Shadows of jugglers past and future

GROUNDHOG DAY FESTIVAL - Atlanta , Georgia .  Feb 2 - 4, 1985

Robbie Weinstein, the 15-year­old "Official Juggler" of the 1984 World's Fair, added another "for what it's worth" title to his resume in early February - "Most Praiseworthy" juggler at Atlanta 's Groundhogs Day Jugglers Festival.

Other winners of the Punxsutawney Phil trophies at the event were Alan Howard of Cleveland Heights , Ohio , ("Most Laudable") and the Jongleur Jugglers from Gainesville , Florida (John Creveling, Mike Stillwell and Yvonne Wetherell,  "Most Distinguished").

Festival coordinators Rodger French and Toni Shifalo of the host Atlanta Jugglers Association announced that the 97 registrants were the most ever in the seven year history of the annual event.

The Saturday afternoon competition, a Saturday night party and a Sunday afternoon public show were the only organized events of the weekend. The rest of the time was spent in informal sharing of tricks and practice all over the Grady High School gym floor.

The three winners were chosen by a panel of three non-jugglers from a field of 11 entrants. Other entrants were Jim Lord, Henry Slack, Louis Zeller, Tom Roos, Benji Hill, the Jasper Juggling Co. , David Low and Pavlov's Dogs. The latter duo, Scott Houghton and Dale Steele, presented a hilarious street act featuring various dangerous ways to mount 6-foot unicycles. Raffle prizes were provided by Todd Smith Products and Brian Dube.

Weinstein put on a polished demonstration with balls, clubs and rings, Howard performed a well-timed three ball routine, a five ring pirouette and four club singles, among other moves. The Jongleur Jugglers won their second Phil with lively and imaginative club passing, steals and runarounds. A highlight was their switch from an 8 club, two-person passing pattern directly into a three-person 9 club pattern.

The Public Show included many of the competitors, plus club passing by the Atlanta Juggler's Association, fire eating by the Great Burndini and an emphatic club swinging routine by Terrell Hayes.

The festival was in many ways a warm­up for this summer's IJA convention, which will be held July 15-21 on the campus of nearby Emory University . That was the case for Weinstein, who stated his intention to win the Juniors Championship this summer. He finished third last year,  and is working two hours a day now to polish his three ball, seven ball and five club routines.

The 15-year-old high school student does several convention shows a week in his hometown of New Orleans,  and was the official juggler at the World's Fair there last summer.

His current juggling ambition deals with lasers and rock music. "I want to open for rock groups with a laser display," he said. , 'It costs a lot of money, but there are ways to create a juggler in the air beside me with lasers, and also to make a laser ring to juggle inside."

Alan Howard from Cleveland said he had wanted to win a Phil "ever since I saw the one Ed Jackman won sitting on the dashboard of his camper."