Monday, June 17, 2013

Wallenda prepares for Grand Canyon Wirewalk

 
  Last week, as throngs of well-wishers showed up to watch Sarasota aerialist Nik Wallenda practice at Nathan Benderson Park for his planned high-wire crossing June 23 of the Grand Canyon, a popular saying kept coming to mind.

"If you build it they will come."

Here were the signs of no less than three spectacles unfolding against the horizon:

• A man on a wire, continuing a family legacy of showmanship, and hoping to realize the successful completion of a death-defying dream;

• A framework of massive cranes and steel girders angling out over what will soon become a much-anticipated shopping mall and engine for economic growth; and

• An artificial island, snuggled up next to a brand-new roadway and network of bridges that will lay the groundwork for another economic boom dream based around the sport of rowing.
 
  It makes one appreciate the power of visionary ideas to shape and conquer the landscape around us whether itís the Grand Canyon or a prime stretch of real estate by the highway. Even the smallest of dreams can turn big, especially when you have the support of a community behind you.

-Paul Videla

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