The living room in Jon Weiss’ southwest Las Vegas townhome has leopard-print carpet and a red-and-white striped wall. On the console table sits a scrapbook his late wife and high school sweetheart, Laura, made about his early days as “Slinky the Disco Clown.” He traveled with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus for four months before she joined him and later became a showgirl.

A nearby photo shows Laura Weiss on her wedding day, wearing a shimmering showgirl costume. Jon showed up in a clown car. The ring bearer was a bear, the bridesmaids were elephants, the wedding bells were “Ringling.”

Against the wall is Laura’s costume from when she later launched “jumping Jon Weiss,” the human cannonball. There’s a portrait of Laura and their oldest son, Jon Jr., with clown noses, and a painting of his daughter, Nicole, performing a hula hoop act. All three of their children were born while on the road and became part of the show. … link to full length article at The Nevada Independent.