* Charles Stron, while performing in Las Vegas, went to see the Moscow Circus there and met Victor Pilipovich and Anatoly Myagkostupovy. The two Soviets were excited to hear that Anthony Gatto was performing at the Union Plaza in town, and Gatto invited the other three over to see the show. They met afterwards and shared notes about how Gatto does double spin five club back crosses while the Soviets use triple spins. Stron and his partner, Bill Witter, worked at Circus Circus recently, but Stron will be on his own juggling and stilt-walking at about 15 state fairs in the Midwest this summer.

* Some notes culled from other circus and entertainment magazines: T.J. Howell and Dick Franco were working in December at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla. Howell also did some juggling on skates in a December show in Peoria, Ill... Bob Welz, performing juggler, worked this winter with the Ron Urban Ice Show. He is scheduled to work with Circus Gatti this season... Uleses Raymond was juggling with the Royal London Circus in Asia... Carter Brown and Mark Faje teamed up for a Big John Strong Christmas show, juggling up to eight clubs between them... Dario Vasquez has been juggling at Circus Circus in Las Vegas... Vlastec Bertini was a unicycling juggler in festivities during the Fourth Annual Circus Week in Sarasota... Fernando and Irene Bautista juggled with the Cole All Star Circus... Frank Endrix juggled with the Gerry Cottle circus in London... The August Brothers duo highlighted the one-time Winterfest Circus Spectacular in Southfield, Mich., in late January.  They entered on high unicycles and later balanced such objects as a working TV set, kitchen sink and wildly flaming barbecue grill. They also juggled balls, clubs, rings axes and torches. Ringmaster Jonathan Haglund also juggled in the show... Tommy Curtin is juggling on the ice at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Fla., while Dieter Tasso juggles elsewhere in the park... Justino Zoppe, all 10 years old of him, juggled in center ring to open the second half of the Hubler International Circus in Dayton, Ohio.

* This summer's conventioneers may find a new game on the Southern California beaches around LA. It's "pateca," played with a toy called Volleybird. IJAers Scott Morris and Dave Finnigan have teamed up to market the popular Brazilian toy in the US. A pateca is a sort of feather-tailed bag that players hit back and forth with their hands. As its trade name implies, its most common competitive use is in play over a volleyball net.