Depot Museum Exhibits
The High School Circus
Costumes, photographs, and memories from the 1950s when Avon Park High School students trained with Ringling Brothers for physical education credit.
In the 1950s, Avon Park High School offered one of the most unusual physical education programs in Florida: students performed in trapeze and acrobatic acts coordinated directly by the Ringling Brothers circus from Sarasota.
Students trained in aerial trapeze, tumbling, and circus arts, performing in full costume for community audiences and earning official school physical education credit.
Quinton Varnes, the Society’s longtime historian and museum volunteer, performed in those high-flying acts as an Avon Park student and is always happy to talk about them with visitors. The exhibit showcases authentic red performance costumes, circus banners, vintage photographs, and equipment from the high school’s big top era.