HOSTED BY: The Baltimore Juggler's Association, Jerry Raitzyk, President. The Convention Chairjuggler is Laura Green. For general information on convention activities please call Jerry. For information on hotels, transportation, vending or public relations please call Laura.

 

REGISTRATION: You can avoid paying the $15 late registration fee by prepaying in full by June 15. You will also receive a "Walk-Right-In Gym Pass", a package of all convention information and preferred seating at the Public Show. You may also send in your registration with a $25 deposit. We will have your package ready at the "Pre-Registered, Unpaid" table. All registration takes place in the DeChicaro Athletic Center, Reitz Arena, the main juggling facility. Walk in registration hours are listed in the "Schedule of Events." For information on registration call Mark Fisher, Registrar.

 

LOCATION & TRANSPORT: Loyola College located at the comer of North Charles Street and Cold Spring Lane in Baltimore City north of downtown inside the beltway (1-695). The jugglers dorms are Wynnewood Towers on Cold Spring Lane one block west of Charles Street. The gym is on Charles St. one block north of the Cold Spring Lane intersection.

 

DRIVING: From the Baltimore Beltway, 1-695, take exit 25, Charles Street. proceed south on Charles Street approximately seven miles to Cold Spring Lane. The main entrance to the campus and to the gym is a left turn off North Charles Street, just north of the Cold Spring intersection.

 

FLYING: The closest airport is the Balti­more Washington Airport. The official airlines of the convention is American Airlines.  Give the reservationist the IJA convention number, STAR #SOI794L. Shuttle service from the airport to Loyola will be provided. Please include your arrival information with your registration form.

FACILITIES: All activities, including shows, competitions, workshops and meals will take place in the DeChicaro Athletic Center, Loyola College. The facility is completely air conditioned, and includes pool, racquetball courts, weight rooms and locker facilities. The main gym is three full basketball courts in size. There is a "second gym" right across the hall from the main gym called "The Multi­Purpose Room." There will be a full stage set in this room, and will be used for workshops, open juggling, parties, pick­up shows and Club Renegade. No unicycles are allowed in the main gym, but are allowed in the Multi-Purpose Room. Outside the Athletic Center is a shady quadrangle, with many ramps perfect for unicycling.

 

ON CAMPUS HOUSING: Single and double rooms are available in Wynwood Towers. The facility is set up in apartments, rather than dorm rooms, with private bath and kitchen, only a six minute walk from the gym. If you book a single, you will have your own bedroom in an apartment unit, sharing the bath and kitchen. If you are a family unit or friendly group, apartments can accommodate up to four people, with a limited number of five­person units. For information on housing contact Mark Fisher, Registrar.

 

HOTELS: The Holiday Inn is offering special room rates to jugglers. Call the Holiday Inn in Towson or the Holiday Inn on Cromwell Bridge Road and tell them you are with the juggler's convention when you make reservations. Both are equidistant from the Loyola campus. Camping is available at Patapsco State Park, 23 miles from the campus.

 

FOOD: Two meal plans are available. A two-meal option (lunch and dinner) for $14 a day or a three-meal option for $18 a day. All meals will include vegetarian selections. The cafeteria is in the DeChicaro Athletic Center, right across the hall from the gym. There is a pizza parlor downstairs and restaurants within walking distance. Individual meals may be purchased at the cafe in the gym as well.

 

SPECIAL GUESTS: The IJA is pleased to welcome two special guests to the Baltimore convention. Anthony Gatto, former U.S. Nationals champion, will return to his hometown area to receive the first IJA Juggling Excellence Award. Karl-Heinz Ziethen, the world's foremost collector of juggling memorabilia and videos, will attend to receive the first IJA Service to Juggling Award. He will also present rare videotapes of jugglers throughout the world.

 

WORKSHOPS: Dozens of one-hour workshops covering a wide variety of juggling skills will be offered during the convention. They are offered free to all convention registrants.

Additionally, there will be special sessions on new vaudeville performance with Benny Reehl, and club swinging and club passing with Allan Jacobs. Benny Reehl is a director-performer from Gardiner, Maine, and founder of the New England Vaudeville Festival (in its eighth year), an annual production workshop for performers, and a new organization of independent variety touring artists. He has worked as director to many of today's top new vaudeville artists. He performs with his wife Denise, and their company - The New England New Vaudeville Revue - which presents over 200 shows yearly from solo to 12 performers around the eastern seaboard. He currently is involved in restoration of the oldest theater in Maine (The Johnson Hall Opera House) into a full time performance and educational facility specializing in new vaudeville-variety theater. His convention workshop will be titled: "Developing Originality in Show Material and Performance. "

Attendees should bring a notebook. The session is one hour in length and closed to late comers. In addition to these morning workshops on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Benny will be offering individual coaching and critique sessions for $25.00 per session (30-45 minutes). A sign-up sheet for available time slots can be found at the IJA Workshop Info Center at the convention. Bring a half inch VHS video of your work or come prepared to perform.

 

Allan Jacobs will teach two special workshops in club swinging and intermediate club passing. Club swinging will be taught from the beginners level, but those in the passing workshop should be able to do a 3-3-10 and should come to the workshop with a partner. Both workshops will run several sessions long, and space may be limited.

 

Jacobs has taught both workshops at several previous IJA conventions. He is a professional juggler living in New York City, where he performs with Barret Felker as "The Gizmo Guys."

 

For more information or to volunteer to teach a workshop contact Mike Vondruska.