Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival

February 4-6,2005

By Viveca Gardiner

 

This year the Atlanta Jugglers Association organized its 27th annual Groundhog Day Jugglers Festival, which might possibly be the American juggling community's ultimate hippie love fest.

 

Almost 200 jugglers convened in the festival's new location at Cross Keys High School. On Friday night, the basketball team had a game in the gym, so juggling took place in the school cafeteria, where jugglers threw between colorful banners and other paper-chain decorations.

 

Saturday we moved to the gym, which had a fine wood floor, high ceilings, ample light, and two prop vendors. A large open stage at one end was filled with small numbers of acrobats working out on the gym mats and large numbers of yo-yo players, as the convention was held in conjunction with the Georgia State Yo­yo championships, which were held in the same space the day before.

 

The convention's biggest show is an after­noon competition, where jugglers compete for three Phil awards. Donated every year by Bill Giduz, the Phil is, fittingly, a groundhog statue. The competition is unusual in that it is judged entirely by three of the 800 to 1,000 non-jugglers who attend the show. Competitors have four minutes to do whatever they want (minus fire this year, for insurance reasons), although it is "strongly encouraged" that they include some toss-juggling. The three awards are unranked and given various glowing titles.

 

As always, the Seed and Feed Marching Abominable band opened the show with great pomp and colorful circumstance. The first juggler to appear was Book Kennison, who couldn't quite manage three balls, so he stretched his "arms" to reach them, a particularly comic image for those familiar with Book's trademark contortion juggling. This time, though, he pulled the fake arms out of his sleeves, added one more, and juggled them in a charmingly conceived and well-executed routine that interspersed juggling with arm gags. Rick Purtee juggled three clubs just long enough to pass the toss-juggling requirement, and then performed a graceful routine with one and two diabolos. John Satriano presented a smooth three-ball routine. Between acts, host Rodger French gave away many raffle prizes.

 

Steve Langley, a.k.a. Alfredo Fettucini, showed his performing experience with devil stick, tennis racquet manipulated a la devil stick (Tennis racquet stick? Devil racquet?), and one and two diabolos. Peter Panic performed a rare silent act, demonstrating his stunning proficiency with spinning, balancing, and juggling three to five large balls. Even without speaking, Peter is hilarious. At the end of his routine, he left a small child volunteer holding five balls piled so high they completely obscured most of his body and all of his face. Matthias Stanley combined juggling with eccentric dance. Appearing almost to be a human marionette on unseen strings, he juggled balls and clubs, rode a unicycle, and did a few acrobatic maneuvers. Jeff Lutkus' competition act was also his first time ever performing, so he had Anthony Shave read a list of club tricks to remind him what he wanted to do. To close the show, Sky King presented an energetic routine of club-swinging and ball- and club-juggling. The judges proclaimed Book "Most Fabulous" Steve "Most Awesome" and Peter "Most Flabbergasting".

 

Saturday night, jugglers moved to the Little Five Points Community Center parking lot for a Fire and Light Extravaganza. Jugglers swung and flung plenty of glowing and flaming objects through the air. Afterwards, we moved inside the Center's Horizon Theater for the Late Night Cabaret. Produced by Bruce Plou, the show included acrobatic dancing, belly dancing, and yo-yo routines, as well as contortion juggling, contortion, and juggling by Book Kennison; one­and two-diabolo manipulation by Ted Joblin; and comedy, juggling, and giraffe-unicycling from Peter Panic. Host Mike Garner presented acoustic folk music versions of rap classics, as well as an original song about the wonders of the thesaurus. Acts were accompanied by The DeLuxe Vaudeville Orchestra, who also provided occasional amusing background commentary.