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In the language of the circus, the Circus of the Star has caught the triple back somersault, its founders maintain.
An anonymous St. Paul donor has contributed $60,000 toward construction of a permanent building for the circus, a St. Paul youth program that puts kids on the high wire and flying trapeze. Not only is the gift significant, but the donor, a recently retired St. Paul businessman, is so enthusiastic about the kids' circus that he's persuading his influential friends to attend a performance or two, circus founders Dan and Betty Butler said.
"Who knows where that can lead," Dan added hopefully.
The circus that the Butlers started five years ago is performing five times this week at the Hillcrest Recreation Center in St. Paul's Highland Park. More than 100 young people, ages 6-18, will show their skills.
As Basia Zaklika, 16, who spins in a hoop at 26 feet above the ground, promised: "You'll see people flying through the air and doing death-defying tricks that you can't see at a soccer game. You can see how much we pull together and how much we want to do this."
Precisely the Butlers' point. Their goal...