More than a half century ago they were the premiere tightrope act in the world famous for their '7 Man Pyramid'...
... a truly amazing feat that was always their grand finale.
Unfortunately, the January 30, 1962 Detroit Shrine Circus performance was their last. A slip during the pyramid killed two members of the family and injured three others.
Patriarch Karl Wallenda continued to walk the wire until 1978:
Well, today the Wallenda name is back in the news.
Nik - a 7th generation Wallenda - has just been granted permission to walk an 1,800' tightrope across Niagra Falls gorge this summer.
Details - like the exact date & starting/ending spots - are not yet set in stone. But Nik will walk a custom-made 2-inch wire 60 to 70' above 160' gorge.
And to make it a bit more difficult - the wire will dip down in the center. So he’ll walk downhill for the 1st half & uphill the 2nd.
The entire walk will take 40 or so minutes.
 |
| Nik & - in the background - his costar |
'My dream really is to walk down through that mist and walk back out,' he said.
Lets hope so.
The entire feat will be televised, but if you want to see it 'live & in person' you have to book your 'falls' flight & room ASAP after they announce the date & time - or wait another generation to witness the next attempt.
Officials - who 1st nixed the idea - have deemed that such events will only occur every 20 years.
But don't be surprised if that time shortens considerably if the stunt causes a windfall of tourist 'looneys' & 'greenbacks'.
No comments:
Post a Comment