FSU Flying High Circus searching for support after tornado rips through campus

Florida State University’s iconic circus was destroyed after three EF-2 tornadoes ripped through Tallahassee a few days ago.

When FSU Flying High Circus Director Chad Mathews got a call about the damage before reaching campus Friday, he said the bad news was “numbing.”

“It was jarring to see it all go down in that manner,” Mathews told the Tallahassee Democrat in a phone interview Monday. “The entire Big Top was knocked over, so the storm basically took down the entire tent and a majority of the seating. The damage was extensive.”

More: Tallahassee tornado updates: Schools have closed early as new severe weather threat looms

He says all the fabric, steel structure and seating system will need to be replaced — which includes buying a new tent from a company based in Italy — and the circus program is working with FSU Facilities as well as FSU's insurance team to start working on recovery.

Replacing the top of the tent alone, which does not include the steel structure or poles, would cost over $400,000, according to Mathews. But as the university is still in the process of fully assessing the damage of the circus area following the storm, it is unclear how much the total repairs will cost.

The tornadoes left the circus tent’s material twisted around gnarled metal beams on a soaked ground Friday after sweeping through the university campus, and the circus bleachers were shattered in multiple spots.

Dick Howser Stadium ― the home for FSU baseball ― was also among the structures in the path of the violent storm with a tall fence that fell over and a severely bent foul pole.

In a Friday message, Mathews told the campus community that the entire circus lot is “very hazardous” as the tent structure is in a precarious position, advising individuals to stay away from the area.

What's the background on the FSU circus?

The FSU Flying High Circus was founded in 1947 by Jack Haskin and is one of only two collegiate circuses in the nation, with the other being Illinois State University's Gamma Phi Circus.

The circus was one of the first ways of integrating men and women after the college became co-ed, and it acts as an extracurricular activity for students under FSU's Division of Student Affairs.

By the 1960s, the circus was internationally famous and appeared on TV shows such as "Wide World of Sports." In the 1970s, former circus director Dickie Brinson scheduled road shows all over the Southeast and the Caribbean.

Current FSU students perform in the circus during different show series throughout the year, with circus routines including on-stage acrobatic acts, aerial acts, clowning, dancing and a ringmaster role.

The university circus recently finished its spring performance series on April 20 and usually runs a summer camp that would start in June for children ages 7-17.

But given the storm's impact, the summer program does not look like a possibility.

“It looks unlikely that we'll be able to do that now,” Mathews said. “Everything functions under the tent, and all of our equipment that was inside was damaged.”

‘Too many great memories to count’

Several individuals — including FSU alumni — shared their favorite memories at the tent under an FSU Flying High Circus Instagram post.

“Too many great memories to count,” FSU alumna Gina Inguanzo wrote. “I've been enjoying the circus at FSU since I was a student beginning in the 1980s, and I was lucky enough to be there for the last show of the season a few weeks ago.”

Another Instagram user, FSU alumna Maria Celeste Evelyn, recalled going to one of the circus’s shows for the first time while on a date with her boyfriend.

As the FSU circus program tries to garner support from the community, Mathews says the FSU circus program is currently working on some fundraising opportunities while the university continues a full assessment of the damage.

“We've received just an overwhelming number of people offering their support for the circus, and it's been humbling,” Mathews said. “We have a pretty good connection with our viewers. I think it matters to people that we can recover.”

Visit www.circus.fsu.edu/support-us to learn how to help

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU Flying High Circus destroyed after Tallahassee tornadoes, storms