Name: Otis Wilson Pillsbury
Title of Act: Equilibrist
Summary of Act:
I can balance on any number of rolling objects, such as large balls, unicycles or the rola-bola, as well as sitting objects (high poles, stilts, ladders and other human beings). My specialty is sitting atop a high pole under strenuous circumstances. I set the record of high pole sitting in Yell County, Arkansas in 1926 by sitting comfortably atop a telegraph pole for seventeen days. I ate by having food hoisted up to me in a picnic hamper by a rope.
I can balance atop a horse or other sturdy beast running at a reasonable pace and can balance equally well on my hands as well. I currently have a unicycle and rola-bola, but my large ball was stolen while I was working as a street performer in Yonkers.
Notes: Mr. Pillsbury seemed a very calm man, unperturbed by the sights and sometimes chaotic sounds of the outfit. While some interviewees are jumpy or on edge, Pillsbury showed no emotion at the occasional shout, roar or gunshot. I was struck by a certain melancholy in the man, especially noticeable when he spoke of his large ball being stolen by East Coast hooligans. It is likely Pillsbury would be a worthy addition to the carnival - we can always use a good balancing act and Pillsbury demonstrated his abilities on various sundry objects around the grounds. I was especially impressed with his one handed perching on a free-standing stout rod while consuming an apple to the core with his free hand. I also think that his sense of calm and true moral compass could prove useful with some of the younger, more impressionable acts and rousts.
-Miller Hatsfield, Senior Roustabout and Hiring Manager
The Salty Peters Traveling Carnival, Roadshow and Burlesque Review
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