Another Wallenda eyes Falls
The wife of daredevil Nik Wallenda is planning her own stunt high above Niagara Falls.
Five years after Nik Wallenda walked over the falls on a high wire, aerialist Erendira Vasquez Wallenda plans to dangle by her teeth from a helicopter as it flies over the American Falls.
Vasquez Wallenda hopes to perform the stunt June 15, the fifth anniversary of her husband’s televised 550-metre tightrope walk from the New York side of the falls into Canada.
The Niagara County, N.Y. legislature on Tuesday approved a resolution setting aside $35,000 for the event. The funding is contingent upon Niagara Falls, N.Y. approving a matching amount.
Janice Thomson, chairwoman of the Niagara Parks Commission, the agency which approved Wallenda’s 2012 wire walk, said she was first made aware of the proposed event through media reports.
“It came as a surprise to us,” she said.
“At this moment, I’m presuming it’s a decision that involves only New York authorities because no one has approached the Niagara Parks Commission.”
Even without a Canadian connection, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati is confident the event will be a major draw for visitors to the Canadian side of the border.
“Regardless of where it happens, we’ll still benefit from it because it will be visible from the Canadian side,” he said.
Diodati said he spoke recently with Wallenda and suggested he incorporate his wife’s event with the ongoing Canada 150 celebrations.
“This is a way for them to celebrate five years and I’m hoping some Canada 150 celebrations will be incorporated into what they’re doing to draw even more attention to the year-long celebration.”
Nik Wallenda’s walk on a tightrope above the falls generated an economic impact estimated at US$21.5 million, Randy Brandt, majority leader of the legislature, said Tuesday.
“Plus, our tourism industry received a massive shot in the arm, with hotel bookings elevated for weeks after. We want to recapture that energy for our local economy,” he added.
Five members of the famed Wallenda circus troupe fell from a high-wire in Sarasota, Fla., in February while practising an eightperson pyramid.
Nik Wallenda avoided falling by grabbing a wire. Everyone survived.