Flotsam! River Circus, making its way down Ohio, to stop at Sawyer Point for free shows

By Judy Clabes
NKyTribune editor

Flotsam! — a troupe of musicians, circus performers and puppeteers traveling on a handmade ramshackle raft — are on a tour of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Paducah.

The tour will stop at the Serpentine Wall at Sawyer Point Park on September 6, 7 and 8 — for performances you will never forget. All performances will be at 6 p.m.

The performances are free.

The raft is the troupe’s mode of transit, their home, and their stage.

Since 2019 they have performed for tens of thousands of people across eight states and over a thousand miles of river.

In 2023 Flotsam! took its biggest tour to date with six weeks on the Mississippi River from Minneapolis to St. Louis.

This year are traveling along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Paducah, with stops in Cincinnati, Louisville, and dozens of other towns.

In the future, they hope to take their floating circus to the rivers and canals of Europe — and eventually all over the world.

Northern Kentucky was first introduced to Flotsam! by Paul Hallinan Miller of Circus Mojo and Bircus Brewery who hosted an on-land benefit in June to raise funds for the troupe’s Ohio River tour. It was their first fundraiser, and they moved on to Louisville, Evansville (Indiana), and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania).

See the story here.

Flotsam! River Circus founder Jason Webley, performed some of his songs and talked about floating circus. He is a troubadour based in Everett, WA. Beginning as a street performer in the late 90s, Webley has built an international cult following with his songs and stories. Armed with an accordion, a guitar, a porkpie hat and a plastic vodka bottle full of pennies, he has performed in over 40 countries and released a number of records.

He has assembled a troupe of equally dedicated (and wacky) musicians, puppeteers, and circus artists who travel on a ramshackle raft giving free performances in riverfront towns along the way.

Read all about the individual — and colorful — troupe members here.

The post Flotsam! River Circus, making its way down Ohio, to stop at Sawyer Point for free shows appeared first on NKyTribune .