Jump Day Troubles
There are no ordinary days here at the circus, but there is always much planning. We plan everything from where we set up site, to when we eat meals; from how we are going to still have a show in the rain, to who is going to take out the trash.
However, in life and in circus, we know not everything always goes as planned! Today was a great example of this. Note the photo of the flat tire below!
Gunna Bergsveinsdottir assessing the flat
Our mishap occured on what is called jump day – or the day when the crew packs up the lot and begins traveling to the next setup location for the next show.
On jump days the crew gets up early, and we leave the lot by 8 a.m. This means all of our power and water is shut off, we pack away the Pie Car, and we pack up all of our trailers, hitch them to vehicles, and are off to our next location.
Each time we leave a destination, we check our vehicles’ signals, tires, and hitches. We have route books our Assistant Operations Manager, the lovely Sara Wunderle, so kindly prepared for us that maps out directions of how to get from point A to point B- without trouble.
In other words, on jump day, we have a plan.
However, with any sort of travel, no matter the amount of planning and preparation that is put into it, something is bound to go awry.
Today, we had a long jump, about three hours, from Essex Junction, VT to Saratoga Springs, NY. About 30 minutes from the Saratoga Springs site, Rachael, a concessionaire, and Monica, the production intern, had what they thought to be a flat tire.
Joy, Josh, Gunna, and Rachel, who were driving behind them on the way to site, noticed them and stopped to help. The problem was worse than they had anticipated, and with much deliberation and problem shooting, decided they had to leave this trailer overnight until the towing company could get it the next morning.
Luckily, the staff members broke down in front of a burger stand, so they were able to eat lunch and get some water for their dogs. Six people, three dogs, and one broken down trailer later- everyone made it to site safe and sound.
Here on tour, even when there are not performances, life really is a circus! If you want to join in on the non-stop fun, you can get your 2017 Big Top Tour tickets here!