GREENFIELD — When the traveling youth circus troupe Circus Smirkus comes to the Franklin County Fairgrounds this weekend, the roster of performers includes one Franklin County resident.

The Greensboro, Vermont-based troupe, made up of youths ages 11 to 18 from across the United States, has performances lined up on Saturday, July 20, at 6 p.m., Sunday, July 21, at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., and Monday, July 22, at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Among those entering the spotlight is 12-year-old Oscar Gradick of Gill.

“We are so proud of him,” said Abby Graseck, Oscar’s mother. She said this is the first time that Oscar auditioned for the Circus Smirkus troupe after seeing them perform for several years.

Oscar learned how to juggle at 8 years old with help from his father, Evan Dick. This led to Oscar connecting with circus mentors in the region to help him turn juggling into a formalized skill.

“Last year we went, and I think that Oscar saw some of the juggling that was happening and realized, ‘Oh, I can do that juggling, too, and I’d like to be a part of this,’” Graseck recounted.

As part of the audition process, Oscar submitted a five-minute video of him juggling and he was asked to attend live auditions in Brattleboro, Vermont. He was selected to join four other Massachusetts performers to be part of the Circus Smirkus tour this year.

According to Circus Smirkus, the tour consists of 62 dates across New England. Graseck noted this is the first time Oscar has been away from home for this amount of time and it’s his first time performing in front of audiences like this. Despite the uncharted territory, she said, “He’s doing really well.”

“I think he’s really enjoying the experience. It’s been a huge learning curve, but it’s been really positive for the most part,” she said.

Oscar has been on the road for three weeks now, having just performed on Cape Cod. This weekend, Oscar’s parents and many of his friends and mentors will see him perform for the first time since he left for the tour.

“The great thing about doing this program is that they get to tour for circus, they get to learn what it’s like to go from town to town, see different communities and meet different people,” said Circus Smirkus Marketing Director Genevieve Martineau.

Participating in the troupe, made of up of “excellent performers [who are] really passionate about circus,” also allows kids to take on responsibilities such as setting up the circus tent and cleaning up after the show, Martineau said. Some performers return to the troupe each summer, giving them a chance to learn, grow and eventually become mentors to newer performers.

The show takes on a different theme annually. This year’s theme is “The Imaginarium,” in which a children’s toy store comes to life. This is an all-ages show.

“Lots of kids are gonna love it, and even grandparents will love it,” Martineau said. “It’s good for everybody.”

Tickets are $40 for adults and $25 for children ages 2 to 12. Children under age 2 who can sit on a guardian’s lap will be admitted for free. The Franklin County Fairgrounds shows are presented by North Star: Self-Directed Learning for Teens of Sunderland. The full schedule is available at smirkus.org/tourschedule.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.