The Circus Ring of Fame Foundation™ was created to formally honor and recognize those persons who have made a significant contribution to the art and culture of the circus over the span of a career. Located in sunny Sarasota, Florida, a city that is brimming with rich circus history, the “Ring” now boasts over 150 inductees from a wide variety of disciplines and backgrounds, all directly connected by their incredible achievements and pioneering journeys within the circus arts. Once a class is recognized, each inductee is honored with a bronze circus wagon wheel plaque placed among their fellow Ring members at Sarasota’s Saint Armands Circle. The 2024 induction ceremony recently took place on February 10th and was captured on video for distribution to the worldwide circus arts community. The Circus Ring Of Fame Foundation is proud to partner with Circus Talk for the official premiere of the video on World Circus Day, April 20, 2024.

The 2024 Circus Ring of Fame inductees are:

1. Her Serene Highness Princess Stephanie of Monaco has proven her commitment to supporting traditional circus artists and their families through an annual festival, Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo.Even more than 50 years after its establishment, the festival remains the world’s highest competitive platform for circus arts. The Princess’s eldest daughter Pauline now presides over Festival New Generation, a thriving promise to uplift the global circus community that will never be forgotten.
2. Catherine Hanneford Cardenis a seventh- generation performer having started with her family at age five as a ballerina on horseback, following in the footsteps of her great uncle, the legendary Poodles Hanford. She appeared with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey starting in 1998 with her featured liberty horses in The Living Carousel, followed by four years with the Ringling Gold Unit alongside her husband, Brett. She passed away in early 2023, but her legacy is preserved by her beloved husband, and two remarkable sons, George and Cash,
3. David Smith Sr. and David “The Bullet” Smith Jr. are the iconic father-and-son duo who have thrilled audiences worldwide for three decades with their daredevilry feats. They currently hold the Guinness World record for cannonball height and distance and have appeared on numerous television shows such as America’s Got Talent Extreme.
4. Wayne McCary is a highly regarded entrepreneur in the entertainment industry who produced shows for Shrine Circus and oversaw the Eastern States Exposition (The Big E) for more than 30 years as President and Executive Director.

Also honored in the 2024 Circus Ring of Fame Induction Ceremony for his lifelong contributions to circus arts coaching is Brayton “Bob” Yerkes. Presented at the award show, Yerkes received the Willie Edelston Coach of the Year Award. The award is named after Willie Edelston, the first coach ever to be inducted into the Circus Ring Of Fame in 2022.

In addition to honoring these five incredible circus figures, two young performers were also presented with awards. The Circus Ring Of Fame’s Generation NeXt award is bestowed upon performers who have significantly impacted the circus community and represent the exciting future of the performing circus arts and culture. The 2024 Generation NeXt honorees include Emma Grace Clarke, a local Sarasota circus performer of the Sailor Circus Academy who now performs her dazzling aerial pole act professionally, and Brando Anastasini, a spunky wire walker hailing from a long line of professional circus performers.

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Nominations for the Circus Ring of Fame class of 2025 are now open!

To nominate a candidate please visit our website, www.circusringoffame.org, and click on ABOUT, then click on NOMINATE, and download the SUBMISSION FORM.
Return the completed form to [email protected] with any supporting photos, video links, and articles of the candidate.

Applications will be accepted through April 30, 2024.