The test.
A bug in the laundry room.
Miles arrives for the stunt
Catfish attacking hotdog buns
Olivia asleep with Peanut Butter.The humidity was oppressive today. Probably the worst so far this year. My shirt literally stayed wet all day. But it wasn't bad...I mean it was hot and wet...but it wasn't bad...even though it was severe.
As the day started the same way for the kids (prepping the show, costuming up for the opening and fixing b-fast, I went down to the parks laundry building....there I remained for nearly 2 hours. Grant it in between the loads I walked around the wooded area around the back of the park (discovered a river there), called my wife and chatted, and read Glenn Beck's Common Sense (a must read for any American---conservative or liberal). Three loads done---the glamour of show biz!
Our first show had a great audience...kind of a captive audience. About 10 minutes before show time the clouds burst open and every person withing 200 feet of our stage shelter area found shelter at our show. And they were a lively happy bunch. The rain ended well before the show did but everyone stayed.
Today was all about promoting Miles' impending strait-jacket escape tonight at 6pm. We have decided to do it over the lake (a nice pond near the front of the park).
Stunt time approached and we set up sound and hooked up the harness to the truck. (By the way, I spent a good chunk of last night sewing and securing the special harness.....you can't just buy these at your local hardware store....you can buy the parts and then make it.)
The owner of the park did something he had never done before. Over the loud speakers he announced the escape then closed all the rides for the duration of the stunt. So we had a very nice size crowd. Miles was driven in by the park owners daughter (she manages the place)...actually Miles walked over not realizing he was supposed to be driven in so we sent him back...then he was driven in. Before he arrived I had to test the strength of the harness and the speed of the lift. The harness worked perfectly but the crane was slow so we decided to use the boom to lift him instead of the crane's pulley system. it lifted me about 20 feet up then lowered me (by my hands) then we let Nick our sound guy try it via the ankles. No worries.
We had a couple of folks inspect the strait jacket as we explained the difference between a fake and real jacket...we use a real one. Then Miles was secured and slowly lifted into the air. Then with a dramatic music change he wiggled and squirmed his way out of the jacket...in the mean time hot dog buns we had stuffed into his jacket fell to the lake below where hundreds of catfish swarmed to get them It made a dramatic scene. In the end he escaped and as he was lowered to awesome applause he tossed the jacket to the bank of the lake. The owners and the workers and the crowd loved it.
As the day started the same way for the kids (prepping the show, costuming up for the opening and fixing b-fast, I went down to the parks laundry building....there I remained for nearly 2 hours. Grant it in between the loads I walked around the wooded area around the back of the park (discovered a river there), called my wife and chatted, and read Glenn Beck's Common Sense (a must read for any American---conservative or liberal). Three loads done---the glamour of show biz!
Our first show had a great audience...kind of a captive audience. About 10 minutes before show time the clouds burst open and every person withing 200 feet of our stage shelter area found shelter at our show. And they were a lively happy bunch. The rain ended well before the show did but everyone stayed.
Today was all about promoting Miles' impending strait-jacket escape tonight at 6pm. We have decided to do it over the lake (a nice pond near the front of the park).
Stunt time approached and we set up sound and hooked up the harness to the truck. (By the way, I spent a good chunk of last night sewing and securing the special harness.....you can't just buy these at your local hardware store....you can buy the parts and then make it.)
The owner of the park did something he had never done before. Over the loud speakers he announced the escape then closed all the rides for the duration of the stunt. So we had a very nice size crowd. Miles was driven in by the park owners daughter (she manages the place)...actually Miles walked over not realizing he was supposed to be driven in so we sent him back...then he was driven in. Before he arrived I had to test the strength of the harness and the speed of the lift. The harness worked perfectly but the crane was slow so we decided to use the boom to lift him instead of the crane's pulley system. it lifted me about 20 feet up then lowered me (by my hands) then we let Nick our sound guy try it via the ankles. No worries.
We had a couple of folks inspect the strait jacket as we explained the difference between a fake and real jacket...we use a real one. Then Miles was secured and slowly lifted into the air. Then with a dramatic music change he wiggled and squirmed his way out of the jacket...in the mean time hot dog buns we had stuffed into his jacket fell to the lake below where hundreds of catfish swarmed to get them It made a dramatic scene. In the end he escaped and as he was lowered to awesome applause he tossed the jacket to the bank of the lake. The owners and the workers and the crowd loved it.
I almost forgot one more interesting situation. Anyone who has seen our show knows that during the bullwhip part when Miles is about to whip an item from my mouth I say, "but don't worry folks I have two pieces of safety gear...Elvis Presley Safety glasses (and I hold up a pair of Elvis Glasses) and a Michael Jackson Prosthetic nose (I point to my nose)". Recently I get groans when before (when he was alive the joke always got laughs. So I have added the line, "Too soon?"
Well, occasionally I ask if the audience wants to see my Michael Jackson impersonation.Then I put one hand up in the air, the other does an air grab to the crouch and I ride up onto my toes as I do an MJ "Ow" noise. Always gets laughs....well, I recently haven't been able to stop. I ask if they want to see another MJ Impersonation. Then I fold my arms on my chest and close my eyes. Groans and laughs. Well, one ride operator who loves MJ told Miles and James that she liked all my MJ jokes except the "death one"....maybe a bit too soon, huh? By the way, a man from the audience laughed so hard at that one that I thought he was going to have a heart attact. He sadi, "Don't get no better than that." No accounting for taste.
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