{"id":94,"date":"2009-11-25T22:26:42","date_gmt":"2009-11-26T05:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jugglegood.com\/blog\/?p=94"},"modified":"2021-06-22T10:23:20","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T17:23:20","slug":"pancakes-insantity-at-the-california-state-fair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jugglegood.com\/blog\/pancakes-insantity-at-the-california-state-fair\/","title":{"rendered":"Pancakes & Insanity at the California State Fair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The California State Fair is a lot like a Clint Eastwood movie. People are squinting, there’s dehydration, and hangings are eminent.

I was performing there 3 or 4 shows per day every day in my friend Frank Olivier’s Show<\/a> as well as 1 time per day in the demo kitchen area (where chefs are showing the public the obsolete activity of cooking). 62 Frank Shows + 18 kitchen shows = 80 shows in 18 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\"TC-Frank-and-Scot-Sac-Bee\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Good<\/strong>
The shows in the demo kitchen were great. I was introduced by Michael Marks<\/a> ( a national television produce expert) or his wife each day. The set looked like a quaint suburban kitchen so I was hilariously out of place. Every kitchen show started with a group of senior citizens who needed a place to rest before dying. The first 2 minutes of my set were pure confusion. They had no idea what was going on. By the end, they were going ape and so was the crowd we attracted. I don’t usually perform for old people, and it’s a little intimidating each time I start, but it’s always great fun by the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with Frank (also a professional juggler) was really fun. We came up with a lot of new ideas and shifted the show every day from a straight theater production to a more interactive and simple-if-you-just-walked-up fun fair show. It’s really educational working with such a seasoned entertainer. He has a great sense for what an audience needs and we could quickly communicate thoughts. There was a little friction because we’re both used to working solo, but overall, we bonded in the battle to make the show great.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bad<\/strong>
It was really hot. We figured this would be our major foe and it was a difficult one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most bad of the whole deal is the fact that it’s a fair. State and County Fairs are places where performers compete with pig births for attention. People sit in your seats because they just got some deep fried food and they need a place to grow their butts… or for several other reasons that have nothing to do with enjoying a juggling show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairgoers have gulped too many beers, brauts and dip’n’dots to really be happy with any show. They’re hot and tired and they want their TVs. It’s like busking at a bus stop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ugly<\/strong>
The slogan of the California State Fair is “Let Yourself Go” and people were obedient! It’s held in Sacramento — a city better suited to host the Michigan State Fair. I know it’s the capitol, but Sacramento just doesn’t seem very California-y to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought there would be millions of stunning girls begging me for a glimpse at the life of a juggler, but nope. I don’t really blame Sacramento. These fairs are an opportunity to go out in whatever clothes are most comfortable — Not a place to get sexy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fairs are not the perfect venue for me, but it’s really fun to get exhausted doing show after show. You get strong as a performer. Performing in subpar conditions helps with that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone was nice and helpful and if I had the chance to perform in the 2009 California State Fair again, I would.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The California State Fair is a lot like a Clint Eastwood movie. People are squinting, there’s dehydration, and hangings are eminent. I was performing there 3 or 4 shows per day every day in my friend Frank Olivier’s Show as well as 1 time per day in the demo kitchen area (where chefs are showing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":123,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t