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Kalonymus (a.k.a. Jonathan Briskin) from Boston performed a routine which involved comedy, balance and acrobatics. His juggling included a nice 3 torch routine.

with solid chops, back-crosses, doubles and triples. He swung one arm between two torches, dropped to the foot and did inside reverses. His fire devil-stick routine had some nice moves including both horizontal and veritcal helicopters.

This year my apologies go to Brisbane's Richie Rich (a.k.a. Gregory McLaren) and Paul Brasch, neither of whose routine I saw (honestly, I don't have anything against Aussies!).

But I did catch their countryman Tony Hannan enroute to Europe on a vacation from his circus school down under. Tony set up a 'juggling school' on the Halifax lawns and was busy during the festival converting others to the faith.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT the festival: Over the years Buskers has certainly drawn its share of flack. There was a major controversy over participation of local acts last year. There is a continuing question as to the selection procedure, with charges by some buskers of discrimination and favoritism. Mismanagement, poor planning, broken promises, questionable dealings - the festival has been accused of all of these -- and with some justification. Festival producer Dale Thompson has the talent of lodging his foot firmly in his mouth and of not being sensitive and politic in a town which requires both. Nevertheless it must be said that there has been a certain amount of festival-bashing and the media has found, in Dale Thompson, a man they love to hate.

The fact is that the festival last year (according to an independent study) drew on the order of 650,000 spectators and generated over $6.1 million in new business - not bad for the $300,000 invested in the budget. This year attendance topped 700,000. The festival pays 80% of the air fare of participants, provides them with free accommodation and guarantees them 18 days of hassle-free performing. Buskers gripe about their site allocations (the sites rotate to allow everyone a decent crack at the best places) but the festival faces real difficulties in arranging everyones' space, electrical, and artistic requirements.

Finally, by any imaginable yardstick, the festival is a huge artistic success, enormously popular amongst people of all ages and backgrounds. It's time for a more balanced assessment by outsiders.

1989 AWARD: This year the People's Choice A ward ($2,500 - voted on by audience members) went to The Flying Dutchmen, Michiel Hesseling and Jean-Michel Pare. This was a hat-trick achievement for the Dutchmen, who also won in Fredericton and Summerside.ln a gesture characteristic of generosity of buskers, Pare and Hesseling in turn, awarded the bronze statue given with the award to Robert Nelson as an expression of their admiration for his work.

Second and third prizes ($1,500 and $1,000) were split by the Toronto based Pharazon Street Dancers and the expatriate Yugoslav marionette group, Arthur & Co. The remarkable and unique Berlin based duo, The Living Statues, were awarded the special Alberto, Wiestein & Ho prize. Bob Grawi's Gravikord Ensemble (he and spouse Pip Klien) won the Musical Busker Award while Don Esterbrooks, a young juggler and stalwart member of Halifax's Bluenose Jugglers, won the Busker Development Award.

In the end, I have to say, that the most exciting thing about this Festival is that for three weeks these buskers took over Halifax with an off-the-wall energy that stood the town on its ears.

Unforgettable sights: the blasting sax's of The Shuffle Demons as they boogied out of the Pub Flamingo at 1 :30 a.m. to dance with a hundred enthusiastic fans in the middle of Slater St.; Michiel Hesseling and Robert Nelson on giraffes flailing away at each other with the Butterfly Man's foam rubber swords while a thousand spectators looked on; the Parisian dancing duo, the Foot Notes, tapping across the decks of a sail boat cruising through the harbor; an exuberant Jean-Michel Pare pouring lighter fluid on his giraffe and riding the flaming unicycle through the Grand Parade; Richie Underhill onstage at the Pub Flamingo playing his saxophone mouthpiece in a glass of water; Michiel Hesseling juggling unimagined variations with three clubs at 2:00 A.M. in front of the Soho Restaurant - the list goes on! I can't wait to see them back in town!