Prepare to be amazed

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SIDNEY — When Tommy Breen was in high school, he wanted run away from home and join the circus.

Flash forward to today and that’s exactly what Breen did.

“I learned how to swallow swords,” said Breen, who is the manager of World of Wonders Show that will be performing during the Shelby County Fair, July 24-30. “I saw an ad on the Internet and I knew my plan had come to fruition.”

Breen has been with the show for 12 years. He, along with Lydia Treats, Trixie Turvy and Dizzy Diamond, will astonish the audience with their death-defying acts. A total of seven members of World of Wonders are in Sidney for the show.

“I also do a magic show where I cut off Lydia’s head with a guillotine. Then her head talks to the people in the audience. I also show them her headless body.”

This is Treats’s first year with World of Wonders show.

“I’m the human blockhead,” said Treats. “I’ll get a hammer and nail in my face and I work with a power drill and blade box. I also get electrocuted a couple of times a day.”

Before joining World of Wonders, Treats performed in local sideshows and burlesque shows in New Orleans.

“I found World of Wonders only and sent them messages until they hired me,” said Treats. “When I told my mom about it, I thought she’d be upset. Instead she told me ‘it was about time.’”

Treats said the performances are more frequent than what she was used to in New Orleans.

“This is a family show,” said Treats. “It’s a lot different than the New Orleans burlesque shows I did. This is a fun show to do.

“My 11-year-old son visited me at one of our performances. He watched every show and loved it,” she said.

Turvy and Diamond have been part of the show for three years. Turvy is the circus hula hooper and is the target for knife-thrower Diamond. She’s also the star of the escape show, which will also be performed at the fair.

Hula hooping, said Turvy, has been in her life for about 10 years. She started hula hooping while in college and needed a break from studying.

“I was in school getting my PhD,” said Turvy. “This is more fun.

“I started doing the hula hoop as a hobby,” she said. “I got really good at it. There was nothing to do next so I came here.”

Diamond had worked in a tattoo shop until he joined the show. And now he uses his talents to throw knives at Turvy. He is also the master of ceremony for the show.

“I’ve done live theatre and you can almost do it by routine because it’s the same every night,” said Diamond. “Here I’m juggling and throwing knives which involves small motor skills.”

Turvy said her father attended one of her shows.

“He thought it was fun,” she said. “He was OK with the knives being thrown at me.”

And the acts aren’t without danger. Turvy got stabbed by the previous knife thrower.

“He throws 10,000 knives and one of them was off,” she said.

And while she was getting stitched up, Breen stepped in and became the target for the knife thrower.

Turvy said after she was hurt, she and the knife thrower talked about it.

“He was more nervous about it than I was,” she said. “We changed up the routine a little bit. I knew it was a small mistake.”

Now she and Diamond work together on the act.

“I have confidence in him (Diamond),” said Turvy. “We were both learning to throw knives at the same time. I know how dedicated he is to it.”

The finale of the show, said Turvy, is the knife wheel.

“It’s fun to see the audience’s reaction to it,” said Turvy.

They arrived in Sidney late last week for the fair.

“Usually we get two to three days to set up,” said Breen. “It’s been nice to have a whole week here. We’ve been able to do the set up and do repairs. This is a nice fairgrounds and it’s a pleasure to be here. It’s like a vacation for us.”

Breen said being a member of World of Wonders is a lot more work than most people realize.

“We have to set up the show and maintain it,” said Breen. “We work all summer. We work in the heat. It’s a lot more involved than most people think. This is our whole life … we live here we work here.”

It takes about 8 to 10 hours to set up both shows when they arrive at the venue. After all the shows have been performed and they’re ready to move on, it takes about four hours to tear everything down and pack it up.

“For seven to 11 days we get to be glamorous,” said Turvy. “Then we put on our work clothes and start pulling up stakes.”

On show days, the group will put up all the banners around their performing area. The World of Wonders show is located next to the gazebo. The escape show is next to the milk house.

“Some days we do three of four shows of each. We’re doing eight shows a day,” said Breen.

Before the shows start, and during their off days, each member of the group practices their routines. Between the shows, they get the sets and props ready for their next show.

“We have a routine and a regular work day,” said Turvy. “It just starts later than most people’s days.

“I love being in a new place,” she said. “Dizzy and I run together so we get to see the towns. We never get bored where we are.”

Turvy said performing is fun and she likes to see that her performance makes the audience happy.

“I love to hear the reactions of the audience,” said Treats.

“This is a brand new show to them,” said Breen. “It’s much different than what you see on television.”

After each show, the performers do a meet and greet with the audience.

Since arriving in Sidney, they went to the Sidney Auto-Vue to watch movies. They are also exploring the city and sampling the food at various restaurants.

“That was the first drive-in I’ve ever been to,” said Treats. “Having a double feature is a great idea.”

“It was also my first drive in ever,” said Diamond.

“The grassy area in front was great,” said Turvy.

The group tours for six to eight months a year.

“Then I go back home and see my family and help with my family business,” said Breen.

“We started booking both shows (World of Wonders and escape show) last year and this year. The other show (escape show) is a littler newer and it’s a lot of fun and different for the crowds,” said Breen.

World of Wonders has been in existence for 70 years, said Breen.

Trixie Turvy gives an impromptu hula hoop demonstration at the Shelby County Fairgrounds Monday. She is a performer with the World of Wonder show, which will be one of the main shows during the Shelby County Fair.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2016/07/web1_Trixienew-1.jpgTrixie Turvy gives an impromptu hula hoop demonstration at the Shelby County Fairgrounds Monday. She is a performer with the World of Wonder show, which will be one of the main shows during the Shelby County Fair. Melanie Speicher | Sidney Daily News

World of Wonder performers, left to right, Trixie Turvy, Dizzy Diamond, Lydia Treats and Tommy Breen are ready to perform at the Shelby County Fair.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/47/2016/07/web1_worldofwondersnew-1.jpgWorld of Wonder performers, left to right, Trixie Turvy, Dizzy Diamond, Lydia Treats and Tommy Breen are ready to perform at the Shelby County Fair. Melanie Speicher | Sidney Daily News
World of Wonders arrives in Sidney

By Melanie Speicher

[email protected]

Show performances

World of Wonders

Sunday: 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Monday: 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Tuesday: 2, 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Wednesday: 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Thursday: 2, 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Friday: 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Saturday: 4, 6, 8 p.m.

Escape Show

Sunday: 5, 7, 9 p.m.

Monday: 5, 7, 9 p.m.

Tuesday: 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m.

Wednesday: 5, 7, 9 p.m.

Thursday: 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m.

Friday: 5, 7, 9 p.m.

Saturday: 3, 5, 7 p.m.

Reach the writer at 937-538-4822; follow her on Twitter @MelSpeicherSDN. Follow the SDN on Facebook, www.facebook.com/SidneyDailyNews.

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