Newburgh circus training camp to end with spectacular show on Friday night

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A circus training camp in Newburgh will come to an end Friday night with performances by the kids who attended it. About 30 local kids are finishing up the the Ritz Kidz Circus Camp at Safe Harbors Green. Some performers have been coming to the two-week camp since it started eight years ago and now help lead the camp. Camp veteran Stella Gaito says she loves circus camp because of the lifelong friendships she has made and because of the life lessons she has learned. "Sometimes it can make you feel outside your comfort zone, but I feel that's a risk you're willing to take because the circus is all about risks, and if you don't take them, it's not fun," she says. Gaito has been training on her trapeze routine for Friday's show. The camp coaches always have her back by inspecting the cables and nets before every practice session. "Here, what's fun about it is that you know that you're safe, so you're willing to take those risks," Gaito says. Camp co-founder James "Jaybird" Gibson says once he got into circus performing at age 25, he wished he got into it as a kid. Now he and his partners at Safe Harbors of The Hudson Valley bring the experience to other kids. "It made me imagine like if I could bring this back to my community, what would I have done with it, and how good it would have been for the kids that grew up with me," he says. Gibson brought in a ringer, his friend Sam Hart, as the trapeze coach. Hart was raised on the circus experience and his father buit trapeze rigs. Hart knows how to keep everything safe and looks to inspire up-and-comers. "I try to share a little bit of the industry with these kids and try to give back what's given to me," he says. The free Ritz Kidz Circus Camp-ending show begins Friday 6 p.m. Attendees can expect to see dance numbers, clown shows and mid-air stunts. "