News 12 is lifting the curtain on the magic, mystique and major protest surrounding circus and carnival life.

"Under the Big Top," a four-part Turn to Tara special series, takes an in-depth look at the lives of traveling performers and workers who work the midways and big tops.

MORE: 'Under the Big Top' full series
MORE: Extended interviews with circus stars

In the conclusion of the series, News 12's Tara Rosenblum and photojournalist Alan Flamenhaft spent one week with the heirs to America's oldest, traditional, traveling circus.

Here's a rare look at their vanishing world through their own words.