State’s Flying High Circus could use help, too.

When a tornado ripped through downtown Tallahassee on May 10, there was extensive damage across FSU’s campus. A considerable number of athletes saw damage to their apartments. Dick Howser Stadium’s right-field fence was twisted.

Across the street, there was extensive damage at the circus. The big top had toppled to the ground. The indoor warehouse remained relatively unscathed, although a large tree fell just to the south. Texts quickly came in to circus program director Chad Mathews.

“Once it has come down there was a pretty good indication of how severe it was,” Mathews told the Osceola. “On first sight, everything was done. Once the structure, all of the steelwork that is the architecture of the tent, once that falls, anything inside was pretty much going to be destroyed.

“The roof is 40 feet tall. So imagine that steel roof dropping 40 feet. It was going to destroy everything underneath it.”

Mathews acknowledges they immediately knew it was a “total loss.” It’s a considerable road ahead for a favorite fixture on FSU’s campus, one that’s just beyond the right-field wall at Howser.

The circus’ clean-up is still ongoing. A demolition crew came in and has cleared the debris from the tent, trashing most of it while recycling some steel.

FSU is one of just two colleges with a circus, and it’s the only one with a big top. In the short run, it's a project to simply get the custom-made tent manufactured and shipped. From Italy.

“We won't have a tent for some time,” Mathews said. “Although, we started to work on that already. But these aren't things you can buy off the shelf. They are custom pieces.”

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Mathews said the Flying Circus hosted more than 10,000 fans in the spring, seating about 1,250 per show. The schedule ahead has been altered. Summer camps have been cancelled. There are plans for students to perform at events, perhaps later this summer and fall, but at a location to be determined as Matthews wants to keep engaged with the community.

The circus receives some fees from FSU’s students but the majority is derived from camps and shows. The university’s insurance will cover a large amount, but not all of the costs to bring the circus back.

Those who want to make a donation to the Flying Circus can do so. Alumni Hall is also selling T-shirts, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the Flying Circus. Madison Social is also selling T-shirts.

“Within the next week or so we should have a pretty good handle on where we can go here,” Mathews said. “But our plan is to do what we can moving forward so we can actually continue our programming in some fashion you know, even though we won't have the big top.”

The goal is to have a big top up in December. It’s ambitious. But the show will go on.

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