SANFORD – The circus that was performing when a severe storm blew down a tent in New Hampshire last week — killing a father and his young daughter — staged its first shows since the accident, but without a tent.

Walker International Events of Sarasota, Florida, put on two shows in Sanford on Sunday. Both shows went off without a hitch in the open air, WCSH-TV reported.

Sanford’s fire marshal said the circus passed the city’s safety inspection and that the setup was safe for everyone planning to attend.

Kristina Hogue brought her 8-year-old son, Jack, to the event.

“I do feel perfectly safe today with my son,” she told WCSH. “I feel really bad for what happened. It was absolutely terrible, but it didn’t stop me from coming.”

About 100 people were under the tent at the Lancaster fairgrounds last Monday when the storm, with wind gusts up to 75 mph, blew through the area just after 5:30 p.m., causing the tent to collapse

A 41-year-old father and his 8-year-old daughter from Concord, Vermont, were killed. Fifty other spectators were injured.


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