​The Force is Strong

John Strong has been acquiring oddities for his sideshow since the age of 11. He now owns over 600 oddities, including pickled punks (preserved specimens), live attractions such as a two-headed cow, vintage sideshow memorabilia, and much much more.

Strong is not only a keeper of curiosities, but a seasoned performer as well. In 1992 he made his way from the big top to the big screen as a fire breather and sword swallower in “Batman Returns”. He has also taught celebrities such as Nicole Kidman to charm a snake, and Lonnie Anderson to walk across broken glass.

“When I first started framing my show, we would check out the cattle barns at the different fairs,” says Strong,”and the 4H kids would say--hey my neighbor has a five legged sheep or a two nosed cow. That’s how we were able to find our oddities...but nowadays with all of these collectors--we used to be able to pick up oddities for next to nothing because nobody wanted them now they want tens of thousands of dollars for these things.”

“There’s a new surge of people who really like the sideshow. Since ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show’ came out it helped business.” says Strong,”Nobody really knew what sideshows were anymore because it was a dying business.”

In fact, John Strong’s show is the last midway sideshow.

John Strong grew up in the circus--he even has photos of himself in diapers during his first acts. His grandfather was a juggler during the Vaudeville era, and his father, who was once an aspiring actor, hit the circuit with his own circus in 1948. It started out as a dog and pony show and within 10 years grew into a three-ring circus in eight western states and parts of Canada--complete with trained elephants, bears, and tigers. All trained by his mother.

“She believed in training with treats, love and discipline in equal measures and that’s something our circuses have forgotten,” says Strong,”This is why a lot of our circuses are doomed right now.” Though Strong is adamant to point out, that carnivals and circuses are two different animals.

The original dog and pony shows were referred to as “mud shows”. “Because you never know what kind of terrain you’ll set up in,” says Strong,”today in Fargo would be a traditional mud show.” as he tries to remedy the abundance of mud from the recent storms in and around the tent that houses his oddities.

I first came across Strong’s sideshow at the Stutsman County Fair a few weeks ago and was automatically intrigued by the colorful canvases,curiosities, and live performances by fire eating, sword swallowing, tattooed wunder-kitten Katya Kadavera--and did I mention, for a mere $2? Needless to say, we were delighted to hear that John Strong’s sideshow was to make an appearance at the Red River Valley Fair this year.

Kadavera has been a part of Strong’s sideshow for the past seven years. The two met in Coney Island, she took a circus course and became well versed in the ways of fire breathing, walking on broken glass, and sword swallowing. She taught herself the latter by learning to swallow coathangers--which she emphasizes is the worst way to learn the skill.

A regulation sword measures 16 inches or longer. “It needs to be purrrrrfectly smooth--in fact if it’s not shiny enough for me to do my make up in, it’s not safe enough to swallow.” says Kadavera.

One may recognize Kadavera by the leopard patterned tattoos that cover her face and body. “The spots I got were because of my interest in cats, my ears are pointed and I’ve always felt a little catlike.” So one fateful Friday the thirteenth, Kadavera met Katzen the infamous tiger lady, a cat person tattooed another cat person, and Katya Kadavera received her spots.

Red the Clown is another performer working for John Strong’s sideshow. Red, a San Antonio native, started clowning five years ago. How did he find his performer roots? “I got tired of being shot at,” Red explains,“I was a patrol officer for seven years. It was a long-devised plan to be the first clown in history to be declared mentally stable.”

Red not only entertained on the stage within the sideshow, but outside as well, with his beautiful elaborate balloon art. He is self-taught in his balloon craft, using multiple colors -- meaning he combines multiple balloons per piece. “I learned a few modular designs and took it from there”.

“There used to be many more sideshows and many more freaks and people of that nature.” says Jerry Murphy, proprietor of Murphy Brothers Exposition,”I don’t know if they’ve outgrown it or what has happened. There’s not that many sideshows. Maybe you can walk down the street and see more than you could in the sideshow, you know what I mean?”

Murphy and Strong have both spent their lifetimes in the carnival industry. “My folks were in it so I was brought up in it. When I was a young guy, maybe 17, I saw these guys making big money and I thought man that looks pretty good to me.” says Murphy.

“I looked at my competitors and I thought I could be real good at that and we ended up being one of the biggest midways in America.” says Murphy, “I had seven carnivals at one time and 12 state fairs out of 50--and did very well. I’m still here not because I have to be, but because I love it here. If you’ve got a job and you love it, it’s not a job.”

YOU SHOULD KNOW

John Strong’s Show will be at the RRVF July 12-17