Think your hand-eye coordination is solid? You may fit in this week at the International Jugglers’ Association’s 78th annual convention, which is in Evansville for the first time.
Roughly 600 enthusiasts from around the world are sharing their love of juggling with one another, as well as with the host community. The convention has a lot of balls in the air, literally and figuratively.
The IJA staged a program July 15 for the Boys and Girls Club of Evansville, and public performances are scheduled at Downtown venues through Saturday. Capping the festivities July 19 is the Cascade of Stars, a family-friendly event at the Victory Theatre. According to IJA, it’s regarded as the best juggling show in the U.S.
The IJA enjoyed a Downtown walking tour and pub crawl after arriving Monday. Afton Benson, IJA treasurer and festival co-director, says the group typically eschews larger cities for its convention, preferring to do their juggling in medium-sized markets such as Evansville.
“They meet our needs, we meet their needs, and it works,” says Benson, who is from Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The group’s nods to Evansville also include reflecting on the life of Joe Cook, a native of the city and one of the biggest vaudeville stars of the 1920s and ‘30s. According to the IJA, films of Cook juggling five clubs and bounce juggling five balls are the earliest existing examples of such tricks, and the Museum of Juggling History in Middletown, Ohio, owns several of Cook’s props. Cook was the subject of a seminar during this week’s convention.
Jugglers in town for the IJA convention run the gamut, from touring show performers to novices, Benson says. Vendors also are onsite, selling juggling props and gear of all kinds.
A large exhibit floor at Old National Events Plaza is available 24/7 for conventioneers — the space was packed
with jugglers when Evansville Living stopped by July 15. Keenan Lampe of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was among those tossing clubs. The 32-year-old started juggling at age 12.
“My brother was learning, so I decided to copy him,” Lampe says. “For about a decade, it was me juggling solo and teaching friends. And in college, I met other jugglers, and they taught me more fun new trucks, like how to pass clubs, which is now my favorite thing to do. And then I started coming to festivals and met the community.”
Katrina Zahradka and Gabriel Cole-Brant tossed clubs back and forth while seated on unicycles. Cole-Brant first juggled at age 9, but the now-29-year-old says he rediscovered it in earnest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, he’s an independent performer who performs as a clown at Renaissance festivals under the name Gabs the Fool.
In addition to performing, Zahradka has an Etsy shop called Toss-Up Textiles, where she sells colorful, fun, juggling balls, and more. She and Cole-Brant are Minnesota residents.
“The circus community is one of the most accepting and exuberant groups you can participate in, with lots of diverse disciplines that all fit under the circus arts umbrella,” Zahradka says. “It’s a great way to meet people from different states and nations and immediately have a common language. To me circus is a passion, a career, an adventure and a family.”
Adds Cole-Brant: “Juggling and circus is one of the most welcoming and open communities I’ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of. I recommend anyone to join their local juggling club. They’re always a space for people to come together and share their weird and wacky habits.”
