[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 43 (Thursday, March 15, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S1730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING CIRCUS SMIRKUS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to pay 
tribute to Circus Smirkus, the award-winning international touring 
youth circus based out of Greensboro, VT. A treasured Vermont 
institution, renowned well beyond our borders, this year Circus Smirkus 
is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
  Circus Smirkus was founded by Rob Mermin, who ran away to join the 
circus at the age of 19 when summer camps for aspiring performers did 
not exist. Upon moving to Greensboro in 1987, Rob started the program 
to promote the culture and skills of the circus and to inspire youth to 
enter the arts and experience the adventure of a traveling show.
  Today Circus Smirkus is the only youth circus in America to put on a 
full-season tour under its own big top, a 750-seat, one-ring, European-
style circus tent. Every summer, a company of talented troupers, ages 
10 to 18, arrives and rehearses the show at Smirkus's headquarters in 
the Circus Barn in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Then 30 young clowns, 
aerialists and acrobats take the show on the road, staging more than 70 
performances across New England in just 7 weeks.
  The program is a complete immersion in circus life, including long 
hours, rigorous training, and daily chores. Most graduates--known as 
Smirkos--describe their experiences as life-changing and as having 
forged some of their most cherished memories. The young performers come 
from as far away as Mongolia, New Zealand, and Siberia. Since its 
founding the circus has fostered youth exchanges with more than 25 
nations.
  Marcel Marceau, the famed French mime, broke his silence to call 
Circus Smirkus ``an absolutely wonderful task: to bring children hope 
for the future, to create an entirely new form of circus and make it 
universal.'' He was so right. I see the skill they develop in young 
performers and the joy they bring to every audience--including Marcelle 
and me when we take our grandchildren each summer in Vermont. I wish 
Circus Smirkus the best for this special milestone season and in all 
the years to come.

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