Woodstock Pizza Chico 2nd Time-----some unrelated updates

Thursday was the KFMC 2nd Family Night performance at Woodstock.

This time Miles would do magic and Cynthia would be back doing balloons.Like I said in the video blog last week....it's more than pizza.

Miles and the Woodstock Dragon. Not sure the connection between dragons and pizza. I was thinking maybe since Woodstock is named just like the town in NY where the music festival in the 60s took place (though technically it was a town over). And many people at Woodstock puffed the magic dragon. And Puff the Magic Dragon, which was a veiled euphemism for MJ, is a dragon in the song. Then a dragon makes sense. HOWEVER, more than likely when they looked at the Mascot costume catalog and they liked this costume best and my ramblings are just that....ramblings.

Miles performs magic for a family.

Miles amazes a little girl and her mom.

Miles was a little nervous because he hasn't done close-up magic for and audience in a few months (if you don't count friends and family). He has done many many close-up magic/strolling gigs many many times. But the slow season kept him from doing it more often.

Even a guy just waiting for his pizza becomes an unwitting volunteer. He was impressed!

Freckle Face...aka Princess Cynthia made balloon flowers, swords and animals for the kiddies.

Even hats....

This family has come out every week to see us (see you guys next week!)

A waitress allowed me to take a snap shot of her unique tattoos.

A pin Freckle Face wears.

As Uncle Bill (who came out this past Thursday and had a little pizza and magic and balloon. Cynthia makes an interesting clown. She doesn't do high pitch or strange voices. She doesn't do over the top gags and actions. Her philosophy is that she doesn't want to scare the kids so she is gentle and quiet and smiles sweetly.

Freckle Face, Uncle Bill (black shirt), Dave Keeny (green shirt), Uncle JC (red shirt) and Miles.

Lots of laughs, magic and fun. That big pizza is part of the kids' pay....yeah they get paid.

Jim was nearby Woodstocks at a park performing with the Gospel Choir from Champion Christian High school. Since I couldn't find him here are his friends.

Cynthia was hungry but values her costume so off it came and in went the pizza...before we were out of the parking lot.

Desert pizza....see it's not just pizza at Woodstocks. This was magnificent...or so the customer eating it said.

Jeff Ambrose, the owner of all 8 Woodstock Pizzas (from San Diego to Chico) with Freckle Face. very nice guy.

He even got a balloon lady bug.

Some folks have asked about Uncle Eddie. he is doing well. His walk with Christ is going excellently. We use Skype to talk quiet often. I snapped a pix. He is sporting a new style beard and moustache.



May 28-31 Wisconsin Chocolate Fest (WI)
(June 1-11 sold out)June 12 Gold Sox Baseball Game (Marysville, CA)
June 30-July3 Swift Current Frontier Days (SK, Canada) (((then 2000 mile drive to))July 6-July 10 Laurel County Fair (London, KY)July 12-25 Beech bend Amusement Park (Bowling Green, KY)
July 26-31 Clermont County fair (oh)August 2-15 Quassy Amusement Park (Middlebury, CT)August 17-21 Delaware County Fair (NY)August 24-28 Union Fair (ME)
Sept 1 New Life Neighborhood Church (Asheville, NC)Sept 3-6 "3 County Fair" (MA)
Sept 16-19 National Cattle Congress (Waterloo, IA)
Sept 26 Orland First Baptist (CA)
Sept 29-October 3 Southern NM State Fair (NM)

Video Blog 1.4 Woodstocks Pizza Jim & Cynthia

Princess Cynthia donned her clown costume and became Freckle Face as Jim climbed into his stilts and took to Woodstock's Pizza in Chico, Ca last Thursday. We will be doing more with Woodstock this Thursday and next Thursday as well.
Calico Spring Festival video blog (1.5) will be coming soon in two parts: Part one: "The Show" Part two: "The Town"

Calico

At this writing I am back at home base. We performed three shows throughout the crazy windy Mother's Day. The crowds were nice but smaller than when we perform on the Halloween Ghost Haunt. With only three shows and three hours between show one and two we had the opportunity to goof off and shoot a lot of video for the forth-coming video blog.

The wind took it's toll causing Jim's cart to roll off stage, Miles' walking globe to follow and the fire-eating equipment to do the same. The wind whipped up the sand, dust and gravel of Calico and deposit it everywhere. Most often it pelted the people in our audience and us when we stepped out from the relative protection of our stage. I say relative protection because the wind still whipped around and made some stunts difficult. Jim couldn't balance the wheel barrow on his chin while on the ladder because the large heavy metal barrow became a sail and would try and fly away. His Diabolo (Chinese YoYo was kept low and the giant toss into the air was 86ed because it ended up sailing across the sky and nearly hit someone in the audience once so we stopped doing that. Fire eating was hell too. I say it like that because if you experienced from my position you would have had a taste of what hell will be like. The wind whipped around our stage like I have never experienced (and I've been doing Calico for 14 years). I had more flashbacks, that's when the flame is pushed by the wind back to my face, more than ever before. My mutton chops are a little closer to my face thanks to "fire-shaving".

This was Belle's first time back to Calico since we got her from Janet, the Pottery Shop Owner, a few months back. She remembered Janet and her black toy poodle, Big Boy. Belles has learned how to rough house with Victor Jr and Big Boy was surprised when Belle swatted him when he barked at her. His top dog position was challenged. he was also a little jealous when Janet held Belle. Big Boy is a cool dog and you should go to Calico just to meet him. Should have taken a picture of them playing.

Between shows.

During the show....note snake.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Notice the flashback as I try to light my tongue.

While Jim Juggles I get refreshed.

Windy!

Calico Ghost Town Spring Festival: Day 1

We've performed here at Calico For over 14 years. Mother's Day weekend is their Spring Festival time and over the years it has developed into a Bluegrass Festival. We saw many new faces in performers and a few old ones. It was like old home week. Belle (our poodle) saw her former caretaker, Janet, today and her former playmate, Big Boy , a black toy poodle. Belle is still people skittish but is coming long. We bring her out during the final bows even though she is not performing yet.
It has been really windy and very sunny. The mixture of the wind and sun really dries one out. We all ended up with chapped lips and dry cuticles. But that is Calico. The workers here are, and have always been, very nice. We have gone through three or four management changes over the years.
Our audiences have been big and very responsive.
Cynthia has missed show here with use the past 3 or 4 years but made it out this time. Since it is a Bluegrass festival she is singing, "Gone to the River" in every show. You can hear a pin drop when she sings and I saw a few teary eyes.
I've been off script all day today and that can play out pretty funny sometimes. At one point I started introducing Jim unlike I had ever done before. It panned out OK when I saved myself with a joke. I usually just introduce him pointing out his skills and his history. Somehow I got off script and said, "When Jim was born his mother hopped he would grow up to be an entertainer like his father. (Short pause as I realize I had no idea what I was saying. ) I was a milk man back then." The joke got a great response.....I will use it again.
Due to the wind fire-eating has been rough. Our stage seems to cause the wind to swirl and shift directions constantly. At one point I had a blow back when I did a fire blow and my face was momentarily engulfed in flames. That's why I have a towel. A photographer friend who was visiting the park snapped a shot just a millisecond after I pulled my face out of the flames. It was freaky. He will send me a copy of it and I will post it in the future. Thanks Terry. Apparently it was obvious to the audience by their reaction....the loved it. Ever notice most audiences have a slight sadistic streak?
In our last show in order to test our new condenser mics we performed the Foy routine without the costumes. Victor's Cossack dance got a great reaction as did Cynthia's "bed time story". Fun was had.
We visited my aunt and uncle in Barstow after the shows and after dinner. Belle played with their little do, Alex, as the kids played Skippo with Aunt Lucky. Back at the hotel we are watching a "Don't fotget the Lyrics" style show from Taiwan. It's hilarious.
The video blog from this trip is going to be awesome.

Video Blog 1.3 Oronaz Christian Program KFMC

We performed at Oroville Church of the Nazarine. This video has backstage stuff but even more performance footage than past video blog posts. Funny backstage stuff we did to kill time until the program started.

All Kinds of Stuff

Newest vehicle in our fleet. we bought an RV today. We will take delivery next week. This will ease our abilty to travel with Titus (in his wheel chair) and allow us to have some home cooked meals prepared by Mami.
Last week we had hail and snow in Oroville. Very rare but not a record by any means. The kids had fun making snow or hail balls and throwing them.

Normally we don't have bugs in the blog until our tour time. But his big fella (about 3.5" wide) had pink under wings with an eye design on it. But I couldn't get him or her to spread it's wing for me.

The girls all match up in the Anpanman PJs

Rice balls made fun with special Nori (seaweed) cut outs. It's a little cutting die thingy. Uncle Eddie sent the dies from Japan.

Even the cut out Nori is used.

A new video blog from our show last night and the Boys' performance and participation in the Walk for Life program at Oroville Dam (A fundraiser for the Pregnancy Resource center, a Christian alternative to planned parenthood.) They have performed at the event for many many years.

Video Blog 1.1 April 2010 Pizza Festival

We have included Video of the day, life and Adventures of the Kent Family Magic Circus on the road to the Lemoore Pizza Festival. The glamour and not-so-glamorous!

Pizza Festival Post Log: Nearly Lost a Wheel and Didn't know it!

You may have seen our video blog regarding our trip and performances at the Pizza festival. What wasn't on the video was something that could've made for a very bad trip. When we got back I smelt a metallic burning smell around the van and trailer. I walked around the units and discovered the smell was coming from a rear wheel of our trailer. I touched the hub cover and burnt my finger. After pouring gallons of water on it and creating plumes and plumes of steam for over 10 minutes I let it sit to cool.
The next morning we discovered the bearings were burned out and the wheel was sitting askew. Closer inspection showed metal on metal damage around where the hub met the axle and burnt grease and metal chips clinging to the inside of the wheel and wheel well.
When my mechanic lifted the trailer up he was able to lift the tire off without loosening a nut! There was 1" play all around the axle. We could've lost the wheel while driving but by the grace of God we didn’t. Especially if you saw the roads we had to go over on the drive.
It explains the worse than usual gas mileage.
$488 later we have a better axle, better bearings, better grease system and a lesson to always check the bearings before a long trip! Yes it's the same trailer that had a bent axle two years ago.

Never a dull moment and this adventure of life goes on!

Lemoore Pizza Festival 2010

This was our 5th or 6th year back in Lemoore for their Pizza Festival. Their first year at the beautiful campus of West Hills College. Lots of fun. Titus and Mami joined us.
Our day started by waking at 5 am, in the van by 5:30 and the long 5.5 hour drive was on. We made it to Lemoore one hour before our first show so it was a rush to get things set and ready to go. But true to form the kids did an awesome job setting up. Even with the addition of two new members (one being disabled) and a new dog (future star) the set up went well. Kudos to Jim, Miles and Victor Jr.
The audience was smaller than we were used to. This was our first Sunday performance at the festival. We were told Saturday broke attendance records for the event. Still the audiences we had were enthusiastic.
Mami performed her juggling and yes she dropped stuff but hung in there and the audience appreciated her for it.
Jim was happy to be able to get back into the stilts and stroll the grounds....one of his favorite things in the world to do.
Titus drew "first blood" a term meaning he got the first freebie (see below). We also got 6 free pizzas from Fattee Alberts out of Hanford....they were delicious (especially the Mexican pork Chili verde Pizza), a free bag of Kettle Corn, and free bags of cotton candy.
After a long day Mami and Titus really enjoyed the cotton candy and Pizza. The kettle corn bag was empty before we made Fresno on the drive home.
Fatte Alberts also hosted the Pizza eating contest: two people had 15 minutes to eat as much of a 28" pizza as they could. The winner won money for a charity. It was gross! Yet it was funny.

Post show lessons on wand tricks for kids int he audience.

Titus was given this stuffed doggy by a carnie who was touched seeing Titus there.

See a video of the day at www.victorkent.com/pizza10.wmv

Colusa Children's Festival-

This is our 11th year or so with CPAC and the Colusa County Children's fesstival. It's a small event with only about 1500 people in attendance. But they have been loyal clients having us back year after year and we enjoy performing there. We have several similar local clients. (By local I mean within 2 hours ofour home base.)
We performed our Foy routine and Titus and Mami got to perform, getting ready for the big tour this summer. Belle also made her first festival appearance and though she is still siddish towards crowds she is getting better.
The kids also got to enjoy the activities at the festival.

Where's Alf?

Miles and Sudoku between shows

Mami smirking at me.

Peanut Butter Snack between shows.

Olivia the artist between shows.

Cynthia, Belle, and Victor on a walk between shows.

Jim and Titus on a walk between shows.

Cynthia and Belle kicking back between shows.

We did three 50 minute shows today and the seats were packed with folks standing as much as 4 people deep. The last show was the smallest with all the seats taken and few standers. Still they were a gracious audience. many have grown up with us over the years and I heard "remember when" stories more than once.