Nik Wallenda faces Niagara Falls tightrope walk with rich, but tragic daredevil history
Daredevil Nik Wallenda will embark on a high-wire walk across Niagara Falls Friday night, starting around 10 p.m. EDT. When he sets out for his stunt, he’ll be adding another chapter to his family’s storied daredevil history, which dates back more than two centuries. (Photos: AP; AFP; Reuters)
Nik Wallenda to become first person to walk tightrope over Niagara Falls
In a stunning about-face, the Niagara Parks Commission now says it will allow seventh-generation daredevil Nik Wallenda to be the first person to walk a tightrope wire across the Horseshoe Falls this summer.
The commission had initially blocked the 32-year-old’s bid, citing a 128-year-old act that prohibits “stunting” in a municipality that counts people hurling themselves over the falls in a barrel as part of its lore. But the parks commission made an exception to the rule and reversed its decision, saying the economic benefits of the Wallenda event will far outweigh any other concerns.
“I feel like I’m extremely blessed,” he told the National Post by phone after the meeting. “There was a lump in my throat until about 11:30 this morning,” when the new decision came down.
The Niagara Parks Commission was the only thing standing in the way of what will become a high point of Mr. Wallenda’s career as a daredevil and scion of the ‘Flying Wallenda’ family of high-wire walkers.
