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Surprising Bradford Hosts European Jugglers

"Bradford is a surprising place," is the town slogan in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, site of the 11 th European Juggling Convention. Those who attend the Sept. 22-25 event will find a national photography and television museum, an arts festival and possibly 1,000 jugglers!

Bradford is 200 miles north of London, located within striking distance of some of England's most beautiful countryside. The convention will take place at the climax of the annual arts festival and feature a big juggling gym, cabaret nights, a parade, games and a public show in a beautiful 2,000-seat Victorian theatre.

To get there, rent a car or take a train from London. Get a "saver-return" ticket from London King's Cross station (via Leeds). There's also bus service from London Victoria that's cheaper than the train. The Leeds/Bradford airport is just five miles from the convention site.

Accommodations ranging from church hall floors to university apartments to private homes is available. There is camping outside of town. If you need accommodations, please contact convention organizers ahead of time so they can help you arrange it.

Don't expect warm weather in northern England at that time of year, but you can expect a warm welcome from the Bradford Jugglers! Contact: Bradford Jugglers; Bradford, W. Yorkshire, England.

Newton Would Be Proud Of Fort Wayne Festival

Cool, windy weather didn't stop about 40 jugglers from enjoying the Eighth Annual Sir Isaac Newton Memorial Juggling Festival in Fort Wayne, Ind., in late April. Pavilion #1 in Fort Wayne's Franke Park shielded them from the elements.

Besides the ever-popular open juggling, Saturday's events included the old shell game - egg juggling. Dave Pam in and Dave Wilkins, both of Fort Wayne, won the six egg passing competition with their home court advantage. Al Eisenhour of Plymouth, Ind., won the five egg juggling competition.

Another popular activity was riding unicycles and unusual bicycles brought by Tom Miller of The Unicycle Factory in Kokomo, Ind. People also took on the challenge of juggling giant clubs made out of water cooler jugs by Charlie Willer of

Fort Wayne. .

There was a lot to watch on the floor during the open juggling. Mike Ferguson of Ann Arbor, Mich., was juggling eight bean bags. Paul Kyprie of Ann Arbor was bouncing five balls from a rola bola. Jugglers from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., worked on group passing.

Although there were no formal workshops, jugglers picked up tips on club swinging, club passing and unicycling by asking others for help. Spectators had a good time, too. Dave Pamin taught a television reporter to juggle quickly, but she spent about an hour trying to complete a short run to end her report.

When all was said, done and juggled, a good time was had by all. Many left with something new to work on, and they all left looking forward to the IJA convention in Denver!

- Madelyn Dinnerstein