Do you ever imagine what your life would be like if you really ran away to join the circus like you threatened to your parents? Can you even fathom having America’s heartland at your doorstep — a new city, a new town, thousands of new faces greeting you night in, night out as you evoked in them a sense of simple wonder and surprise that is too often missing in today’s fast paced, drive-thru world? And — to top it all off — can you imagine that your job was simply to stand under the hot lights of the big top and make people smile — wearing a wig, taming a tiger, flying 65 feet over three rings out of a cannon?

That’s the life Jon Weiss is leading, as he returns as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ human cannon ball after a four-year absence from performing.

Growing up in Port Jeff, Long Island, New York, Weiss didn’t have a clue as to where his life was leading; he just knew he was happy working with people and making them laugh — being a ‘clown’, as it were. "I’m a people person," he said during a recent phone interview to promote the Circus’ stop in Hershey next week, "I always enjoyed clowning around."

And, born with the natural ability to "balance almost anything" the circus seemed an obvious career choice, so, in 1981 he auditioned — with 6,000 other hopefuls — before the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, where he was accepted and eventually learned both the history and the "art" of clowning and the finer points of costume, makeup, and acrobatics, among other things. And within a year, he found himself under the big top. Performing as a clown for five years, Weiss’ career took itself to a new level when he became one the Circus’ high-flying acts, the human cannon ball. "I had watched it for many years, and was always fascinated by it," he recalls, adding, "I definitely have a lot of respect for it."

In his first run as the human cannon, from 1987–1995, Weiss played double-duty, acting as a clown for the first half of the show and the cannon for the latter half. This time, however, he’s pulling his act together for one event — becoming both clown and cannon at the same time — as the human clown n’ ball.

The fastest performance in the entire production — totaling a whopping five seconds — Weiss’ cannonball is an act that, while entertaining, is a skill to be taken seriously, and is something that required some three to five months of training. "You better believe it is difficult to learn," Weiss said. "You really have to have your wits about you." Especially after a four-year lay off.

"It was a little bit of a hurdle to get over at first, with a newly constructed cannon and a new net," Weiss admits, "but once you get to a certain stage, it’s just habit." Cannon-balling is a habit that he feels particularly comfortable doing — especially considering he has his wife, Laura, by his side for this go-round. Personally selected as the one to press the button that launches him across the arena, Weiss avows that he’d have the responsibility fall upon no one else. "I trust her," he said, "She’s my second set of eyes." High school sweethearts, the two joined the circus together, and were later married in ring two of Madison Square Garden in 1986. Today, the two are also busy raising their three children.

Although it has undergone some transitions in the last 130 years, one of the first modern incarnations of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus took place at Madison Square Garden in 1919 under the direction of P.T. Barnum — which was quite a long way from the small one-ring production Barnum put together in 1871. Since 1919, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has performed its magic for more than 500 million fans during more than 100,000 performances with its two separate units — the Blue and the Red — entertaining audiences with the exotic and the comedic — everything from elephants and lions to trapeze artists and tightrope walkers. Or, in Weiss’ case, the human clown n’ ball.

Traveling by train, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus’ Blue Unit crosses the country for a four-month stint, entertaining crowds in 95 cities over the course of a two-year period — from Connecticut to California and points in between, often encompassing 48 states and Canada and Mexico. The troupe travels more than 15,000 miles on the trails, making up a "city without a zip code," comprising 56 cars that include, among other things, a dining car and living quarters for the performers and staff — all of which creates an element of closeness that Weiss praises. "We’re a group of 400 people ... we have our own teacher, our own daycare, our own nursery," he said. "I’m never more than 50 to 100 yards from my children at a time. It’s a great place to raise a family."

If it sounds like Weiss is a happy and content man, then that’s the way he wants it — and those feelings are something that he hopes he conveys to the audience. "With technology today, it’s just amazing the circus is still around," he said, "It’s still such a family event; it’s happening right before your eyes. I enjoy what the circus brings to the children; hopefully they’re bringing something away from our show that may last a lifetime, a day, a week … that’s our job, and I take it seriously. And as long as it’s a challenge, as long as it’s enjoyable, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else."

Making thousands smile. Having the world as your playground. Sharing your enthusiasm with a family of hundreds who enjoy their work just as much as you do, night in and night out …

Sounds like running away and joining the circus wouldn’t have been such a bad idea after all.