Juggler's World: Vol. 38, No. 3

Street Performers Competition

Brian Hulse included fire eating in his Street Performers Championships act

Old Favorites Win on the Street

The first ever IJA street performers championship began with a rain shower, some confusion and two parades of jugglers.

Unexpected in an area where summer rain is rare, the shower right at parade time left some jugglers thinking the street championship would be in the gym rather than nearby Plaza Park. However, many of the faithful waited for the brief downpour to subside and paraded on.

Eddie Johnson, an IJA founder, leads the parade to the street performers championship in the park.

Scott Burton had already milked a crowd for one pass of the hat by the time the second wave of jugglers found out the action had left them behind and finally arrived.

Seven serious competitors entertained crowds for nearly two hours. Spectators had each received ten "Rastelli Bucks" in their registration packets to distribute among the competitors.

The entertainers faced the usual problems of their craft -- noise from nearby construction, cars passing and damp weather. But the crowds were there and willing to be entertained, moving around the park not knowing where to turn next.

Burton ended his routine with a five ball cascade while lying on his back. Robert Nelson also took the competitive challenge seriously, wheeling his entire prop case to the park and entertaining a large crowd.

Scott Burton, strongman and third place finisher in Street Championships

But the reconstituted team of Arsene and Waldo drew the largest following. Arsene's five-minute chin balance of a guitar, the team's wry comedy during the show and some ardent solicitation of bucks even afterward eventually won the day for them.

They won a cash prize and a handsome trophy hand-carved by Larry Merlo of the San Jose Juggling Society.

Arsene and Waldo receive trophy from championships director Holly Greeley

The top four finishers and the bucks they collected were:

    1.  Arsene and Waldo   741
    2.  Robert Nelson      491
    3.  Scott Burton       476
    4.  Mario Lorenz       206