By GAGE WILSON
for Glasgow News 1
Ace Coffee Co. in Cave City served as the venue for the 100th anniversary of “Carnival Sunday,” the day before Floyd Collins was discovered trapped in Sand Cave. The day was dubbed “Carnival Sunday” as tens of thousands of journalists, rescuers, and opportunists descended on Cave City to either aid in or profit from Collins’ entrapment. Ace was graced with a performance from the cast of the upcoming Floyd Collins musical at SKyPAC on March 8.
Collins was a renowned cave explorer who made significant discoveries in the Mammoth Cave system during the early 20th century. On Jan. 30, 1925, while searching for a new entrance to attract tourists, he became trapped in Sand Cave when a rock shifted and pinned his leg. Despite numerous rescue attempts, Collins perished after 17 days underground. His ordeal captured national attention, turning the site into a media spectacle and prompting widespread public interest in cave exploration.
Leticia Cline (left) greets the cast before their performance. Gage Wilson/for Glasgow News 1
For Ace Coffee Co. owner Leticia Cline, the event carried personal significance — she is Collins’ great-niece. “I just grew up with all these stories of him,” she said. “The aftereffects of his entrapment were crazy to me.” She recounted stories her grandmother had passed down. “Stories about his caving adventures starting at six years old and how he was trying to make money below the surface of the Earth while everyone else was trying to make it above.”
Cline also emphasized her desire to bring more arts opportunities to the community. “I’m really glad the cast came today to share the arts and culture with our little town,” she said.
As guests gathered outside, actors from the Ramsey Theatre Company took the stage to perform a selection from the upcoming production. Director Allan White highlighted the diversity of his cast, saying, “This year’s casting spans multiple generations, from Floyd’s parents’ era to his own.” He went on to discuss the reverence he places on portraying historical figures. “It’s similar to some plays I’ve worked on in that they’re all stories about people, and I love it because it’s about real people from the past. For me, that’s the greatest honor, because there’s a great responsibility to carry on their story.”
SKyPAC CEO Jeff Reed also attended and reflected on how the story continues to draw national attention. “With the 100th anniversary of Floyd Collins, SKyPAC decided to present this musical because it’s really our story, and we felt that if anyone does it, we should do it,” he said. “The musical has been around for several years and will soon be on Broadway for the first time.”
Though setting Collins’ tragedy to music may seem unusual, Reed noted that the composers drew inspiration from Roger Brucker’s book, “Trapped! The Floyd Collins Story.” “I think the composers of this musical were aware of this book and were inspired to write this musical,” he said. “I think that this story, it’s tragic, but in a way, it celebrates the good side of humans as well as the dark side.”
Rachal Hancock performs a reading of her poem about the titular Carnival Sunday. Gage Wilson/for Glasgow News 1
Local poet Rachal Hancock capped off the event with a dramatic reading of her newest work, Death Watch Carnival, which she explained was written from the perspective of residents witnessing the media frenzy around Collins. “To the people listening, it almost became this spectacle, like when a celebrity gets sick and they’re put on a pedestal even though it’s this tragic thing happening,” she said. “So I imagined what it would be like for people in our community with all these people coming to a small area.”
Hancock embraced the opportunity to write about a story so deeply tied to her past. A former park service employee, she still considers the area home. “I used to work for Mammoth Cave and Hidden River Cave, and Floyd Collins was commonplace for conversation and questions, so it’s a story I’m very familiar with.” Inspired by the theme of Carnival Sunday, Hancock crafted a “tongue-in-cheek” piece exploring the duality of those involved with Collins’ tragedy.
Some attending donned their own Collins memorabilia in reverence to the caver’s story. Gage Wilson/for Glasgow News 1
The event also offered a glimpse into the past through relics collected by Cline, which were on display for visitors to study. Items ranged from newspaper clippings and photos to refurbished signs from the era. Speaking to the crowd, Cline said, “There is a ‘Hamburger 5-cents’ sign that you can see from photos of Carnival Sunday and the Floyd Collins Crystal Cave sign that was on exhibit at the SKyPAC museum.”
As the cast concluded their performance of The Ballad of Floyd Collins, audience members examined artifacts from his story — one that, over time, has become a legend in Cave City.
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