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thursday

Fleas have come a long way since the bubonic plague. They’ve come so far, in fact, that the Alberti Flea Circus is the star attraction of the family-friendly 30th Annual Arlington County Fair. Jim Alberti, who describes himself as a “third-generation flea circus impresario,” conducts imagination workshops in the off-season. It should be no surprise, then, that his troupe includes one “Captain Spaulding,” who will be shot out of a cannon, and a bikini-clad “Dardenel,” who will jump from the high dive. Whether there are actually fleas in the flea circus depends on your imagination. “I see the fleas and the kids see the fleas,” Alberti said in an interview with the Macon Telegraph. “If someone tells me that they can’t see them, then I tell them to stand closer.” Get fleas from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Jefferson Community Center, 3501 South 2nd St., Arlington. Free. (703) 920-4556. (Megan Maher)