Freak show a family tradition

By Danielle Lepage

A new attraction at Buffalo Days has Kids believing in fantasy, and adults trying to figure it all out.
Anastasia the Living Mermaid is making her first appearance at the traveling Conklin fair this summer. The petite mermaid appears to be trapped inside a small glass bowl, creating puzzled looks of amazement and disbelief among fair goers as they walk thrugh the sideshow attraction by Carnival Diablo's Scott McClelland.
"For kids, it's magical, they get to see a mermaid; for the adults, it's how the hell did they do that?" he said outside his exhibit. "We've got the kids that just want to see it because it is a beautiful mermaid, but adults just want to figure it out, they'll go again and again to look at it at different angles and they just don't get it, and that's the way it should be."

McClelland won't reveal the secret to his illusion to anyone, not even his mother. It's not a hologram or a mirror he assures, and the mermaid sees every person that walks by.

Anastasia, named after his grandmother, is McClelland's second sideshow attraction at the fair. His first, World of Wonders - in memory of his grandfather, Nicholas Paul Lewchuk - has been on display since 2001.

McClelland's grandfather began a travelling Vaudeville sideshow in 1920. The show which featured magic, hypnotism, juggling, fire eating and feats of strength, first opened in Stenen Sask.

The show grew into a small midway attraction with five rides that traveled across the country. Lewchuk is credited with the invention of the tea cup ride and was instrumental in developing the bobing - Merry - go - round.

Beyond the carnival rides and attractions, and an interest in all things bizarre and mystical, there was a much darker side to Lewchuk, said his grandson.

"My grandfather, as a Christmas present one year, goes 'I have something to show you,' and he took out of his breast pocket a long vile,'said McClelland. " He opened it up and pulled out a surgical needle and he looked at me and goes 'Now watch this'...He takes this thing and puts it at the base of his nose and he starts to push and push until it hits the back of his spine and he looks at me and winks, and slowly pulls it out and wipes it off and goes 'Now you try'.

"I was hooked. I wasn't going to do it when I was a kid, because that stuff just freaked me out, but I said, 'I am going to do that one day'."

And now with Carnival Diablo, McClelland has created a Victorian horror show that is much darker, incorporating the amazing and horrific physical feats of eight performers.

"We're steeping ourselves in horror, we do some pretty crazy, horrific stuff on stage," McClelland said. "Everyone that works with us is dangerous, you wouldn't want to meet them in a back alley."

The two and a half hour show begins with paranormal activity, magic and hypnotism and moves into amazing physical feats like sword swallowing, body grinding, glass walking, and much more. subjecting performers to great danger, even death.

All performances are real, claims McClelland, and dealing with pain is all about physics and knowing what you can and can't do to your body.

Carnival Diablo has performed across the continent for 12 years, and will continue to tour large venues and make TV Specials after the fair circuit ends in September.