Monday, August 7 at 6:00 p.m. a troupe of musicians, circus performers and puppeteers were scheduled to wow what they expected to be a small group of Hastings residents with their travelling river circus. Instead, Hastings wowed them.

Jason Webley, the man behind the idea of Flotsam, stood in awe of the enormity of the crowd that assembled on the banks of the Mississippi. He described how he had scouted the site previously and thought it would be a great spot for a modest crowd to see his show. Little did he know that the area would come out in droves.

The banks were packed with people, the pavilion was packed with people, the trails, the grass, all packed with people. Exactly how many people was not determined, but Webley stood there nearly speechless marveling at the size of the crowd. When he gathered his composure, he thanked the crowd and explained that the stop in Hastings was bigger than his previous three shows in the cities.

The show did start late with the troupe trying to adjust the boat so that more people could see and once they started, they wowed the audience for over an hour. The music was excellent, the entertainment was fun and exciting, the acrobatics were astounding, and people had a blast.

The show was free, but they did solicit well deserved donations from the crowd. Unfortunately, many of the large crowd left due to the inability to see from beyond the walking path, but those that stayed loved the show. Those that left loved the idea of the show but, while disappointed they did not see it, they seemed to understand it was not the fault of the actors that so many people descended on to the riverbanks of Hastings.

The troupe will continue down the river with their next stop being in Red Wing on Tuesday. The performers mostly travel by bus with one or two moving the boat to the next location.