Astonished faces stared as Loren "Freakshow" Foley dangled irons from his tongue, walked barefoot on broken beer bottles and swallowed various types of swords Saturday at the Minnetrista Cultural Center.
The freak show displayed Foley's talents as the "World's Strangest Strongman," which consisted of him lifting weights and irons with his ears and tongue and lying down on a bed of nails. He kept up a running commentary that had the semblance of a traditional carnival sideshow.
His most dangerous stunt was sword swallowing.
Foley said there are less than 150 traveling performers who demonstrate live sword swallowing feats, which makes his sideshow unique. During his three performances at Minnetrista, he swallowed three different swords which included a zigzag Philippine cryst blade and a hiltless sword, "the Convincer," to prove to any non-believers that his act was real.
Foley has worked to perfect this talent for five years by learning to control his gag reflexes and practicing yoga to fully relax his muscles. In 2005, he received training from Red Stuart, who held a Guinness World Record that year for swallowing 25 swords at once, according to Sword Swallowers Association International.
Cynthia Callihan from Arlington, Texas, brought her grandchildren who live in Muncie to the show. She said that she hadn't seen a sideshow since she was a child.
"It was awesome!" she said.
At a young age, Foley realized that he received the reactions he wanted when he performed daring feats. He started practicing magic tricks and juggling at age eight, but as he grew up, he became fascinated by the bizarre acts performed at carnivals.
"As I got older, my knowledge and thirst for knowledge about the circus and other variety acts and sideshows kind of grew, and I learned about the crazy, off-the-wall zaniacs that are out there," he said.
He says that his favorite reaction to a stunt was when he allowed a member of a past audience to staple money to his body.
"[He] stapled me and passed out, fell over and dropped his phone. He got back up, kind of looked at me funny and then ran off."
Foley hopes to keep show business running in the family. He has two children, ages 2 and 6, who enjoy watching his shows. Although they don't participate in any of the acts yet, he teaches them how to juggle and to do simple tricks so that he can include them when they are older, if they are interested.
"They know it's dangerous. I have to explain that it's not something they can do right now," he said. "If they get older and want to learn, I can teach them safer ways to do it."
Usually, Foley performs 50 to 100 shows a year, but with the recent slump in the economy, he has not been as busy. He said that the demand has not tapered off, but fairs' budgets have been cut, and it is hard to get the going rate for his services.
His love for the business has not waned.
"I plan on performing and being an entertainer for as long as I can, even if it's not my main source of income," he said. "If I have to have another job, I'm still going to do it as a hobby. It's something I enjoy."
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